BD = Battery Dysfunction
Are you suffering from "BD"?
Are you starting out the day with lots of energy and then quickly losing your ability to sustain your activities? Unable to keep others happy with your performance? Unable to get it up as fast or as high as you need to? Is someone important in your life demanding more - better performance more often - and you just can't meet their expectations?
You may be suffering from "BD" - "Battery Dysfunction".
Your electric truck's battery is probably failing you; failing to provide the electrical energy you need to get through the work day, lift loads up to their storage positions on the stacks or in the racks, and causing the truck to "die" before you can complete important material handling tasks. Your boss and your co-workers are probably complaining and unhappy that you cannot keep up with them and the demands of the job.
Don't panic and don't run out and buy a new battery without checking the problem further and determining if some less costly solution may provide adequate battery power to get your material handling work done.
Use a careful step-by-step problem-solving approach. Most of this can be done in just a few minutes.
Call us! We are happy to assist in any way, including coming out to perform a free initial inspection to help you get through as many of these steps as we can. Call John Jordan @ 216-587-0400 or e-mail to johnj@neonmaterialhandling.com.
Step 1 - Check to see if the proper battery charging procedures are being followed.
- Is the charger being correctly connected to the battery and not to the truck?
- Is the battery being charged often enough? Even if you use your truck intermittently and only once or twice per month, the battery should be charged a minimum of once per month. More often may be better, but never less than once per month.
Step 2 - Check to see that the battery charger is functioning properly.
- For automatic start/stop chargers, does the battery charger turn on when it is plugged in to the battery? For chargers with manual timers, does the charger turn on when the dial or switch is moved to the "on" position?
- Is the DC current output from the charger to the battery correct? If the charger is designed to have a start rate of 120 amps (at the beginning of the charge cycle), is it putting out 120 amps? When the charger is running and the display or meter shows current flowing to the battery at any rate, does your amp meter, when attached to or clamped around the battery cables, show that current is flowing at that rate?
- Does the charger run for a full charge cycle (usually 8 hours) or does it shut down prematurely?
- During, and especially near the end, of the charge cycle, is there any evidence of excessive heating of the battery, battery cables or connector?
- During, and especially near the end of the charge cycle, is there any evidence of a strong odor in the air (sulphur or burning acidic odor)?
Step 3 - Check to see if the routine battery maintenance procedures are being followed.
- Maintaining the proper electrolyte level in each cell is critical for good battery and truck performance.
- See the Routine Battery Maintenance section here for details.
Step 4 - Check to see if the battery discharge indicator on your truck is functioning properly.
- Sometimes, people think that their truck's battery is "low" or "dead" because the gauge or indicator shows a low level of charge, when in fact, it is the gauge or indicator that is faulty.
Step 5 - If everything so far is in good shape, then you may need to contact your service supplier to have the following inspections and checks performed in order to diagnose the condition of your battery and determine a course of action.
- Inspect the battery for any physical conditions that may cause a loss of current flow to and from any or all of the cells during charging and discharging: Broken or loose cable connections at the battery posts or connector; Broken or loose connections at any of the inter-cell connectors (lead bus bars) on the top of the battery.
- Inspect the battery to find its serial number and identify its age.
- Check the individual cell voltages; both open circuit voltage and under a load.
- Check the battery voltage; both open circuit voltage and under a load.
- Check the specific gravity of the electrolyte in each cell, using a temperature compensated hydrometer.
- Have the battery load or capacity tested in order to determine how it performs under controlled condtions of discharge and recharge. This test can cost $300 or more, so you probably won't want to have it done unless the battery is less than five years old and the other inspections and tests listed above indicate that it is likely that a relatively minor and low cost adjustment or repair can correct the problem.