🔍 Key Concepts

• Lead-acid battery chemistry — what is actually lost during normal evaporation • Difference between water loss and acid loss (spillage, leaks, overcharging) • Effect of adding extra acid on battery plates and specific gravity

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: when water evaporates from a battery, does the sulfuric acid evaporate with it, or does it stay in the remaining liquid? • How would adding more sulfuric acid change the concentration (specific gravity) of the electrolyte compared to its designed value? • In normal maintenance (no spills, no leaks), what are you trying to restore: the acid content, the water content, or both?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify what component of the electrolyte is lost primarily by evaporation under normal conditions • Consider what overfilling with acid could do to the battery’s life and plate condition • Remember that changing the specific gravity away from the manufacturer’s range is harmful — which choice avoids that?