Service and Maintenance: The Keys to Forklift Efficiency - Catalog - Page 14
MAINTAINING BATTERY AND
CHARGER INTEGRITY
If you have included battery and charger
maintenance in your planned maintenance
program, the technician usually begins a planned
maintenance check. This includes a visual
inspection of the battery housing, filler caps and
connectors to look for signs of leaks or corrosion.
The battery top and exterior should be wiped
down with a solution to neutralize the effects of
battery acid.
The technician should then check cell voltages
and record specific gravity readings, noting any
abnormalities that could prevent the battery
from charging and discharging as it should.
While these anomalies, may not prevent forklift
operation at the time they are documented and
tracked over time so issues can be addressed
before they result in a work stoppage.
Technicians can also check connector and
contact tip conditions and advise users regarding
proper cable management.
While completing charger planned maintenance,
technicians will clean and inspect the charger
and connectors for damage and clean or
replace the charger’s air filter, if needed. If left
unattended, dirty air filters can cause chargers
to build up and retain heat. Heat is the enemy
of forklift batteries. It can damage the batteries
themselves or cause damage to cables and
connectors that prevents proper charging.
A healthy, well-charged
battery is crucial to the
performance of your
equipment.
THE EFFECTS OF CHARGING
Once measures have been taken to promote
battery and charger integrity, it’s time to consider
how charging can affect battery health. A
healthy, well-charged battery is crucial to the
performance of your equipment. Proper charging
– including a weekly equalization charge if
lead-acid batteries are being used – is one of
the most important contributors to a battery’s
performance and longevity.
Charging causes sulfation to form on the battery
plates over time. As it builds, it can cause
irreversible damage to one or more battery cells,
affecting performance of the entire battery.
A proper equalization charge helps reduce
sulfation, which preserves more of the battery’s
original capacity.
A charged battery also loses energy over time,
even when it is not in use. A regularly scheduled
charge, even for stored batteries, can help them
retain and maintain a higher state of charge so they
are ready to perform when you need them most.
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