What should I do with this exploded battery?

For those who didn't see my post from last night, I had a golf cart battery blow the top off when I turned on the charger. I was far enough away I didn't get hurt, but my ears were ringing all night. Sounded about like a shotgun blast next to your ear, amazing how loud it was.
Anyway, I got them all out and the cart cleaned up but I'm curious what I should do with the bad battery. It's currently sitting on the ground far from anything and it's bubbling some still. Not sure if I should just dump it out and if so where? Suggestions?
Also wondering if I get the acid and water out if the scrap man will accept it or not. Don't really want it laying around here in the way, and I'm pretty sure the battery man won't take it in exchange for new batteries.

Original Post

Turn it in as a core when and where you get the replacement. All the battery company is interested is the lead that will be smelted and reused anyway. They don't care about the jar. That is scrap. I remember going through a two day mini course years back on batteries put on by Exide, and as I recall, the lead in batteries is not considered toxic or hazerdous waste, because they consider it "loaned", which is supposed to go back and be smelted, impurities removed, and the lead reused in other batteries.

Mark

I've taken batteries that looked worst than that to the recyclers. They took them with no problem. The I use recycler is an auto wrecking yard. Some recyclers may have a problem, this one doesn't.

If the battery shop wont take it try a scrap dealer. Up north I bet over half the batteries freeze and break. I am sure the scrappers don't toss them in the trash

Believe it or not I brought the burned battery in the photo to Fleet Farm and they gave me credit for the core when I bought a new one. It was intact enough that I was able to pick it up in one piece and set it on the cart.

That tractor looks familiar. Is that the one from up by Aitkin? Did you get it going again or use it for parts? Just curious.

Yes that's the one from Aitkin. Trying to remember if that was 3 years ago now? Must be 3.
I towed it home (to my land) and went at it with a pressure washer. I had a donor tractor so one weekend I replaced the starter, battery, radiator, injector pump and lines, valve cover gasket, etc and she fired right off.
Brought it home here to Mpls and spent a month on it. Took it all apart and replaced gaskets seals, etc. It was a real good little tractor - fire didn't hurt it all. I had it for two years- mowed a lot with it then sold it.
I went to HS with the guy who owned it when it burned. Small world.
more photos of it here.

Drain all the acid into a container and shake baking soda into the fluid until it stops foaming.

The acid should be gone and you can dispose of it like dirty water (remember, it may have some lead in it, so keep it away from drinking water.

Kill the acid in the old battery by pouring baking soda / water into it until it quits foaming, then double or tripple bag it in HD garbage bags and trade it in as a core.

The scrap yard doesn't care, or shouldn't. Its that much less acid they have to deal with.

Glad to hear that you got it going again. The guy you bought it from works at the GM garage in Aitkin with my dad, has for many years. I looked at that tractor after the fire but it was more of a project than I wanted to undertake. Nice work on saving it from the scrap man.

I would take that battery and leave at the back door of the closest WalMart!

Thanks Jon, that's the answer I was looking for. I sure didn't just want to dump the water / acid combo on the ground. I didn't realize you could just neutralize it like that.
Very helpful info.

I salvaged out a bunch of batteries a while back, wanted the lead to cast bullets. Surprisingly, there's not that much real lead metal in them. Plates are not salvavable lead - only the connectors at the tops of the plates are lead metal. But yes, take them to a recycler, salvage yard or battery dealer.

Replaced many of those lugs on the end of the cable were they eroded away,,, take a good look at the under/battery side :wink: Silicon dielectric grease is yer friend,,, keep those terminal nuts goodNtight....

i exchang my exploded batteries at tractor supply or any batter dealer should take them. ive never had a probly. what started the fire on that tractor.

I had a 6 cylinder AMC Javelin when I was a freshman in college. Every now and then the choke would stick closed and it wouldn't start. When it did that I'd pop open the hood take off the air cleaner and un jam the choke, put the air cleaner on start it and drive away. On day I guess I didn't get the air cleaner on tight enough, the snorkle on the air cleaner rotated and shorted out against the battery, that battery blew up. Scared the heck out of me and I dumped the clutch and shot out across the four lane against the light. Drove about a 1/4 mile till I found a gas station to stop off and find what the heck made the noise. I open the Hood the top and half of one side of the battery were gone. Here is were you're not going to believe me, I drove it 16 miles home and parked it. The next morning it started and I drove it down to the barn to put another battery in it. Oh yes and Sears took the blown up battery and gave me full core credit. I wasn't brash enough to ask them to warranty it.

The baking soda/ water solution is also very good for removing acid and corrosion from corroded battery terminals and battery tops.

I keep 1/2 gallon of it in my shop at all times for battery cleaning and for quick help in case of a battery acid spill or explosion.

You know? You are correct. I'm a telephone man by trade. Our central offices have generators for backup, but DC systems use huge wet cells with plenty of lead in the plates. But, a fairly new technology that has been around since the late 80's or early 90's, are manufactured by GNB (Great Northern Battery), now owned by Exide, and their "Absolyte" batteries. No lead other than connectors. Now, its been years, but I think they were called "lead antimony valve regulated" or something like that, where the batteries had some lead, but were wrapped in fiberglass, impregnated with some paste that held a charge, absorbing a small amount of electrolyte.

From memory, the best to worst batteries were wet cell (20 year proven), valve regulated (supposed 20 year), and gel filled (10 year lasting 2 or 3 years).

Batteries really are a science. I saw the aftermath of a fire caused by batteries packed in batteries, where one overheated, caused the ones touching it to overheat, the they all go into an oscillation of heat until...poof, exploded and ignited. I witnessed a near fire, same type of wrong install where jars were packed in jars and in jars, one overheated, spread throughout, but walked into the battery room when was smoldering warm, misty gas throughout the room, condensation dripping off of the ceiling, walls, everything. Those batteries (jars) were cooking off and on the verge of going into orbit. We got them stopped in time, but they were expensive scrap.

Mark

You don't need to worry about the acid, in the battery, affecting the environment! Dump the acid out, into a place you want to kill the weeds, rinse the battery, and recycle. Millions of pounds of chlorine are dumped, when swimming pools are emptied, and there is no harm to the environment, from that!! Baking soda, and or lime will neutralize the spilled acid in the cart.