▪ Improper watering.
Over-watering, underwatering, or watering at the wrong time will lead to a
host of problems that can shorten
battery life. These include plate oxidation and capacity loss; inadequate
electrolyte levels; drying out and
overheating; reduced amp hours,
which can lead to overcharging and
overheating; and boilovers, resulting in acid damage to battery tops,
equipment, and floors (and potentially personnel) and requiring a
costly acid adjustment.
Battery manufacturers recom-
mend filling after an equalizing
charge. Because the electrolyte
expands when the battery is in use,
watering after a charge helps to pre-
vent overfilling and boilovers, say
the folks at Flow-Rite Controls, a
supplier of battery watering sys-
tems. It’s best to fill on a regular
schedule: weekly for heavy-use
applications and less frequently
(perhaps as little as once a month)
for light-use applications.
potential clogs.
▪ Overdischarging. Regularly overdischarging—allowing a battery to dip below
If the battery isn’t sized to meet that extra
demand, “the battery will draw down to a
20-percent charge sooner than you would
see with a DC truck,” says Spaar of EnerSys.
“So if you’re lifting high at the end of a shift,
it could put you over the limit.” Larger-capacity batteries designed for AC trucks
and “lockout” systems that prevent lifting if
the state of charge gets too close to 20 percent will help prevent overdischarging.
Overdischarging can also happen when
lift truck operators in a facility that uses
opportunity or fast charging cut short or
skip scheduled breaks. Those breaks are
essential windows for charging batteries;
operators who miss some breaks are likely
to run batteries down below the minimum
before their shifts end, says Aerovironment.
Making break schedules mandatory and
using a properly sized charging system will
help to prevent this problem.
▪ Moisture. Moisture can cause corrosion
on the battery connectors and tray, which
allows voltage leakage from the battery to
the frame of the lift truck—a situation that
can cause the truck’s electrical system to
ground fault, says Sanders. Moisture, by the
way, is not just a problem in hot, humid climates. It can also become a problem when
batteries are overwatered or when the fans
in high-frequency chargers draw in moist
