Maintain your Industrial Battery – Extend the Useful Life

Apr 04, 2016
Heubel Shaw Motive Power Division

Having the right team regularly maintaining your batteries could help to increase the life cycle from months to years. Read More to Learn some basics tips & pointers from Heubel Shaw Motive Power Team.

The site of a corroded battery in an electric forklift is all too common in many warehouse applications. Heubel Shaw Motive Power Division helps to provide a couple basic rules to industrial battery care and maintenance that may not only eliminate the corrosion on your industrial batteries, but also extend battery life. Replacing the battery in a forklift or any other industrial piece of machinery is not cheap. Below are a couple basic rules to follow to ensure longer battery life.

(9) Basic Rules for Battery Care and Maintenance

Rule 1: Be Careful! Always wear face shield or safety glasses when working on or near batteries and provide adequate ventilation when batteries are charging.

  Rule 2: Keep battery tips clean and dry

  Rules 3: Check battery electrolyte level weekly**

**Keep the electrolyte level below the filling well as shown. Add approved filling water to 1/4" below vent well only at the end of charge. Filling to this level before charging will cause acid overflow and is the reason why you will often see the white battery acid/corrosion on the side of batteries. Acid attacks external battery parts. Any acid loss from the battery will result in power loss and overall shortened battery life.

Rule 4: Make sure the charger is OFF before connecting or disconnecting the battery to prevent dangerous sparks.

Rule 5: Use the proper size charger and follow charging instruction carefully.

Rule 6: Recharge fully after each duty cycle. Try to avoid partial charging. Partial charging eats up additional battery cycles which will result in shortened overall battery life.

Rule 7: Remove vent caps only when checking or filling. KEEP CAPS ON when battery is in use, on charge, and when cleaning the top of the battery.

Rule 8: Not all industrial batteries come with steel covers but if yours does, make sure the battery is being recharged with the steel covers in the open position.

Rule 9: Be Careful....first and last.

Proper battery care and maintenance is essential to the longevity of your equipment. Many companies recognize the importance of having a proper battery care plan in place but are not sure who they would designate to be in control over the maintenance. Heubel Shaw provides a fully Mobile Battery Service Department which allows us to work on your batteries either in your warehouse or on the go, whichever you prefer.

Either way our GUARANTEE is to cut the time and cost associated to your battery needs.