AVOID BATTERY TROUBLE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 3278, 12 March 1931, Page 2

AVOID BATTERY TROUBLE.

Regular use of a good hydrometer is the only way to know whether or not a storage battery is getting a proper charge. The heaviness of the acid is the only true indicator of the condition of the batter, and the hydrometer measures this. Never leave a battery in a discharged condition, and whether in use or not, do not leave it without attention for a long period of time. When not in use, a fully-charged battery will become one-third discharged in a month or so.

Neither should a battery be overcharged. The gassing produced if this is done disintegrates the active matterial in the plates.

Keep the battery well charged in winter. This may necesstiate increasing the charging rate over the summer normal. A fully-charged battery cannot freeze.

Keep the hold-down bolts tight, or the box will be damaged and the terminals are likely to be loosened, due to shaking of the battery, which allow acid to creep up around them. Also, sediment will settle between the plates and causes an internal short circuit. Never add anything but distilled water to the electrolyte; boiled water will not do. And never fill the battery with “trick” solutions.