1. WHAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE AND TIPS?
Last Updated on July 11, 2004
1.1. Please wear glasses when working
with a lead-acid battery in the unlikely event it
might explode.
1.2. For a car battery, at the first
signs of slow starting, dim headlights at low RPM,
ammeter indicating discharge at higher RPM, or if
your battery seems to be losing performance, fully
recharge your battery, remove the surface charge,
and load test it and the charging system. Some auto
parts or battery stores will test your battery, charging
system and starter for free. Weak or bad batteries
can also cause stress or premature failures of charging
systems and starters and vice versa. (Please see Section 4.)
1.3. Perform regular preventive maintenance
on your car and deep cycle batteries, especially
during hot weather
and before cold weather.
Keep the battery top clean, cable mating surfaces,
posts and terminals free from corrosion, and routinely
tighten cable connections and retention alternator
belts. Keep your non-sealed wet batteries (with filler
caps) filled to the proper level with distilled,
deionized or demineralized water, but do not overfill
or use tap water. The plates must be covered at all
times to prevent internal battery explosions or sulfation. (Please
see Section 3.)
1.4. In hot climates
and keep your car battery as cool as
possible. For under the hood, use a non-sealed wet
starting battery (with filler caps so you add water)
or a sealed spiral wound VRLA AGM battery. (Please
see Section 7.)
1.5. For batteries not in weekly use,
people kill more deep cycle and starting batteries
with bad charging practices than die of old age. To
prevent permanent sulfation and especially in hot weather, keep your battery continuously connected
to a "smart" or float charger
matched to the battery type or recharge your
battery whenever it drops below 80% State-of-Charge
(SoC). A cheap, unattended, unregulated "trickle" charger
can destroy your battery by overcharging it. (Please
see Section 9.)
1.6. When buying a replacement car
battery, buy the heaviest and freshest battery compatible
with your vehicle's charging system, with the largest
Reserve Capacity (RC) and longest free replacement
warranty that will physically fit in your vehicle,
and with the Cold Cranking Amp (CCA) rating for your
climate or that meets or exceeds the vehicle's
Original Equipment Manufacturer's (OEM) CCA requirement.
For deep cycle batteries, buy the freshest and heaviest
battery with thickest plates and Amp Hour (AH) capacity
that best suites your application, matches your charger,
and has the lowest Total Cost of Ownership. (Please
see Section 7.)
1.7. Avoid a deep discharge (below
20% State-of-Charge or 12.0 VDC) of your battery
because this could prematurely kill it (due to cell
reversal). After deep discharges or jump-starts,
fully recharge your battery with an external charger,
remove the surface charge, and load test the battery
and charging system for latent damage. (Please
see Section 4.)
1.8. Temperature and temperature compensation
matter! Heat kills
batteries and cold reduces their available capacity.
1.9. For longer battery life, do not add
battery acid (except to replace electrolyte spills)
or additives, keep your battery securely fastened,
recharge batteries within 24 hours of each use,
use thicker plates, and if recommended by the battery
manufacturer, equalize it. Lowering the average Depth-of-Discharge
(DoD) percentage will significantly increase the
service life of your battery. (Please see Section 11.)
1.10. For car and motive deep cycle
batteries, match the charging system (or charger's
settings) to the battery type and insure that the
charging system produces enough power to keep the
battery fully charged based of your electrical use
and driving habits. Use battery charger (or charger
settings) sized not to exceed 25% of the total AH
battery capacity and adjusted to the battery manufacturer's
recommended charging voltages with good ventilation,
especially when recharging wet non-sealed batteries
(with filler caps).. A better approach is to
slowly recharge your car and deep cycle batteries
over eight to ten hours.
1.11. For negative grounded
systems, always jump start 12-volt batteries POSITIVE
(+) terminal to POSITIVE (+) terminal and NEGATIVE (-) terminal
to the frame or engine block away from the
battery to greatly reduce the risk of a battery
explosion. (Please see Section 6.)
1.12. For deep cycle batteries, avoid
a shallow discharges (less than 10%) or deep discharges
(below 20% State-of-Charge or 12.0 VDC). This
could prematurely kill them. Using an adjustable
low voltage disconnect set at 20% State-of-Charge
or approximately 12.0 VDC or more will increase the
batteries' service life and help protect the batteries
and valuable electronic and electrical appliances. (Please
see Section 11.)
1.13. Do NOT use wet lead-acid batteries
around salt water. If salt water is mixed with the
battery's electrolyte, deadly chlorine gas
is produced. Only use sealed VRLA AGM or Gel
Cell batteries around salt water.
1.14. Remove the surface charge before
testing. For non-sealed batteries (with filler caps),
and use a temperature compensating hydrometer to
check Specific Gravity in each cell because it is
more accurate than a DC voltmeter. For sealed batteries,
use a accurate (.5% or better) digital DC voltmeter
and manually compensate for the electrolyte temperature. (Please
see Section 4.)
1.15. If the temperature is below 0
degrees F (-17.8 degrees C) and you are not using
an AC powered engine block and battery warmer
or you can not park your vehicle to a warmer location,
then disconnect your battery, take it indoors, keep
it fully charged, and reconnect it just before your
need to start your engine. (Please see the CCA
vs. Temperature Diagram in Section 7.2) Alternatively use two 12-volt
AGM batteries in parallel and a low viscosity synthetic
oil in the engine. Batteries that have less than
a 40% State-of-Charge will freeze at 0 degrees F
(-17.8 degrees C) and fully discharged batteries
will freeze at approximately 20 degrees F (-6.7 degrees
C).
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