Lead-Acid Storage BatteriesDOE-HDBK-1084-95MAINTENANCERev. 0Page 29BatteriesMAINTENANCEProper maintenance will prolong the life of a battery and will aid in assuring that it is capable ofsatisfying its design requirements. A good battery maintenance program will serve as avaluable aid in determining the need for battery replacement. Battery maintenance shouldalways be performed by trained personnel knowledgeable of batteries and the safetyprecautions involved. Most of the following material concerns flooded, non-maintenance-free batteries. However, socalled "maintenance-free" and valve-regulated batteries also require some maintenance. Theydo not require water addition or checking of specific gravity, but they may require periodiccleaning, monitoring of cell and battery total float voltage, load (capacity) testing, terminalresistance measurement, or cleaning and torquing of terminal bolts depending on theimportance of the application.GeneralIn general, a good maintenance and inspection program should be based on therecommendations in ANSI/IEEE Std 450, IEEE Recommended Practice for Maintenance,Testing, and Replacement of Large Lead Storage Batteries for Generating Stations andSubstations; and in DOE-STD-3003-94, Backup Power Sources for DOE Facilities. Some ofthe recommended practices from these and other references are presented in the followingparagraphs.Flooded lead-acid batteries can function for 10 years or longer if properly maintained. The sixgeneral rules of proper maintenance are1.Match the charger to the battery requirements.2.Avoid overdischarging the battery.3.Maintain the electrolyte at the appropriate level (add water as required).4.Keep the battery clean.5.Avoid overheating the battery.6.Provide an equalizing charge periodically to weak batteries/cells.MatchingtheChargertoBatteryRequirementsPoor charging practice is responsible for shortening the life of a battery more than anyother cause. Charging may be accomplished by various methods, but the objective ofdriving current through the battery in the opposite direction of discharge remains the
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