Car Battery Maintenance
Battery is among many important components of a car, which need to be taken care of properly like any other component. Unfortunately, many car owners hardly give attention to their car batteries and do not perform regular battery maintenance. Battery maintenance can save your money and contribute to protecting our environment from excessive hazardous waste.
Cars boast lead acid battery, which contains two essential ingredients to generate electricity- a sulfuric acid solution and lead plates. The battery is an electrical storage device that uses a reversible chemical reaction to store energy. The lead plates in the battery and the electrolyte solution of diluted sulphuric acid convert electrical energy into potential chemical energy. But, the electrolyte solution of lead acid battery is hazardous to our health, since it may cause burns and various other permanent damages, if it comes in contact with our skin or eyes.
A battery should be removed from the vehicle during periods of inactivity. It should be stored in a cool dry place. Remember, not to store a battery on a concrete floor. Keep it on a wood board or shelf. Whenever you are required to disconnect a battery check out for the following safety tips:
- Make use of safety goggles.
- Wear long sleeves and rubber gloves when refilling battery liquid.
- Prevent electrical sparks by keeping tools away from the positive (+) terminal. For your information, the battery cable leading to the starter is usually the positive terminal.
- Clean deposits from the battery post and wiring.
- Neutralize spilled electrolyte with a solution of baking soda.
In order to prevent sparks and a possible explosion, make sure you disconnect the negative terminal first and then the positive terminal. Lead acid batteries vent hydrogen gas which is very explosive. Be careful, a minor spark can ignite the hydrogen gas! To check the electrolyte in the battery, remove the cell caps and make sure that the liquid is above the plates, because battery function will be degraded if the level of liquid drops below the plates. If possible, use distilled water in the battery rather than using tap water, since the latter contains minerals which can decrease the battery life. However, most batteries come sealed that do not permit adding water. For good reasons, do not consider buying a sealed battery.
