Battery care

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A guide to battery care. Make your battery work better and last longer

Storage

If stored for long periods, the battery should be disconnected from the electrical system. Even very small currents (connected clocks, alarms, etc.) will discharge the battery and eventually damage it.

Ensure that the battery is fully charged when it is put away for storage.

Store the battery in a cool (frost-free) and dry place as the self-discharge rate is halved for every 10 degrees reduction in temperature.

All batteries have a certain amount of self-discharge which is reflected in a drop in the resting voltage. If the voltage drops below 12.4 V, the battery must be charged. Batteries that are not kept fully charged risk sulphating and losing capacity.

Remember that a discharged battery can freeze in normal winter temperatures.

Care and operation

Batteries should be firmly mounted and have good ventilation.

Batteries work best at room temperature. Heat and cold impair battery performance.

Keep terminals and cable lugs free of deposits.

Keep batteries clean and dry as moisture and dirt can cause small currents (creeping currents) on the lid and increase self-discharge.

For ‘open’ batteries, the electrolyte (acid) level should be checked regularly and adjusted with battery water if necessary.

Batteries should not be deeply discharged. Repeated deep discharges will significantly shorten battery life.

The resting voltage of batteries gives an indication of the state of charge: (After charging, batteries need to rest for 24 hours to allow the voltage to stabilise before measuring the resting voltage)

Charging

The self-discharge rate of modern batteries is low, but batteries at rest will nevertheless always slowly lose their charge. This must be compensated either by recharging the battery at certain intervals or by a continuous maintenance charge.

It is important to choose a charger that is adapted to the battery to be charged.

A modern battery charger is characterised, among other things, by having:

-Temperature compensation (the charger adapts the charging voltage to the temperature).
-Charging profile adapted to the battery technology – AGM/GEL or Standard (liquid acid batteries).
-Charging adapted to the size of the battery (Ah capacity).