Preserving Power: The Care and Feeding of Forklift Batteries

We see it today with increasing frequency, no matter where you look – in TV commercials, in the media, on social media, and elsewhere – there are messages everywhere promoting self-care to improve daily health, performance, restoration and well-being. The concept applies to more than just personal health. In fact, in this blog we are actually going to suggest the same kind of care should be taken with material handling equipment, more specifically the batteries that power that equipment every day.

When it comes to electric forklifts of all shapes and sizes, what could be more important than the power that moves them? If batteries aren’t healthy and ready to perform, your equipment is essentially non-functional. Yet, while you’ll find that many companies recognize the importance of planned maintenance for their material handling equipment, a much smaller percentage exercises the same care for the batteries that power their forklift fleet. This blog is going to discuss how you can “pamper your power source” with proper battery maintenance to help ensure that your entire forklift fleet is ready to perform when needed.

Think about the number of times that you’ve experienced downtime associated with your forklift batteries. Perhaps it was a bad cell, or maybe an inner cell connector. Maybe it simply could no longer hold a charge. Another battery-related issue, such as a failed battery charger or a broken charging connector, can also compromise the performance of a forklift, or even keep it from performing altogether. Your batteries and chargers provide the lifeblood of your electric forklifts . . .  the heart of your forklift fleet, so maybe taking care of your forklift batteries and chargers through a planned maintenance program, isn’t such a bad idea.

It Starts with the Battery

There are many facets to proper battery and charger maintenance. The technician usually begins with a visual inspection of the battery housing, filler caps and connectors, looking for any sign of leakage or corrosion. The top and exterior is wiped down with a solution to neutralize the effects of battery acid. The technician then checks cell voltages and records specific gravity readings, noting any abnormalities that could prevent the battery from performing as it should. These anomalies, while they may not prevent operation at the time, will be tracked over time so issues can be addressed before they create a work stoppage.

While completing charger planned maintenance, technicians will also clean and inspect the charger and connectors for damage, and also clean or replace the charger’s air filter if needed. Dirty air filters can cause chargers to build up and retain heat. This can reduce output, which can result in longer charge times or even no charge at all.

Beyond the Battery: Crown’s Inclusive Maintenance Strategy

Unattended or neglected batteries potentially affect the safety of your operators and those around them, as they can be prone to leakage, swelling and, on rare occasions, may even have the potential to explode. When you have battery and charger maintenance in place, the likelihood of unexpected battery failures diminishes because physical damage and corrosion can be identified sooner than later. Well-maintained batteries are also more energy efficient, which may result in lower energy bills and fewer battery replacements.

Beyond cleaning, inspecting and documenting the status of your batteries and chargers, Crown service technicians can assist you with proper charging to battery sizing recommendations, showcase proper cable management practices and check connector and contact tip conditions.

Leading the Charge Toward Proper Charging

Once the proper measures are in place to help ensure battery integrity, it’s time to consider how charging can affect battery health. A healthy, well-charged battery is crucial to the performance of your equipment, and proper charging, including a weekly equalization charge, is one of the most important contributors to a battery’s performance and longevity. Improper charging can cause sulfation to form on the battery plates. As it builds up over time, it can cause irreversible damage to a battery cell or an entire battery. A charged battery also loses energy over time, even when it isn’t in use. A regularly scheduled charge, even for stored batteries, can help them retain and maintain a higher state of charge so they are ready to perform when you need them most.

Battery Watering: The Bane of Battery Care

In operations with wet-cell batteries, most anyone will tell you that the most challenging part of battery care is keeping each battery cell properly watered. It can be messy, time consuming and tedious. However, improper watering is the primary cause of premature battery failure and replacement. Consequently, in addition to a disciplined charging schedule, it is equally important to maintain a disciplined watering schedule that ensures that each battery maintains its recommended capacity as long as possible.

Thankfully, there are battery care options available that can help streamline the watering process. Some of these options connect directly to the battery, with a system of hoses and filler values that enable single connection watering for a multi-cell battery. These systems will also automatically fill the cell to the correct level without having to check each cell individually. For a large operation, these systems can help save time and simplify service labor requirements, but they can also pay for themselves many times over in extending battery life and reducing replacement expenses.

The Promise of New Power Technologies

While traditional lead-acid batteries have been and continue to be the backbone of the electric forklift industry, there are other battery technologies, such as lithium-ion, that are now available and may be a better power solution for some applications. While sealed lithium-ion batteries don’t require the same level of maintenance as lead-acid batteries one cannot think of them as maintenance-free solutions. Charger maintenance, proper charging schedules and procedures and cable management are all still important factors in extending lithium-ion battery life and increasing productivity.

In a fully integrated power system, all the components are designed to work together as a complete system. No matter which power solution you choose, an integrated system deserves an inclusive, proactive approach to forklift, charger and battery maintenance to help extend product lifespan, reduce costs and increase reliability.

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