Optimizing Your Forklift Battery: What’s the Best Way to Preserve Battery Life?

Optimizing your forklift battery’s life expectancy can save you time and money and provide more reliable performance from your machinery. So, what is the best way to preserve battery life for your forklift? To optimize performance, here’s how to preserve your forklift battery:

• Choose chargers carefully: Optimizing your forklift battery’s life expectancy requires selecting the right industrial charger for your needs. Make sure the amp hour rating is compatible with your machinery. Dimensions are also important. Use a battery charger that fits with your forklift battery. Lastly, consider your priorities when it comes to battery charging. Different models focus on speed, extending the battery life or energy efficiency.
• Charge correctly: Charging a forklift battery involves more than simply attaching the battery to the charger. If your focus is on how to preserve your forklift battery and how to extend your forklift battery’s life, you must charge the battery properly. This involves several steps.
  • Turn off the charger before connecting or disconnecting a battery.
  • Follow all manufacturer instructions for the charger.
  • Make sure battery caps are on when charging.
  • Charge the battery when it drops to 20 to 30 percent.
  • Allow the battery to reach 100 percent charge before disconnecting it from the charger.
  • Monitor battery temperature while charging. (Extreme heat can shorten the battery’s life.)
• Maintain proper fluid levels: Optimizing your forklift battery’s life expectancy involves maintaining the proper amount of water in the battery. Keep a regular maintenance schedule that includes watering the battery. Too little water will cause the battery to overheat, while too much water can cause acid dilution or spills.
• Equalize the battery: As part of your forklift maintenance schedule, be sure to include equalizing your forklift battery. This task balances the acid levels. If this is not done regularly, the acid concentration becomes higher at the bottom of the battery, which can reduce the lifespan of the battery.
• Test regularly: Have your forklift batteries tested by a professional on a regular basis to identify any potential problems before the batteries fail. You can partner with a professional for this task or invest in a battery status system that will allow you to test your own batteries.
• Keep them clean: Cleaning forklift batteries according to a regular schedule prevents corrosion. It may also be required to maintain the manufacturer’s warranty on the battery.
• Keep them cool: If you’re goal is optimizing your forklift battery’s life expectancy, try to avoid operating the battery in high temperatures. Using or charging an industrial battery in a setting that is over 92 degrees Fahrenheit can cut the battery’s lifespan in half. If your operations require using the battery in hot conditions, be sure to choose a battery that is designed for extreme heat.

Your battery specialists

Remis Power Systems Inc. has been an industry-leading supplier of industrial batteries and chargers since 1980. We work with each forklift owner to customize our services to fit their needs. Whether you are in the market for a new or used battery, believe you would benefit from our service program or encounter an unplanned service breakdown, we will be there to find the right solution for you.

Categorised in: Forklift Batteries

This post was written by Writer