Generally 12V automotive battery contains six cells (each 2V) connected in series.
Ampere Hour
Rating indicates the amount of energy that can be stored in the battery.
If additional or more power consuming accessories are installed higher
ampere hour battery should be used.
Service Life of the
battery is one year (As recommended by the manufacturer) Further use is also
possible subject to reduced battery efficiency.
BATTERY MAINTENANCE :
(1) Check
for leakages, cracked case or top, corrosion built up on battery terminals,
missing vent caps, loose hold down clamps.
(2) Check
electrolyte level and add distilled water up to the top level.
(3) Clean off
corrosion around battery terminals and clamps with hot water and a brush. Use of baking soda solution is allowed.
(4) Apply anti
corrosive solution to retard corrosion.
(5) Check cell
voltages with cell tester or electrolyte specific gravity with hydrometer.
Cell Tester is used
to measure the voltage of each cell. This cannot be
used for batteries with covered cell terminals.
Hydrometer test shows
electrolyte specific gravity which is an indication of the state of charge i.e.
(1.265-1.299)
Fully Charged, (1.235-1.265) 3/4Charged, (1.205-1.235) 1/2 Charged,
(1.170-1.205) 1/4 charged, (1.140-1.170) Barely Charged, (1.110-1.140)
Discharged.
BATTERY RE-CHARGING :
Discharged batteries can
be re-charged by an external current source.
Slow Charging : Select the battery charger voltage to the battery voltage and
connect battery positive (+) to the charger (+) and the battery
negative (-) to the charger (-) terminals. 2-4 amp current is sufficient for
slow charging. Charging continues until the electrolyte bubbles freely and no
specific gravity change for 2 hours. Check electrolyte temperature and If exceeds
50'c allow it to cool down. Do not over charge the battery.
Quick Charging : The battery
should be in good condition to withstand high charge. About 40 amp current is
sent for 30 minutes. The maximum charge cannot be achieved by this method.
Subsequent slow charging must be followed to make the battery fully charged.
Maintenance Free Batteries require no maintenance other than cleaning battery terminals, tightening clamps and
occasional charging when necessary.
Charge
Indicator Shows the state of the
battery.
GREEN
The battery is charged.
BLACK
The battery is
discharged. Needs recharging.
YELLOW
The battery is dead.
Cannot be recharged. Discard it.
Battery
Efficiency reduces with
decreasing temperature, i.e.
at 26 ' c - 100 %, at 20 ' c - 92
%, at 10 ' c - 78 %, at 0
' c - 64 %
SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS :
(1) The sulpheuric acid in the electrolyte can cause
serious burns to skin, clothes and even blindness. If you get battery acid on
your skin flush it off once with water.
(2) Explosive gases form in the battery when it is
being charged. Never light a match or cigarette when working around batteries.
(3) The battery can supply a very high current.
Never wear rings, bracelets, watches or hanging necklesses when working around
batteries. If accidental short circuit occurs, a high current may flow causing a
serious burn injury.
(4) When disconnecting a battery from the vehicle
always disconnect the battery cable clamp of the ground terminal first
to prevent accidentally direct short circuit of the live
terminal.
(5) When connecting a battery to the vehicle,
always connect the positive cable clamp first. Then connect the other
clamp to the negative terminal.
(6) Never top up battery with acid. Always top up
with distilled water.
(7) When preparing battery acid always add acid to
water. Never add water to acid. Specific gravity of the acid preparation
should be 1.25
(8) Sulphated batteries should not be quick
charged. It may damage the battery further.
(9) Do not charge a battery that is frozen.
(10) Charge the battery fully before storing.
(11) In order to prevent systems being reset, always use a parallel back up battery supply before replace the old battery.
(11) In order to prevent systems being reset, always use a parallel back up battery supply before replace the old battery.