Ensuring a prolonged forklift battery life is not only beneficial for the battery, but it is also less costly for the forklift. Needing forklift services in Toronto or extensive repairs due to the lack of water in your forklift’s batteries is completely avoidable. Watering forklift batteries prolongs your forklift battery life whereas a non-watered battery can result in battery premature failure and forklift damage and downtime. You can reduce the likelihood of costly battery replacement and increase cycle times between charges which allow the forklift to operate productively for longer.
When should you water your batteries?
You should water your forklift batteries at the end of a full or equalisation charge. After charging, the water level will be at its highest and should be consistently and carefully topped off. If the battery is watered incorrectly or at the wrong time, such as at low charge levels or when the battery needs charging, this can result in acid levels rising and boiling over, causing hazardous acid spills that can damage the battery and forklift. This is why it is best to water your forklift battery when it is fully charged and not when it is partially charged or not charged.
What type of water should you use when watering your forklift batteries?
It is best to use pure or distilled water for forklift batteries. Dirty or particulate water can cause damage to your forklift batteries.
How do you water your batteries?
There are three known methods that are best for watering your forklift batteries: manual filling, watering guns, and single point watering systems.
Manual filling requires time and judgement for level fill, which often results in over or under filling, causing damage to the battery. Each battery cell needs to be filled separately with a jug and funnel which is extremely time consuming and inefficient because it is never exact.
A watering gun is a mid-range cost-effective way to solve the battery watering issue. It is accurate because it stops automatically when the correct water level is reached; however, it is still moderately time consuming because each cell requires individual watering. As forklift dealers in Toronto, NovaLift Equipment has watering guns available for purchase.
The single point system, otherwise known as the spider system, can have your forklift batteries filled quickly and efficiently. These battery watering systems are very accurate, filling your forklift battery through a single point main feeder hose, which is connected to each individual cell, allowing for even distribution of water to each cell. Each battery has a vent plug with a float lever valve and the plugs are connected by the main PVC hose. This allows for even and quick refills with a hassle-free and safe system. The entire process does not take more than 30 seconds. This type of watering system saves time, money, ensures that the proper water level is reached every time. It is also the safest way to water a forklift battery. The battery watering systems can be purchased at NovaLift and installed by one of our technicians to avoid future damage to batteries and electric forklifts.
For more information on your battery watering options and services, please call NovaLift Equipment to speak to one of our experts.