Having the proper level of water in your forklift’s battery plays an essential part in the routine maintenance of your electric lift truck. In order to maintain an effective charge, a lithium-ion battery requires an appropriate level of water. Too much and you risk overflow during the charging stage.
Follow these tips to help optimize your battery’s performance in your forklift:
Before charging, NEVER top off the water in the battery. The battery needs that extra space for possible fluid expansion when in its charging stage. Check to ensure that the water level is high enough to cover all the lead plates inside. If not, fill water to the necessary level that covers all of the cells. But if you top off the water before charging, overflow can happen. This risks losing some of the acids and significantly shortening the life of the battery.
Be aware that your forklift battery plates are all below the water-line when charging.
Do you know the frequency you should add water to a forklift battery? This is a key piece of knowledge for regular forklift battery maintenance. A typical forklift battery needs watering about once a week when used on daily basis. Batteries that have been used for an extended period of time or are reconditioned should be checked after every five charges. When properly maintained, you may check new batteries about every ten charges for the first few years of use. Look to see if the water level is roughly a quarter inch above the element protector. If the level is too low, top off the battery with distilled water.
When watering a battery make sure to use water that is free from impurities and measuring a 5-7 on the PH scale. Always use clean, distilled water; if you use water containing impurities, such as tap water, you can damage the battery from the chemical and mineral content of the water.
To keep your electric forklift running efficiently, know your proper battery watering essentials as listed above. If you follow the proper guidelines, you will help prevent high replacement costs and any unnecessary service costs. For a more detailed demonstration watch our short video on industrial battery maintenance. Get the most out of your electric forklift batteries performance!
For more information please contact us at 330-633-6000 for a Fallsway electric forklift battery specialist.