How to Clean a Forklift Battery

If your forklift battery isn’t working, your forklift isn’t going to work—which means you need to dedicate some time to regularly cleaning your forklift battery in Jefferson, WI. It has to be done as needed, which can be unpredictable—some batteries only need cleaning every six months, while others need it every couple of weeks. It’s smart to check the battery weekly and determine whether it needs a good scrub to do its job.

Dust, oil, dirt, debris and other substances can rapidly accumulate on your battery, so ensuring you clean it will help improve performance.

Supplies

To clean your battery, you’ll need a few items on hand and ready to go:

• Hot water
• Baking soda or household ammonia
• Detergent
• At least one gallon of fresh water
• Clean paint brush
• Wire battery terminal brush

You should combine a half pound of baking soda or ammonia with hot water, the gallon of fresh water and however much detergent your owner’s manual recommends to create a cleaning solution.

Procedure

First, remove the battery from the forklift. (You should always turn the forklift off before trying to remove the battery.) Check the battery vent caps to make sure they are tight and secure before proceeding, then put on your gloves.

Once the cleaning solution is mixed well and your gloves are on, use the clean paint brush to spread the solution over the top of the battery. If you’re using baking soda, the product will fizz—keep applying, doing your best to get under the intercell connectors and in the terminals, until the fizzing stops. If you’re using ammonia, there won’t be any fizzing—let the mixture sit for five minutes, then move on to the next step.

After the cleaning solution has done its job, be sure to rinse the top of the battery with clean, hot water through a hose. If there is any solution or loose dirt left, keep rinsing. Then you should check the battery to see if there’s any remaining dirt or solution left; if so, keep rinsing. If necessary, take your wire battery terminal brush to scrub away anything that remains. This is often necessary if you have a lot of calcium deposits on the top of your forklift battery.

Once you’re done cleaning, you should clean off the vent top with a clean, dry cloth and wait for the battery to completely dry. Once it’s ready, feel free to return it to the forklift, and enjoy the benefits of a well-cleaned battery.

For forklift batteries, accessories, replacement parts and other power systems, Remis Power Systems Inc. has you covered. If you have questions about forklift battery care in Jefferson, WI or otherwise need help taking care of your power sources, we’re here and ready to help you. Since 1980, we have established ourselves as a commercial and industrial battery expert in Wisconsin, and we’re confident we can help you source, repair, maintain and recycle your batteries. Get in touch with us today to get started.

Categorised in: Forklift Batteries

This post was written by Writer