Getting the most out of your battery

Following are the common wrong practices that lead to dysfunction of your battery.

1. Overcharging

• Severely corrodes positive plate grids, so that they weaken and may cause the plates to disintegrate. Positive plates are frequently warped.
• Decomposes electrolyte into Hydrogen and Oxygen gas and the excessive loss of water makes the electrolyte get concentrated to an extent that is damaging to plates and separators.
• Creates high temperature in the battery, which accelerate positive plate corrosion and may damage separators, plastic separator guards and distort the container.
• Severe gassing may blow away active material from the plate surface causing loss in capacity and also give rise to a fine acid spray escaping from the battery.

Solution:
Correct the fan belt tension and the voltage setting of the alternator.

2. Impure topping up of water and neglect of topping up

• Impure water or electrolyte introduces impurities into the battery, which accumulate with each such topping up.
• The most common impurities are iron and chlorine, which attack plates and shorten the overall life.
• Chlorine also attacks and bleaches the separators.
• Neglecting to top up the water leads to an increase in the concentration of acid in the electrolyte and consequently damages the plates.
• The plate areas above the electrolyte level get hard and lose capacity.

Solution:
Always top up with pure distilled water when the electrolyte level is low.

3. Undercharging

• Impure water or electrolyte introduces impurities into the battery, which accumulate with each such topping up.
• The most common impurities are iron and chlorine, which attack plates and shorten the overall life.
• Chlorine also attacks and bleaches the separators.
• Neglecting to top up the water leads to an increase in the concentration of acid in the electrolyte and consequently damages the plates.
• The plate areas above the electrolyte level get hard and lose capacity.

Solution:
Always top up with pure distilled water when the electrolyte level is low.