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Below we have listed potential hazards that may arise, the precautions to taken to minimise such hazards and the action to be taken in the event of an accident or emergency situation.
Sulphuric Acid
Batteries contain sulphuric acid, which may leak and may give off as gasses and/or a fine mist during charging. Battery acid is a poisonous and corrosive liquid which will cause burns and irritation to the skin and eyes and could burn clothing.
Precautions
• Always handle lead acid batteries with care and keep upright.
• Do not overfill batteries
• Always charge in a well-ventilated area.
• Always use eye protection and protective clothing where there is a risk from splashes.
• Always keep away from children.
Skin Contact:
• Immediately drench the affected area with clean water and remove any contaminated clothing. If any soreness or irritation persists, seek medical attention.
Eye Contact:
• Speed of action is vital. Immediately wash out the eyes with clean water for at least 10 minutes and seek prompt medical attention.
Ingestion:
• Do not induce vomiting but make the patient drink as much water or milk as possible and seek medical attention.
Spillages:
• For small spillages, rinse thoroughly with plenty of water.
Emission of Gases
Hydrogen and oxygen are emitted during charging and can be emitted at other times, particularly is a battery is moved or shaken. Therefore, always consider that gas is present in the immediate vicinity or at the top of the battery. An explosive atmosphere is created if the concentration of hydrogen in air exceeds 4%.
Precautions:
• Always use eye protection where there may be any foreseeable risk.
• Charge in a well ventilated area.
• Avoid sources or ignition close to batteries.
• Do not smoke •No naked flames
• Always switch off current before making or breaking electrical connections. •Avoid sparks caused by accidental short circuits.
Weight
• Batteries are generally heavy units to handle and correct lifting techniques must therefore be used.
Damaged Batteries
• Battery plates consist of lead acid and its components but can only be exposed if a battery is broken open. In the unlikely event of this happening, any spillage should be well dampened, swept up and placed in a suitable acid resistant, labelled container prior to disposal.
Disposal
• Batteries, battery cases, battery acid and lead components, must not be burned but must be disposed of in accordance with the appropriate legislation.
Battery Maintenance
Battery Type
Lead acid batteries are generally classified by application (what they are used for) and by construction (how they are made). The primary application is automotive in which the battery is used for starting and lighting. Deep cycle is another major application but is usually broken down into more specific applications such as Recreational Vehicle, golf cars, renewable energy, and marine.
There are two popular construction types:
flooded batteries (wet)
VRLA batteries (Valve Regulated Lead Acid).
In the flooded types, the electrolyte is a solution of sulfuric acid and water that can spill out if the battery is tipped over. In VRLA batteries, the electrolyte is suspended in a gel or a fiberglass-mat (AGM technology), allowing these batteries to be mounted in a variety of positions. Before getting started, be sure to identify the type of battery involved. This section addresses the charging and maintenance for both flooded and VRLA batteries.
Testing
Visual inspection alone is not sufficient to determine the overall health of the battery. Both open-circuit voltage and specific gravity readings can give a good indication of the battery’s charge level, age and health. Routine voltage and gravity checks will not only show the state of charge but also help spot signs of improper care, such as undercharging and over-watering and possibly even locate a bad or weak battery.
Inspection
Batteries should be carefully inspected on a regular basis in order to detect and correct potential problems before
they can do harm.
Watering (Flooded batteries only)
Step by step watering procedure:
• Open the vent caps and look inside the fill wells.
• Check electrolyte level; the minimum level is at the top of the plates.
• If necessary add just enough water to cover the plates at this time.
• Put batteries on a complete charge before adding any additional water (refer to the Charging section).
• Once charging is completed, open the vent caps and look inside the fill wells.
• Add water until the electrolyte level is 1/8" below the bottom of the fill well.
• A piece of rubber can be used safely as a dipstick to help determine this level.
• Clean, replace, and tighten all vent caps.
Warning
Never add acid to a battery. Flooded batteries need water. But more importantly, watering must be done at the right time and in the right amount or else the battery's performance and longevity suffers.
Cleaning
Batteries seem to attract dust, dirt, and grime. Keeping them clean will help one spot trouble signs if they appear and avoid problems associated with grime.
• Check that all vent caps are tightly in place.
• Clean the battery top with a cloth or brush and a solution of baking soda and water. When cleaning, do not allow any cleaning solution, or other foreign matter to get inside the battery.
• Rinse with water and dry with a clean cloth.
• Clean battery terminals and the inside of cable clamps using a post and clamp cleaner. Clean terminals will have a bright metallic shine.
• Reconnect the clamps to the terminals and thinly coat them with petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to prevent corrosion.
• Keep the area around batteries clean and dry.
Storage
Periods of inactivity can be extremely harmful to lead acid batteries. When placing a battery into storage, follow the recommendations below to insure that the battery remains healthy and ready for use.
Note: Storing, charging or operating batteries on concrete is perfectly ok.
The most important things to avoid
1.•Freezing: Avoid locations where freezing temperature is expected. Keeping a battery at a high state of charge will also prevent freezing. Freezing results in irreparable damage to a battery's plates and container.
2•.Heat: Avoid direct exposure to heat sources, such as radiators or space heaters. Temperatures above 80° F accelerate the battery's self-discharge characteristics.
Step by step storage procedure
• Completely charge the battery before storing.
• Store the battery in a cool, dry location, protected from the elements.
• During storage, monitor the specific gravity (flooded) or voltage. Batteries in storage should be given a boost charge when they show a 70% charge or less.
• Completely charge the battery before re-activating.
• For optimum performance, equalise the batteries (flooded/wet) before putting them back into service. Refer to the Equalising section for this procedure.
