Lead acid battery maintenance tips simple battery caring guide
Lead Acid Battery Maintenance Tips – Simple Battery Caring Guide
One of key main cause of a car unable to start is rust or residue forming on the battery terminals. When a layer of residue formed on the terminal, there is less surface contact between the battery and the copper cable connector. When this happens, you have to take some simple lead acid battery maintenance steps.
When you are having engine ignition problem, you have to check the battery without damaging the battery or causing any short circuits. Start by cleaning away rust or other residue from the terminals carefully. You should have a handy wire brush for scraping off corrosion in every nook and corner of the rusted battery.
To make your job easier and to clean thoroughly, you can pour hot boiling water on the corroded parts before cleaning. This action will help dislodge chunks of rust deposit and residue making it easier to clean your car battery.
If you want your car battery to work for a long period of time, you have to get a battery with either larger size plates or have a greater number of plates in the individual cells. It is also good to buy lead acid battery which is suited for the weather condition.
As a good practice, the battery terminals should be covered with insulating caps to avoid accidental contact of the car battery wires with any metal part in your car engine compartment.
Here’s a safety tip. Before handling your automobile battery, you have to remove all kinds of accessories on you such as watches with the metal straps, bangles, bracelets and rings. This is to prevent any potential electric short circuit.
When cleaning and maintaining your car battery, you have to take certain safety precaution such as wearing rubber gloves, eye protection gear, preparing a box of baking soda to neutralize the spilled acid etc. This is to avoid any unnecessary injuries.
When your car battery is dead, you have to take great care to dispose of it properly. The toxic components in the battery may cause some damage to the environment. Car batteries which are made of lead and plastic can be recycled.