The Automobile Storage Battery Part 34

Every two months interrupt the trickle charge long enough to add water to bring the electrolyte up to the proper level. When this has been done, continue the trickle charge.

Before putting the batteries into service, see that the electrolyte is up to the correct level, and that the specific gravity of the electrolyte is 1.280-1.300. If necessary, give a short charge on the charging bench to bring the specific gravity up to the correct value.

Dry Storage

1. Give the battery a complete charge. Pour out the electrolyte, and separate the groups. If the negatives have bulged active material, press them in the plate press. In batteries such as the Prest-OLite in which it is difficult to remove the plates from the cover, the groups need not be separated unless the negatives have badly bulged active material. It may not be necessary to separate the groups even then, provided that the positives are not buckled to any noticeable extent.

If only a very slight amount of buckling exists, the entire element may be pressed by putting thin boards between the plates in place of the separators.

2. Immerse the negatives in distilled water for ten to twelve hours.

If positives and negatives cannot be separated, wash each complete element in a gentle stream of water.

3. Remove plates from water and allow them to drain thoroughly and dry. The negatives will heat up when exposed to the air, and when they do so they should be immersed in the water again to cool them. Repeat this as long as they tend to heat up. Then allow them to dry thoroughly.

4. Throw away the old separators. Rubber separators may be saved if in good condition. Clean the covers and terminals., wash out the jars, and turn the case up side down to drain out the water. Examine the box carefully. It is advisable to wash with a solution of baking soda, rinsing the water in order to neutralize as far as possible the action of acid remaining on the box. If this is not done, the acid may start decomposition of the box while in storage, in which case the owner of the battery may insist on its renewal before acceptance at the end of the storage period.

5. When, the plates are perfectly dry, nest the positives and negatives together, using dry cardboard instead of separators, and replace them in the jars in their proper positions.

6. Replace the covers and vent plugs, but, of course, do not use any sealing compound on them.

7. Tie the terminals and top connectors to the handle on the case with a wire.

8. Tag the battery with the owner's name and address, using the tag on which you made the sketch of the arrangement of the terminals and top connections.

9. Store the battery in a dry place, free from dust, until called for.

10. When the battery is to be put into service again, put in new separators, put the elements in the jars, seal the covers, and burn on the top connectors and terminals (if these are of the burned-on type).

Fill the cells with electrolyte of about 1.310 specific gravity and allow the battery to stand for ten to twelve hours in order to cool.

Then put the battery on charge at one-half the normal charging rate and charge until the specific gravity of the electrolyte stops rising and remains stationary for five hours. The total time required for this development charge will be about four days. Watch the temperature of the electrolyte carefully, and if it should rise to 110 Fahrenheit, stop the charge until it cools.

11. The specific gravity will fall during the first part of the charge, due to the new separators; at the end of the charge, the specific gravity should be 1.280-1.300. If it is not within these limits, adjust it by withdrawing some electrolyte with the hydrometer and adding water if the gravity is high, or 1.400 electrolyte if the gravity is low.

12. Clean the case thoroughly and give it a coat of asphaltum paint.

13. Just before putting the battery into service, give it a high rate discharge test. See page 266.

DETERMINING AGE OF BATTERY

Battery manufacturers use codes to indicate the age of their batteries. These codes consist of letters, figures, or combinations of letters and figures, which are stamped on the inter-cell connectors or on the nameplate. The codes may also be burned on the case.

The codes of the leading makes of batteries follow. In addition to determining the age of a battery by means of the code, the owner should be questioned as to the time the battery was installed on his car. If the battery is the original one which came with the car, the dealer's or car manufacturer's records will help determine the battery's age. If a new battery has been installed to replace the one that came with the car, the battery distributor's records will help determine the age of the battery.

Familiarity with the different makes and types of battery will also help in determining a battery's age. Manufacturers make improvements in the construction of their batteries from time to time, and by keeping up-to-date on battery constructions, it is often possible to approximate the age of a battery by such changes.

If a battery was kept "dry" while in stock, its age should be figured from the time it was prepared for service and placed on the car, since batteries in dry storage do not deteriorate. Some batteries are s.h.i.+pped from the factory "wet," i.e., filled with electrolyte and fully charged and the age of such batteries should be figured from the time they were s.h.i.+pped from the factory, because deterioration begins as soon as a battery is filled with electrolyte. When batteries are "dry" no chemical action can take place, and the battery does not deteriorate, while in a "wet" battery, chemical action takes place which gradually causes a battery to deteriorate.

Exide Age Code.

Since October, 1917, the date of s.h.i.+pment of Exide batteries from the factory, or from Exide Deposts has been stamped on the top of the first inter-cell connector from the negative end of the batter instead of on the nameplate figures are used to indicate the dates, as follows:

[Image: Exide and Philadelphia battery age code charts]

All Philadelphia batteries s.h.i.+pped prior to April 1, 1920 and all batteries s.h.i.+pped from depot stock after this date carry double letter branding. The first battery is the factory date and the second letter in this code indicates latest month during which the guarantee may begin.

Batteries sold direct from Philadelphia to all cla.s.ses of customers after April 1, 1920, carry the single letter branding code, indicating month of manufacture.

The letters used in the double letter age code are selected from the table given above, and the second letter is the important one, since it gives the latest date from which adjustment can be made. If a Philadelphia battery with a double letter age code comes in, therefore, the foregoing table should be consulted in determining the age of the battery.

If a Philadelphia battery with a single letter age code comes in, the following table should be consulted in determining the age of the battery:

[Image: Single Letter Philadelphia Batteries Age Code Chart]

Prest-O-Lite Age Code.

All Prest-O-Lite batteries carry a date letter stamped on the cell-connectors. This letter indicates the month and year in which the battery was manufactured. The letter is preceeded by a number which represents the factory at which the battery was built.

Prest-O-Lite Factory Marks.

Indianapolis--50 Cleveland--7 San Francisco--23

For example: "50-K" indicates that the battery was manufactured at Indianopolis in January, 1920.

In addition to the above, each "Wet" Prest-O-Lite battery is branded in the side with a date, as "9-19," indicating October, 1919. This date is really sixty days ahead of the actual building date, to allow time for s.h.i.+pping, etc., before the guarentee starts. The branded "9-19" was actually built in August, 1919.

t.i.tan Age Code.

The age of t.i.tan batteries is indicated by a number stamped on one of the inter-cell connectors, this number indicating the month the battery was hipped from the factory.

[Image: Age code charts for t.i.tan batteries]

[Image: Age code charts for U.S.L., and Vesta batteries]

[Image: Age code charts for Westinghouse and Willard batteries]