Battery acid mishap
06-08-2008, 06:25 PM
#1
Former Sponsor
Thread Starter
Battery acid mishap
About 2 months ago, I took the family camping at a local lake. We spent a beautiful week, admiring dark stars, quite evenings and the howls of coyotes cornering rabbits and other animals.
Upon storing my travel trailer at a buddies house, i removed the battery and placed it in the tow vehicles rear 2 row seating area, on the Husky Liner floor mats. I took every insurance if a mishap occured, it would be on the chemical resistant floor mats. Worse case scenario, im out about $40.00 for a new floor mat.But being chemical resistant, i wasnt even really worried about that.
Fast forward a week or 10 days:
I go out to the Expedition (for whatever the reason0 and notice a white substance on the asphalt in front of the right rear tire. I was puzzled, first thing that came to my mind was a prankster spraying acid on my running board, then maybe a dog or cat with a very high acetic urine flow, wizzin on my tire. Still puzzled, i dismissed it as a mystery.
All the while, im assuming since I hadnt seen the battery, that I had taken it and stored where I always do, awaiting an opportunity to hook it up to the charger and recharge it.
Another week passes, my daughter tells me there something "growing" and theres a nasty smell in th back seat of the Expedition. So out I go, wondering what this could possibly be, maybe a week or two old bologna sandwich which had slipped out of one of the kids school lunches.
So I flip open the 2nd row seat, only to discover a RV battery on its side, in a pool of battery acid. One of the kids (or one of my own) had taken the battery and layed it behind the 2nd seat, on its side! The acid had dissolved the carpeting, turning it into a toxic mush.
So now it dawns on me, the white stuff was battery acid which had taken the low point of travel, and leaked out one of the drain holes, onto the streets surface (whhich dissolved also).
So I spent all day Saturday, removing 3rd row seating
and carpeting. The acid had dissolved color coat and primer, right down to the metal in some spots. My recovery was a steel wire brush, scraper, and my shop vac. The paint was so soft, you could have removed it with your fingers.
I scraped all the loose matter, then proceeded with the steel wire brush for further cleaning. Then sealed with primer.
Ford wants $290.00 for carpet and padding, my discount, down to $215.00. Too much money I figured, so off to Pep Boys...Nothing.
Off to the local junk yard ......closed
Off to WalMart.....Nothing
Off to Joanns Fabrics, close but no cigar. They had headliner materials but no carpeting
Then I looked up "auto upholstery" on my Verizon Navigator and I get "Phillipes Auto upholstery". This guy could barely speak English, but for $40.00 I got two yards of carpeting! Now all I need is the backing, and some 3M spray adhesive. Heres some pics of the cleanup:
Upon storing my travel trailer at a buddies house, i removed the battery and placed it in the tow vehicles rear 2 row seating area, on the Husky Liner floor mats. I took every insurance if a mishap occured, it would be on the chemical resistant floor mats. Worse case scenario, im out about $40.00 for a new floor mat.But being chemical resistant, i wasnt even really worried about that.
Fast forward a week or 10 days:
I go out to the Expedition (for whatever the reason0 and notice a white substance on the asphalt in front of the right rear tire. I was puzzled, first thing that came to my mind was a prankster spraying acid on my running board, then maybe a dog or cat with a very high acetic urine flow, wizzin on my tire. Still puzzled, i dismissed it as a mystery.
All the while, im assuming since I hadnt seen the battery, that I had taken it and stored where I always do, awaiting an opportunity to hook it up to the charger and recharge it.
Another week passes, my daughter tells me there something "growing" and theres a nasty smell in th back seat of the Expedition. So out I go, wondering what this could possibly be, maybe a week or two old bologna sandwich which had slipped out of one of the kids school lunches.
So I flip open the 2nd row seat, only to discover a RV battery on its side, in a pool of battery acid. One of the kids (or one of my own) had taken the battery and layed it behind the 2nd seat, on its side! The acid had dissolved the carpeting, turning it into a toxic mush.
So now it dawns on me, the white stuff was battery acid which had taken the low point of travel, and leaked out one of the drain holes, onto the streets surface (whhich dissolved also).
So I spent all day Saturday, removing 3rd row seating
and carpeting. The acid had dissolved color coat and primer, right down to the metal in some spots. My recovery was a steel wire brush, scraper, and my shop vac. The paint was so soft, you could have removed it with your fingers.
I scraped all the loose matter, then proceeded with the steel wire brush for further cleaning. Then sealed with primer.
Ford wants $290.00 for carpet and padding, my discount, down to $215.00. Too much money I figured, so off to Pep Boys...Nothing.
Off to the local junk yard ......closed
Off to WalMart.....Nothing
Off to Joanns Fabrics, close but no cigar. They had headliner materials but no carpeting
Then I looked up "auto upholstery" on my Verizon Navigator and I get "Phillipes Auto upholstery". This guy could barely speak English, but for $40.00 I got two yards of carpeting! Now all I need is the backing, and some 3M spray adhesive. Heres some pics of the cleanup:
06-08-2008, 09:27 PM
#2
Suzuka Master
Hey .. get ahold of Patrick over at Excel Detailing .. he is really good with this stuff... OH!!! your him .. well crap .. dunno what to say ...
The good side to all of this is you seem to have a pretty good affordable recovery plan in place .. .. there isn't really a bad side .. least its not on the top of the hood..
Not as bad as the rabbit eating through the wiring harness in my daughters Ferarri for $6000.
The good side to all of this is you seem to have a pretty good affordable recovery plan in place .. .. there isn't really a bad side .. least its not on the top of the hood..
Not as bad as the rabbit eating through the wiring harness in my daughters Ferarri for $6000.
06-09-2008, 12:31 AM
#5
Former Sponsor
Thread Starter
Well, I conferred with my son who assured me the acid has/had already reacted. So after a thorough cleanup, it was wiped down with water, then air dried with a blower, and primered.
I had considered using baking soda, but had read somewhere that that wasnt appropriate.
I had considered using baking soda, but had read somewhere that that wasnt appropriate.
06-09-2008, 08:48 AM
#6
Burning Brakes
http://www.familycar.com/classroom/battery.htm <-- Last paragraph.
I think in high school, we used baking soda to clean up battery acid and battery terminals. I think in your case it should be ok since its been cleaned and sealed so no way it would become liquid again.
Looking to making a big order from you soon
I think in high school, we used baking soda to clean up battery acid and battery terminals. I think in your case it should be ok since its been cleaned and sealed so no way it would become liquid again.
Looking to making a big order from you soon
06-09-2008, 09:18 AM
#7
Former Sponsor
Thread Starter
Thunder, thanks for watching my back!! I wish I had seen that Friday before taking on this task.........I cleaned it up pretty good though, I'll have to get a pic of the finished product.....
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06-09-2008, 07:26 PM
#8
all work and no play
Baking soda definitely will nutralize the acid. I am a battery tech mainly on large forklift batteries and the solution we use to clean them has baking soda as the nutralizing agent. Your method should be just fine though
06-10-2008, 03:44 AM
#9
The Old Grey Whistle Test
Originally Posted by MWalsh9152
Baking soda definitely will nutralize the acid. I am a battery tech mainly on large forklift batteries and the solution we use to clean them has baking soda as the nutralizing agent. Your method should be just fine though
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