Importance of forklift battery maintenance
- Taking good care of your forklift battery can greatly extend its useful life span.
- The expense of these batteries justifies proper care so that you can get the most use possible out of them.
- Good maintenance ensures the greatest productivity and efficiency for your business.
Good maintenance of a forklift battery
A forklift battery needs to be charged when the remaining battery life is no less than 20 percent. Charging a battery too often will shorten its lifespan, however letting it discharge by more than 80 percent can be detrimental.
As well as possible damage to the battery, allowing the battery to discharge too much can cause changes to the amount of power supplied, which could cause damage to the electrical components and motor of the forklift.
It is also important to avoid overcharging.
Taking proper care during forklift battery recharging
Whenever handling batteries, you should wear gloves, an apron and protective eyewear. Never use open flames in the area, as the fumes emitted from batteries during recharging are very explosive. The recharge area should be well ventilated too.
The forklift battery water level should be checked on a regular basis, generally after recharging 5-10 times. While adding the water, make sure you fill only to the desired mark. This will prevent overfilling that may cause expansion and overflowing. You should clean up any spills or overflows immediately, if they do occur.
It is also important not to interrupt the charge cycle one you’ve started it.
How long will a forklift battery last?
With a single charge, a forklift battery will usually provide about five hours of continuous battery life, which equates to about eight hours once breaks, etc are taken into account. This usually means that batteries need to be charged after every shift. The normal life of a forklift battery is about 1,500 recharge cycles. Obviously depending on use, this means that a forklift battery will usually last for about five years, and often can last up to seven years.
Find out more about Powercell’s forklift battery products and service.