Automatic battery watering cuts costs
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 11/1/1998
When Mark Hoard, coordinator for the Industrial Truck Garage, FORD Motor Company's Romeo Engine Plant, assumed his position, he set a goal to maximize efficiency while controlling maintenance costs.His greatest maintenance problem was in the battery room where the drudgery of the battery watering task had disheartened personnel. They struggled to keep up with the never ending job of watering the industrial fork-lift batteries.
After examining the options, Hoard installed a Watermaster, automatic Network Battery Watering system for the plant's industrial batteries.
The FORD Romeo plant produces and ships over 3600 engines per day, Hoard notes. "Our electric fork truck fleets performance is a critical component of our ability to meet our production goals." Our battery watering system, he adds, "has exceeded our performance expectations over the last ten years."
Since its installation, efficiency improved dramatically and personnel are utilized elsewhere to maximize the output of the facility and improve job satisfaction and security.
Watering forklift batteries is necessary to maximize efficiency and avoid damage to equipment. The process is time consuming, expensive, and at times dangerous. Improper battery watering voids battery manufacturers' warranties. Manual watering interrupts productivity and causes scheduling problems, moreover.
The automatic watering system was developed to eliminate these problems. It consists of an electronic control which delivers water to the battery after charging has been completed, and a patented vent cap which is installed on the battery cells to control flow of water to each cell.
The caps never need to be removed from the cell since the electrolyte can be evaluated through a specially designed port which eliminates exposure to the dangerous sulfuric acid electrolyte.
The electronic control is plugged in when the battery is plugged into the charger. That is all the operator has to do. The control assures that the battery actually needs water by determining if it has been discharged. If it has not been discharged, watering is deferred until after the next charge. If water is needed it is delivered after the electrolyte has completed its expansion, further assuring safety.
The vent cap shuts off the flow of water to each cell without the use of any moving part. Since there is no moving part controlling the critical shut off of water to the individual cell, reliability is maximized.
While the automatic watering system requires some maintenance this is small compared to the advantages provided. The expense of filling each battery-cell by cell-is eliminated, a savings that will typically pay for the system in 6 months.
Also, maintaining the correct level of electrolyte extends the useful life of the battery. Tests on 24-cell, 48-volt batteries verify that maintaining the correct water level can add as much as $800 worth of extended battery life. Other benefits include better battery maintenance, more power from batteries for longer periods of time, and reduced general operating costs.
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