Can a Car Battery Still Be Used After Getting Wet?

[VanDavid]

If a car battery is soaked in water and not treated promptly, it cannot be used. Although there is water inside the battery, it is different from ordinary water. The water inside a battery is usually distilled or high-purity water, which has very low conductivity and is essentially non-conductive. However, common water in daily life contains various metals and trace elements that conduct electricity, so water ingress can cause short circuits and other issues in the battery. More details are as follows: 1. Car battery discharge: This can lead to sulfation of the battery. If the discharge is severe, it may even render the battery unusable. Battery discharge refers to deep discharge, where the voltage drops below 10.50V, causing sulfuric acid to react with the lead plates to form lead sulfate. 2. If not recharged in time: Lead sulfate can crystallize. Over time, these crystals will not decompose during recharging, a condition known as battery sulfation. After a car battery discharges, it should be recharged immediately using a battery charger. If a regular charger fails to recharge the battery, a repair device with high-resistance repair must be used to raise the voltage above 10V for successful recharging.