Car Insurance

With proper care and maintenance, an average car should reach over 100,000 miles or more. But chances are the car’s original battery will not be in place when the odometer turns over. This is because car batteries have definite shelf lives, and no amount of maintenance or care can reverse the effects of chemicals on metal. At some point in every car’s lifetime, its battery must be replaced. Here are some tips on knowing when to exchange an old car battery with a new one:

1. Extreme weather conditions. The battery which served you so well in Miami Beach may suddenly fail you completely in Fargo. This is because most car batteries are rated by a measurement called ‘cold amperage’. Under normal weather conditions, a battery with a low number of cold cranking amps will reliably start any car. But if that car remains in extremely cold climates for very long, the amount of energy needed to turn the frozen flywheel will exceed the amount of power available in the battery. If you’ve relocated from a warmer climate to an extremely cold one, you’ll need to replace your old battery with one designed for winter weather. Consider a minimum rating of 600 cold cranking amps for most

areas with notoriously harsh winters. If practical, keep you car’s battery warm through indoor storage or a judiciously-placed worklight in the engine compartment.

2. Excessive wear and tear. We’ve all left our headlights on or failed to deactivate a battery-draining alarm system. Ordinarily the battery should still have enough power to start the vehicle, allowing the alternator to restore power to the battery as it turns. But sometimes the battery’s power has truly been reduced to zero. A power boost from jumper cables and a second battery connection may allow the car to start, but the battery itself can only take so much abuse. Think of a working car battery as a campfire. When it’s fully charged, it has a tremendous amount of potential energy just waiting for a signal to go. After a few hours of non-essential use, it can still give off steady energy but it’s beginning to weaken. Once it has been drained completely, it needs more ‘firewood’ added or else it will not have the strength to recover. Most of the time a long run with the alternator or a battery recharger will bring the battery back to service, but sometimes it’s not enough. Extremely weak batteries which can no longer hold a charge must be replaced.

3. Damage to the battery casing. If a battery is severely damaged or otherwise compromised following an accident, it should be replaced immediately. Car battery cells used to be more accessible to owners, but modern batteries are often sealed shut at the factory. Any cracks in the body of the battery could cause dangerous leaks of sulphuric acid or other chemicals. If the battery was not fully clamped down and the car had a sudden shift in direction, the battery could have been damaged.

4. End of a warranty period. Most new car batteries come complete with a warranty covering any defects or damages to the battery itself. Once this protection has elapsed, however, it falls on the driver to provide for a replacement battery (which may be expensive) or repairs. If a battery shows signs of weakening and is not covered under any warranty, it may be better financially to invest in a new battery instead of worrying about a six year old battery which may fail soon.

5. No longer holding a charge. Many times the first hint of a battery problem shows up during the starting process. The starter is a small but powerful electric motor which depends on the car’s battery for its energy. Once the key has been turned in the ignition, a circuit between the battery and the starter is completed through a solenoid switch. In an ideal world, the starter motor’s shaft spins a small gear at the tip called a bendix, which in turn connects with the main engine’s flywheel. If the bendix fails to meet the flywheel, the engine simply won’t start. The result is a spinning shaft with nowhere to go.

If the car battery is too weak to provide a sufficient charge to the starter, the solenoid switch will not function correctly. It will make a distinctive clicking sound. This clicking should indicate to the driver that the battery is not fully charged. It will need to be recharged with professional equipment or jumpstarted. But a simple procedure called a load test can be performed to determine if the battery is ready to be replaced. A serviceman will attach a voltmeter to the battery’s terminals while the car is running. A switch on the voltmeter will then change the power load from the alternator to the battery alone. Sometimes a weak alternator will be the culprit, but other times the test will reveal a weak battery not capable of holding a charge. This means the battery must be replaced.

If you’ve ever removed an old dry cell battery from a flashlight or child’s toy, you should be familiar with the idea of ‘acid condensation’. A chemical battery is a combination of different metals suspended in an acidic solution. Even if the toy or flashlight or vehicle is not drawing power, the chemical reaction between these elements continues. Eventually, the acid will leak through the container and form a harsh deposit. This is a very noticeable and potentially very harmful problem when dealing with a battery as large as the one in your vehicle.

In order to properly clean a car battery, you’ll want to get rubber gloves and a pair of safety glasses for personal protection. If the corrosion is especially bad, you’ll also want to remove the battery from the car. The acid condensation can damage paint, so use extreme caution while moving a corroded battery. Always have a supply of clean water around to wash off any excess corrosion that may come in contact with sensitive areas or exposed skin.

Other items you will need to clean a car battery are clean cloths, commercial liquid cleaner in a spray bottle, baking soda, kitchen baster and old brushes. There are also specialized tools and cleaners available at auto parts stores which are designed to clean clamps and cables leading to the battery. One inexpensive but effective tool looks like an oversized thimble with dozens of stiff wires wrapped inside. This is a terminal cleaner, which will help remove corrosion and also expose a new layer of the terminal posts.

