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BATTERY MAINTENANCE AND CARE
It is essential to keep your battery regularly charged throughout the year, especially during the winter
months. Low temperature reduces the effectiveness of your car battery and your motor oil is thicker.
Engines are more difficult to start and the heater, windscreen wipers and lights are all draining power. It
is at this time that batteries have to be at peak power. If your battery is not regularly maintained and
kept fully charged, it can cause problems and a possible breakdown.
Listed are some helpful hints on how to keep your battery healthy in conjunction with your battery
charger:
Detecting faulty cells with a hygrometer (not possible with sealed or maintenance-free batteries)
Starter-batteries are usually made of several cells, with a nominal voltage of 2V per cell. If one of the
cells is defective, the whole battery deteriorates. If, after several hours of charging, your battery is still
flat, you should test the battery cells.
Using a hydrometer, which can be purchased from most motor accessory stores, you can check the
specific gravity of the electrolyte in each cell. Take hydrometer readings from each cell in the battery.
Put the fluid back into the cell after testing, taking care not to spill the fluid. If one reading is lower than
the others, this could indicate a faulty cell. If necessary, get an auto-electrician to check your battery. In
some cases a battery can be revived, but one faulty cell is enough to ruin your battery.
Care
Sometimes the battery may appear flat, but the reason could simply be dirty or loose connections on
your battery terminals. It is important to maintain the leads on a regular basis. Clean all contacts and
grease them using terminal grease. Make sure that all connections are tight.
It is essential to keep the electrolyte level above the plates, note that you should not overfill it, as the
electrolyte is strongly acidic. When topping up, do not use tap water. Always use distilled or de-ionized
water. If necessary have it checked by your garage.
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