A fully charged battery should measure at 12.5–12.8V – anything less indicates it’s time to charge the battery. Regularly (at leastonce every month) check the electrolyte level on your lead acid battery. This is probably the most overlooked but one of the most important factors in lead acid battery maintenance.
Regular maintenance not only extends the life of the battery but also prevents costly replacements. Here are some reasons why regular maintenance is crucial for lead-acid batteries: Sulfation is a common problem that occurs in lead-acid batteries when the lead sulfate crystals form on the battery’s plates.
If you’re storing your unused lead acid battery inside the car,make sure you disconnect the ground. Avoid cranking your engine for longer than 10 – 15 seconds. Doing so is bad for your starter and will discharge your battery extremely fast. Always keep your lead acid battery upright and never store it at an angle greater than 45 degrees.
Charging a lead acid battery while it’s still connected and inside the vehicle isnot recommended, so make sure your battery is out of the car. Place your lead acid battery in a well-ventilated room. Lead acid batteries produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is a flammable gas.
Car lead acid batteries can be classified into two types namely Starting or Cranking battery and Deep cycle battery. The starting battery is known as SLI battery (Starting Light Ignition) and it is designed to give a heavy current to start a load such as engine. These have more number of plates and the plates are thin.
The best maintenance for a car battery is to regularly drive the car it’s fitted to. But there are some other things you can do, as well. If the car is off the road for a while, disconnect the battery from the car’s electrical circuit and/or connect it to a charger. Also keep the battery terminals nice and clean.