I drive a forklift at my work and i need to know battery charging procedures?

The maintenance man says i should charge the battery overnight without adding water and then in the morning add water as needed. I disagree. If the water level is really low before charging,the battery is not gonna get a good charge. I say add water brfore charging,that way the water mixes and ionizes. Then in the morning top off all cells as needed. The battery is old and was a refurbish anyway,but i still want to get whatever life i can out of it.