GENERATORS, BACK UP POWER & BATTERIES
STOP AND THINK BEFORE YOU TOP UP
T
his is one of the busiest times of the year for logistics operations. In 2020 especially, given the challenges of Covid-19 and a shift to increased online shopping, these businesses rely on their forklift fleets to meet productivity targets. It can be tempting to cut corners when you’re under pressure and it’s easy to make mistakes, too. This is why Hoppecke Industrial Batteries is advising operations that count on trucks powered by lead-acid batteries to treat them with respect.
Appropriate care and routine maintenance, which includes adhering to recommended topping up procedures, will help to promote truck uptime and improve performance. Importantly, it will also prolong battery life. Conversely, use of inappropriate fluids could have serious repercussions.
CHEMICAL PROCESS Lead-acid batteries use up water during the chemical process. This water must be replaced, which means filling the individual cells to the appropriate level to provide an efficient mix of chemicals and electrolytes. Obviously, it is important not to over-fill the cells. Equally, if you let the water level drop too low, battery damage is inevitable.
Best practice is to always top up with distilled or demineralised water. This is ultra-pure water and, ideally, should measure between 5 and 7 on the pH scale. Never resort to tap water or bottled drinking water or, indeed, any other kind of fluid. The industry is awash with anecdotes about forklift operators in a hurry turning to tap water, washing up liquid, screen wash and even Coca Cola. Don’t be tempted to top up with anything other than distilled or demineralised water because doing so will cause major problems. There is also a safety issue since chemicals in fluids like this can cause all sorts of highly undesirable adverse chemical reactions.
SIMPLE BUT DEVASTATING ERROR Topping up batteries with the wrong fluid can prove extremely costly. One business inadvertently used AdBlue, the additive used in diesel engine lorries and buses – and increasingly diesel cars – to help neutralise harmful emissions. Unfortunately, the batteries in its entire forklift fleet were ruined and the company had to find £40,000 for replacements. It was a simple error that probably arose because the AdBlue was stored alongside the company’s stocks of distilled water.
IRREPARABLE DAMAGE AdBlue consists of a mix of high-grade urea and deionised water and is injected into a vehicle’s exhaust system to help lower the levels of nitrous oxide emitted. Using it to top up forklift truck batteries is potentially dangerous. The resulting chemical reaction damages batteries beyond repair and may produce ammonia gas, which is not only highly corrosive, but also toxic to humans.
IMPURITIES
Even tap water, which in most instances is considered to be benign, contains trace elements and minerals which amount to detrimental impurities for batteries. During the chemical process these impurities reduce battery performance and can lead to trouble starting up machines. Calcium, which is present in water and the cause of what we know as water hardness, results in increased shedding of the positive plate material.
Impurities are also responsible for shortening battery life. Bear in mind that you will not get the standard five to six years typically expected from a lead-acid battery if you top up with anything other than distilled or demineralised water.
IMPACT ON PRODUCTIVITY If you top up with other types of fluid trucks may
28 NOVEMBER 2020 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
limp on for a while but, eventually, there will be no alternative but to source replacement batteries. In a worst-case scenario the cost of the batteries, which you have not budgeted for, is only part of the problem. You will also have to contend with disruption to overall warehouse workflow and the impact on productivity whilst trucks are out of action.
RELIABLE SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES
AdBlue, tap water, demineralised water and distilled water all look the same, so it’s easy to see how someone might choose the wrong fluid. Since damage to lead-acid batteries due to inappropriate topping up can be irreparable and very costly, it makes sense to take steps to avoid mistakes. Make sure your systems and processes are set up to ensure that distilled water is stored completely separately and properly labelled. Reputable suppliers can offer advice on the best way to establish water filling stations and how to train operatives so that they are confident about topping up quickly and safely.
TOPPING UP BEST PRACTICE When topping up batteries always use pure water. It is best practice to top up immediately after charging when batteries are fully charged. Check the water level each time you charge. The electrolyte should cover the element by 5mm, so if it isn’t at this level add distilled or demineralised water. Since incorrect topping with potentially harmful fluids can have a devastating impact on a busy logistics operation, the advice is to stop and think before you top up. Explain to forklift operators the importance of taking the time to check they are using distilled or demineralised water – every time. It really is worth it.
Hoppecke
www.hoppecke.com
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