Hydrocaps

BEFUDDLED · July 2014

Does anyone have any experience with hydrocaps used to replace the regular caps on batteries? It sounds like a good idea, but at $8-$9 per cap this will be expensive and the cost/benefit may not be worthwhile.

Thanks to all.

Photowhit · July 2014

Re: Hydrocaps

Hydro caps work but are a PITA! They must be removed for equalizing or they can over heat and melt, the catalyst (palladium?) wears out over time. I think I've heard around 3 years, I didn't have mine that long.

I use water miser caps, nearly as expensive around $3.50 - 6+ shipping, it use to be a PITA to order them as they do not accept credit cards on their website, but now they sell through eBay and you can use a CC via PayPal. These don't have a catalyst but a bunch of balls allowing for the water vapor to recombine and drop back into the cell.

mike95490 · July 2014

Re: Hydrocaps

Photowhit wrote: »

......These don't have a catalyst but a bunch of balls allowing for the water vapor to recombine and drop back into the cell.

re water miser caps: (not hydro caps which have a catalyst in them) -edit

Nope, the little plastic pellets trap the acid mist and let it drip back into the cell. That's not plain water in the caps.

inetdog · July 2014

Re: Hydrocaps

mike95490 wrote: »

Nope, the little plastic pellets trap the acid mist and let it drip back into the cell. That's not plain water in the caps.

And in Mike's case, they would trap the alkaline mist.

Photowhit · July 2014

Re: Hydrocaps

mike95490 wrote: »

Nope, the little plastic pellets trap the acid mist and let it drip back into the cell. That's not plain water in the caps.

I'm not a chemist, don't pretend to be one, I thought that hydrocaps contained a catalyst to promoting the combining of hydrogen and oxygen and may even help with sulfur dioxide in recombining and dropping back into the cell as water or acid. With watermiser (no catalyst) they only promotion to recombining is the great surface area allowing for more area and time for oxygen and hydrogen to recombine and no chance for the sulfur dioxide. This maybe a misconception on my part, but perhaps you have read more on the subject?

FWIW - It is mostly just hydrogen and oxygen with perhaps traces of sulfur dioxide, maybe splashes of acid when the battery is boiling.

I do know that hydrocaps must be removed for equalizing, as the catalyst heats up, at least the plastic type, I have seen what seam to be ceramic caps of some type that, may or may not contain a catalyst, on industrial batteries and in a post calling them hydrocaps. Many of us use a charge controller's automatic equalizing to help maintain the battery health, this would not work with hydrocaps, but does work with water miser.

inetdog · July 2014

Re: Hydrocaps

Photowhit wrote: »

I'm not a chemist, don't pretend to be one, I thought that hydrocaps contained a catalyst to promoting the combining of hydrogen and oxygen and may even help with sulfur dioxide in recombining and dropping back into the cell as water or acid. With watermiser (no catalyst) they only promotion to recombining is the great surface area allowing for more area and time for oxygen and hydrogen to recombine and no chance for the sulfur dioxide. This maybe a misconception on my part, but perhaps you have read more on the subject?

I do know that hydrocaps must be removed for equalizing, as the catalyst heats up, at least the plastic type, I have seen what seam to be ceramic caps of some type that, may or may not contain a catalyst, on industrial batteries and in a post calling them hydrocaps.

Close remembering of your chemistry, but no cigar.

Hydrogen and oxygen gas, which is what comes up inside the bubbles, will not recombine at atmospheric pressure without either flame or the help of a catalyst. No matter how much non-catalyst area is available.

The ones with just the plastic pellets will allow the bubbles to pop and the electrolyte which is the wall of the bubble, and any electrolyte mist which comes from popped bubbles to condense and drip back in before it passes beyond the vent opening and is lost or condenses on the top of the battery.

You are correct that the catalyst caps, whatever material they are made of, need to be removed when the battery is gassing heavily, as during an equalization cycle.

AGM batteries can let the H2 and 02 recombine under higher than atmospheric pressure and may also contain a catalyst to help it along.

vtmaps · July 2014

Re: Hydrocaps

inetdog wrote: »

The ones with just the plastic pellets will allow the bubbles to pop and the electrolyte which is the wall of the bubble, and any electrolyte mist which comes from popped bubbles to condense and drip back in before it passes beyond the vent opening and is lost or condenses on the top of the battery.

I wouldn't use "condense" to describe the mist being deposited on the plastic balls or the top of the battery. "Condense" implies a phase change.

--vtMaps

Hydrocap1 · September 2016

inetdog, Is correct in two points.

"Hydrogen and oxygen gas, which is what comes up inside the bubbles, will not recombine at atmospheric pressure without either flame or the help of a catalyst. No matter how much non-catalyst area is available. "
Fact:
Hydrocaps uses a catalyst that never gets consumed. It only allows for the recombination of the Oxygen and Hydrogen molecules,
which makes pure water and returns it to the batteries

"You are correct that the catalyst caps, whatever material they are made of, need to be removed when the battery is gassing heavily, as during an equalization cycle."
Fact:
Hydrocaps should be removed if Equalization used is in excess of 6 amps for extended periods of time.
Equalization will shorten the life of a Battery not Prolong or extend it, and we never recommend this.

Mark
Hydrocap Corp.

Ralph Day · September 2016

Mark, if your is never consumed why did my Hydrocaps stop working after 3-4 years? One, two, a couple more, then all 24 quit working within 12 months. But they do make a handy big grip battery cap after that.

Ralph

Photowhit · September 2016

Hydrocap1 said:

Equalization will shorten the life of a Battery not Prolong or extend it, and we never recommend this.

This is bad information, with no reasoning, equalizing will keep batteries from stratifying, important in large case batteries. It will also help recombine hardened sulfites on the plates, and/or get them to fall off exposing plate material. When the specific gravity of one cell is less than the others a battery will assume much of the characteristics of the single cell, including lower capacity.

Of major battery manufacturers, only Deka recommends not equalizing unless there is an imbalance between cells. Trojans says one thing in some of their literature, but conflicts it in others and in instructional videos.

Dave Angelini · September 2016

I think the inconsistant info on batteries is self serving to the manufacturer who wants another battery sale after warranty.
They all seem to do this at one time or another BTW.

mike95490 · September 2016

> equalizing will keep batteries from stratifying, important in large case batteries.

Well, I think the daily absorb does/supposed to do this, and EQ is sort of a fail safe,

Dave Angelini · September 2016

Surrette explained this well at one time. There is preventative EQ and corrective EQ. One does preventative to not get to corrective EQ which is a pain in the ass!
I do not have time for it and if one of my clients gets that bad I throw my hands up and have the big white van come do a battery exchange,

BB. · September 2016

Here are Hydrocap's life/usage details:

The life expectancy of a Hydrocap Vent is more than 5 years with overcharge rtes below 3 amperes for 2 hours each day. Other rates can be calculated from the minimum expected life of 10,000 Ampere-Hours of over charge current.

http://www.hydrocapcorp.com/picts/installing.jpg

-Bill

Dave Angelini · September 2016

Bill, I remember seeing this long ago, the part where the arrow is, and thinking why would someone use these if they got that hot.
Just to save 5 gallons of water? Right.....

Hydrocaps

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