the purpose of the batt vent tube is to multi-task... it vents the hydrogen produced by the chemical activity in the battery, and in the event of dropping the bike, gives a path for the spilled electrolyte to floow that will prevent it hitting most finished parts... sulphuric acid tends to make steel rust at rapid speed.... any rubber tube that is a reasonably tight fit on the nipple on the battery case is a good replacement.....if you do get electrolyte on your frame, neutralize the acid with baking soda, lye(last resort, as this stuff is very unforgiving of mis-handling), amonia, or dawn dishwashing soap solutions... all are alkyline... rinse until you cant stand it, then rinse a few minutes more...pay close attention to joints between parts.... a hidden spot unrinsed could eat through the low-carbon steel of the frame rather quickly.... repairing the frame is tons less fun than riding..... poutine is an excellent source of internal heat for winter riding in the great white north...lol (that's fries with gravy and cheese curds, for my fellow americans)

If it is a lead acid battery, the puke tube is there to keep acid dribbles off of other parts of the bike.  If the battery has a nipple for a tube, it should have a tube. Go to a hardware store and buy 18 inches of 3/16ths plastic tube abd fit it up so that the tube dumps inside of the exhaust hanger and below all parts of the bike except the tires. cut off the excess.
Ahhh! Piece of mind again.

Aliassmith

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 05/10/09 at 15:48:23:

hydrogen+sparks=hindenburg....lol  glad you escaped the incident unscathed except in the wallet, JOG2... i still save the set of clothes i was wearing when i had an equipment battery explode on me... nothing like a sulphuric acid shower to make a warm summer day exciting.... always wear eye protection when working on or around a battery... selling pencils on street corners is not very lucrative...

odvelasc wrote on 05/10/09 at 16:55:04:

check my locale, northern bro.... broward county florida has the highest Quebecois population on the planet during the winter... yeah, poutine and maple candy prove where the real civilization is located in north america...lol

BTW Battery acid eats high carbon steel faster than low carbon steel.
I discovered this by using battery acid to assist in removing a broken tap from a hole I was threading. I eyedroppered in enough acid to fill it to above the broken tap and let it sit for about 30 minutes. I then power rinsed the acid out and was able to remove the broken tap with two sail needles and a screwdriver.  I then rinsed it some more and blew it out with compressed air. Wore goggles the whole time.

I was able to tap the hole at the size originally intended when it was done.
DO NOT try this with holes in aluminum or magnesium.
It should work even better to remove a broken tap from stainless steel though.

Phelonius

Battery acid is 35% sulfuric acid and 65% water.  Anodizing sulfuric acid is 15% acid and 85% water.  Sulfuric acid and aluminum combine to produce aluminum sulfate, a white powdery material.

Solid aluminum is almost impossible to burn.  Powdered aluminum burns at 6920°F.  Aluminum melts at 1220°F, and glows red at higher temperatures...it melts before it changes color.