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QUESTION:When charging a forklift battery, what does it mean to equalize the battery?
i work in a warehouse and i have been chosen to change forklift batteries,
i dont know much about this new task and it seems that no one else does either ,
they cant even find any of the owners manuals or service info for the batteries,
on the chargers for the batteries there is a botton that says equalize,
some of the guys at work tell to turn this function on, some say to leave it off,
if anyone has any helpful info about forklifts and thier batteries please let me know!
ANSWER: HOW TO KEEP THEM HAPPY
Although routinely overlooked in battery manufacturers' literature and
in many reference, most deep-cycle batteries (with the excpetion of the
gel-cell and other sealed varieties) are benefited by a periodic
controlled overcharge, which is often referred to as an equalization
charge mode. To equalize a battery, the charging is allowed to continue
well after the point at which the battery is normally considered to be
"full", taking care to avoid excessive battery heating or electrolyte
boil-off.
In a typical equalization cycle, the battery voltage is allowed to rise
to approximately 16 volts, where it is maintained for up to eight hours
by adjustment of the charging current. This process helps to mix up the
electrolyte, which otherwise tends to "stratify" (i.e., separate into
overlappying layers of acid and water), and is also useful in removing
some sulfate deposits. When performed properly, equalization doesn't
make the battery boil over, but does produce fairly vigorous bubbling.
At the end of this cycle, you can expect to add some water.
Most battery manufacturers consider one equalization charge per month
to be appropriate for batteries that are in a continuous state of charge
and discharge; less often is adequate for batteries that see a lot of
standby service. Due to the generation of considerable gas that
accompanies this process, equalization shoud NEVER be performed on a
sealed or gel-cell battery.
Also, most 12-volt DC appliances will not tolerate the 16-plus volts,
so remember to disconnect everything or detach the battery cables before
you equalize. Refer to Figure 3 for the suggest maintenance charge and
equalization voltages for various batteries. Obviously, a charger with
equalization capability is needed; there is no way to alter voltage
output on most RV converters.
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