No Money?
You’re in desperate need of new batteries, but there’s no money in the capital budget. What are you going to do?
Quite possibly you’ve already received some equipment from another station that closed. That may not be good news overall, but it’s not all bad either. You can take the best of the best and put the scrap aside. Or you possibly have fewer flights and you can essentially do the same thing.
Been there, done that? Then the next step is reconditioning your existing battery fleet. Through less than perfect charging and maintenance, harsh operating conditions, and just the normal aging process, batteries lose capacity. Some capacity loss is permanent, but some is recoverable. I recommend contacting your local battery shop to see how they can help.
An “acid adjustment” will be standard procedure. Over time, the acid in the electrolyte has crystallized on the surface of the plates (sulphation) or has ended up on the ramp. Restoring the specific gravity of the electrolyte to nameplate rating will dramatically improve performance. There are also several potions out there that claim magic powers, but you should check with the battery manufacturer before using them.
Another recommended procedure is “cannibalization.” This only works if you have an extra battery or several extras. Replace the worst cells from one battery with the best cells from another battery. Make one good battery out of two bad batteries, or maybe you can get 2 out of 3, or 3 out of 4. A word of caution: this works best with younger batteries with just a few bad cells. Labor expenses can escalate quickly and there’s no guarantee on the life of your “new” batteries.
No money for battery reconditioning? Good maintenance will slowly improve the quality of your battery fleet. Water properly and charge properly. The charging part can be challenging. For one reason or another, your batteries may not be reaching 100-percent state of charge every day. Cycle batteries through your own shop for a good equalize charge — maybe two equalize charges over two consecutive days. And clean the battery surface while you’re at it.
Happy New Year!
January 12th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
First let’s find out if your batteries need attention. I recommend that you equalize a battery two times in a row without using it in between. Be careful to monitor the temperature. After thoroughly charging, check the specific gravity of every cell. If the gravities meet spec there is no action needed other than to clean up the battery. If the average gravity is only 10-30 points low, I would arrange for an acid adjustment. If only a few cells are very low, and the rest are 10-20 points low, consider cannibalization. If the entire battery is very low and the battery is over five years old, the cost of repair may not be justified.
January 13th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
at what temp should we be concerned, and which do you think is better for the battery out side on charger over nite or inside a hanger over nite after charging? nor does it matter? think chicago winters…(mainly tug 80volt beltloader with long skinny 80v battery)
should we be concerned with burn markes( carbon tracks? )from cell post to battery case , can they be removed/ repaired? thanks
January 14th, 2009 at 4:45 am
Considering that it’s zero degrees in Chicago right now, I would definitely recommend equalizing inside. Keep the battery temperature below 110 degrees. 80v batteries are susceptible to ground faults or “burn marks.” There’s probably not any internal damage if there’s no change in performance. The best thing you can do is keep the surface of the batteries clean and dry.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
do you think these ground faults would cause misc codes in the controller ? . ie sevcom mcm610 … controller malfunction, contactor protection,etc codes…. thanks…
January 15th, 2009 at 1:31 am
I’m not familiar with the codes, but some controllers definitely sense ground faults. There’s voltage to the battery tray and also to the tractor if the battery isn’t isolated. It’s a maintenance issue and a safety issue.
January 18th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
do you know what we call 80 volt tug belt loader batterys ? …….. popcicles