Now that you have your essential equipment, it’s time to actually clean the battery. Make a solution of baking soda and water, and use a kitchen baster to spread this solution liberally over all areas of acid build-up. Because car batteries use sulfuric acid, a base chemical must be used to neutralize the acidity. Baking soda is a basic element, so the combination of acid and base renders the acid condensation harmlessly neutral. What you’ll want to avoid at all costs, however, is accidentally pouring the baking soda solution into any open cell. This will damage the battery by weakening the acidic reaction which creates power.

Once the baking soda solution has had time to penetrate the corrosion, you may now use old brushes and water to remove the residue. You’ll definitely want to wear rubber gloves and eye protection during this process. For surface dirt, try using a commercial liquid cleaner in a spray bottle. Use liberal amounts of water to wash away the build-up released by the brushes. Clean shop towels or old rags should be used to dry the battery and remove any remaining residue in crevices. As a final step, use the terminal cleaning tool to create a good contact for the cables. Cables and clamps should also be cleaned with the baking soda solution and brushes.

The other problem with an aging car battery is maintaining a charge. If a battery is allowed to run down beyond its normal operating limits, you’ll need to recharge it. Recharging any chemical battery requires specialized equipment designed to SLOWLY introduce electrical current back into the dead cells. Consumers can buy decent battery rechargers at auto parts stores or retail stores with automotive departments. These units are not prohibitively expensive and can be lifesavers if a car battery dies unexpectedly. If home use is not a practical solution, then a dead battery can be brought into a service station or car dealership for a professional recharging. Be aware that a standard recharging session can last for hours, so you may want to drop off your car battery early in the morning and pick it back up in the late afternoon or evening.

To recharge a car battery, the battery charger must be plugged into a standard electrical outlet and brought to the vehicle or battery itself. This means you’ll need to protect both charger and battery from the elements and keep them dry and stable. For safety’s sake, it’s often preferable to remove the battery from the car and place it in a low-traffic area with plenty of ventilation. Explosions caused by recharging are very rare, but gases can build up as a side effect of the charging process.

A battery charger will have two clamps- one marked positive (+) and the other marked negative (-). Usually red denotes a positive terminal, and black denotes a negative one. Make sure you know which clamp is which before you even approach the battery. Attach the negative clamp of the charger to the negative post of the battery. This information should be imprinted on the casing near the terminal. Only attach negative to negative. Once the negative clamp has been attached, then attach the positive in the same manner. Make sure the charger is set for ‘charge,’ and turn on the current. The actual charging process will take several hours- the charger may have indicators showing the voltage level or an automatic sensor which will cut off electrical power once the battery has been fully charged. Once the charging period has ended, disconnect the charger from the power source, and carefully remove the clamps one at a time. You should now have a fully charged battery ready to be returned to the engine compartment.

A forklift, (also known as a “lift truck” or a “tow motor”) is a powered truck that is equipped with two heavy-duty forks on the front end. The forks are used to hydraulically lift parts, materials, and other items. Forklifts are most commonly used at factories, lumberyards, construction sites, and other places where a need to lift and move heavy items is present.

Forklifts resemble automobiles in that they also get their power from batteries. The difference is, that forklifts use industrial - strength batteries. Most often they are specifically “lead - acid batteries” that contain sulfuric acid. This type of battery has many safety precautions associated with it because of the high risk of injury and / or fire when they are being used, charged, or handled.

Another difference is that a forklift battery can weigh sixty pounds or as much as two thousand pounds - a ton - or more. The enormous weight alone creates a possible safety hazard.

A third difference to an automobile battery is that a forklift battery needs to be recharged periodically. Therefore, if you need to charge or change a battery in a forklift, there are certain steps you must take in order to protect yourself, as well as other people around you.

Before you attempt to remove the battery from a forklift, you should take off any gold, silver, or other metal jewelry you may be wearing, especially chains and bracelets. And, to help avoid electrical shock, do not touch the battery with steel or other metal tools, et cetera.

You should also wear OSHA - approved protective eyewear, long sleeves, rubber gloves that protect your hands and arms from chemicals, and steel - toed shoes or boots. Then, make sure that the forklift is shut off and parked in a specified servicing area. Smoking and open flames or sparks will be prohibited in this area; the area will also be properly ventilated. Finally, make sure the parking brake is engaged before you begin servicing the forklift.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to properly remove the battery. Secure the battery before you lift it up and out. Never try to lift a battery by using your bare hands. You should either use a second forklift, a battery carrier, or an overhead hoist to remove and handle the battery.

While the battery is out of the forklift, make sure that you inspect it for cracks and other possible damage in its case. Also, inspect its terminals and all connectors; clean, replace, or repair parts where needed. While wearing splash - proof safety goggles, gloves and apron, check the chemical levels of the battery and add additional chemicals if need be. Be sure to use a funnel that is not made of metal, and use caution so that you don’t overfill the battery.

In case of a chemical spill, use an OSHA - approved eyewash station to repeatedly flush your eyes if the chemical gets splashed into them. Quickly remove any clothing that has spills on it, and rinse any spills on your skin off with water; immediately seek medical attention.

Finally, after the battery is recharged, or if a new battery is needed, then place it into the forklift. Make sure that the battery is positioned properly in the forklift and secured safely.