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(Doug Miller) wrote in
:

In article ,
"George E. Cawthon" wrote:
Doug Miller wrote:
In article , "Ulysses"
wrote:

I suggest you go to the auto parts store and get a battery terminal
cleaner. They are easier to use than a wire brush. As for the
anti-oxidant stuff they sell for inflated prices I have found that
Vaseline works better.

Ummmm.... Vaseline is an electrical insulator. If you apply it
between the terminal and the post -- which is where you *really*
need corrosion
prevention
-- it ain't gonna work. OxGard, on the other hand, is conductive,
and can be applied where it's needed the most.

How come there is so much corrosion between the
terminal and the post? In most cases they are the
same material (lead), so the corrosion isn't
caused by dissimilar materials.

I like what another person wrote--new batteries
don't have much corrosion. So what does that tell
you? Maybe cleanliness is a deterrent and that
corrosive gas or corrosive liquids are a problem?

Precisely.

In my experience, covering the whole connection
with some type of material is what prevents
corrosion on older batteries.

As long as the connection stays tight. And if it doesn't, well, that's
why you should put OxGard in between the post and terminal.

As for vaseline--it works.

Not if you put it between the post and terminal... :-)

When you tighten the clamp,it squeezes out the Vaseline,and small
differences in the surfaces penetrate any film left,so Vaseline does not
insulate the post from the clamp. It does keep oxygen from the cleaned
lead.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net