It’s officially summertime! Depending on where you operate, summer temperatures could hit up to 110°F. The summer season brings about warmer temperatures that not only affect your employees, but also your industrial batteries and chargers..
Temperature is something that should be monitored when it comes to industrial batteries; ensuring they don’t overheat in the summer. However, there’s more to that than keeping some fans running in your warehouse. Our experts at HAWKER® have put together some tips for keeping your batteries and chargers cooled off and safe throughout the summer months.
It’s essential to find ways to manage excessive temperatures in your warehouse. Being proactive with regular maintenance can increase your equipment efficiency now and spare you headaches later on.
Below are a few key items to keep in mind when it comes to protecting and prolonging your industrial batteries’ life cycle during the hottest months of the year.
At baseline, you want to be sure you’re using high-quality industrial batteries and chargers. Less quality batteries are prone to failure in hot summer temperatures, leaving your employees and operation in a difficult position. Additionally, manufacturing quality may not be high enough to prevent stratification, even under optimal charging and discharging regimes.
Premium industrial batteries, however, tend to be more resistant to high temperatures. Depending on the needs of your warehouse, you may find that flooded lead-acid, TPPL, or lithium-ion batteries may be the best choice. At HAWKER®, we offer various industry-leading power technologies to keep your business running smoothly and efficiently.
As with most machinery, it’s better to find a problem before it occurs rather than addressing an untimely and costly breakdown. With our HawkerNET™ battery monitoring technology, you can do just that. This cloud-based battery management tool lets you monitor all of the batteries in your fleet. With this convenient and accessible technology, you’re able to gather and measure data that can help you better direct your operations and improve productivity.
Our system works with the existing batteries in your fleet. It helps you answer two simple questions:
● How well are you maintaining your fleet’s batteries?
● How efficiently are you using your battery fleet?
Once you have a data report card, you’re able to gain better oversight over your current battery fleet status and intervene where necessary.
HawkerNET™: Increase Safety and Save Money by Monitoring Your Battery Fleet’s Status
Investing in battery monitoring is a good idea at any time of the year, but particularly in the summer when temperatures can cause disruptions to your operations. You need systems in place that can alert you to preventable problems, allowing you to take action quickly and efficiently. With HawkerNET™, you’re connected to your battery fleet at all times, allowing you to monitor off-site and be notified of any irregularities or problems immediately.
Proper battery watering and maintenance for flooded lead-acid products will go a long way toward prolonging the battery life and making it more efficient. Determining a reasonable and proper battery watering time schedule could be easy or difficult, depending on how widely the following four factors vary:
1. Type of charging: standard, fast, or opportunity
2. Frequency and rate of charge (daily, etc.) vs. multiple or standard rate vs. high rate
3. Water storage capacity of the specific cell type
4. Age and condition of the battery
Older batteries, and those in poor condition, will consume water more rapidly than newer batteries and those in good condition. Also, some cell types have a greater water storage capacity than others. Batteries being used in fast or opportunity charging will consume more water through heat dissipation and excessive gassing.
Depending on the preceding variable factors, the batteries assigned to a specific charging area will require watering at different intervals. The frequency of watering is best determined by firsthand experience.
Lastly, when it comes to handling batteries in the hot summer, the single most important thing you can do is keep the battery properly maintained and charged. Our HAWKER® team recommends routine maintenance, keeping in mind these best practices:
● Charge batteries according to the manufacturer's schedule.
● There should be adequate ventilation and personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety glasses, gloves, aprons, and other gear available while maintenance is being performed.
● Keep the battery top clean and dry.
● Make sure the chargers are OFF when disconnecting a battery.
● Keep flames and metal away from the battery top.
● Ensure the material handling equipment compartment and battery cover are open during charging to assist in minimizing increased temperature.
When in doubt, call your HAWKER ® service representative for to help increase your battery life and keep your operation up and running!
For additional information about battery maintenance and battery management tools please contact your local HAWKER® Representative here or call 1-877-7HAWKER (U.S. and Canada only). Find a dealer today!
