> Indeed, I was taught that the final connection should be the ground (+
> in Paul's case) and should be to the engine block. The idea is that the
> last connection is the one that may spark and you don't want a spark
> right there at the battery. Maybe not too critical when hooking it up
> but after the battery has been charging for awhile could be dangerous
> (Hydrogen gas in the area of the battery) so the ground is also the
> first one you disconnect, again to keep any spark away from the battery..
>
> True? Or old wives tale?
I believe there is some basis in fact for this, but not a whole lot. It's true
that an overcharged battery emits a very explosive mixture of hydrogen and
oxygen. If the battery is being overcharged, a spark near it could be
disastrous. It's even happened to me once, although the both the spark and the
overcharging were caused by my make-shift battery charger (and the fact the
battery had a shorted cell). The resulting explosion and fire did a fair amount
of damage ... no doubt would have been worse if I had had my face over the
battery.
But any decent battery charger should not make the battery outgas that much. It
will significantly shorten the life of modern "maintenance free" batteries,
where you cannot replenish the water lost.
So, I just try to keep my face away while making connections, and don't worry
about using the engine block for the final connection.
Randall
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