Excessive heat or cold can adversely affect a batteries’ performance; and extreme weather conditions have material handling professionals concerned about keeping their motive power equipment safe and powered up.
Temperature is something you should be sensitive to when it comes to industrial batteries. The rule of thumb for industrial battery care is making sure they don't overheat in the summer and stay at the proper temperature when winter arrives. But what else should be top-of-mind for industrial battery operations in the summer and early fall months?
Proper industrial battery and equipment maintenance are crucial for your operations to run smoothly. Regardless of your most productive times or prolonged downtimes, maintaining your industrial batteries keeps your company efficient, safe, and productive.
Some manufacturing plants, distribution centers, and warehouses see an increase in activity during the summer months; however, for some, e-commerce drives their business during the holidays, requiring less demand from equipment during the summer.
Either way, regular maintenance can increase your equipment's efficiency now and spare you headaches later on.
Below are a key items to keep in mind when it comes to protecting and prolonging your industrial batteries’ life cycle.
1. Think SAFETY. 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.
2. Keep the battery top clean and dry.
3. Make sure the chargers are OFF when connecting or disconnecting to a battery.
4. Keep flames and metal away from the battery top.
5. Ensure the material handling equipment’s compartment and battery cover are open during charging to assist in minimizing increased temperature.
6. In extreme environments, use fans to help control temperatures.
7. Follow recommended charging practices for your battery technology.
8. When in doubt, call your HAWKER service representative for long, reliable battery life.
Harness your fleet’s power with HAWKER®. Our representatives will help you keep your equipment going strong, so you can keep supply chains moving forward.
