BATTERIES
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BATTERY MAINTENANCE, (continued)
•
Keep the Batteries Clean
- Use a damp cloth to wipe dirt and liquid from the top of the batteries. Battery
terminals must be clean and tight. If the top of the batteries are wet after charging, the batteries have
probably been over-filled.
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BATTERY TESTING
A battery problem is usually recognized by the machine operator, as a decrease in the machine’s running time.
This condition is usually caused by one (or more) “dead cell(s)” in the battery system- that is, one (or more)
cell(s) that is putting out less voltage than the other cells.
Note:
Always charge batteries before testing.
There are 2 ways to find a dead cell:
•
Use a hydrometer to check the specific gravity (or “state of charge”) of the fluid in each cell. A dead cell
is one that reads 50 points (or more) lower than the other cells.
•
Use a volt meter to check the voltage of each battery with the brush and vac motors running. The battery
with the dead cell will read 1 or 2 volts lower than the other batteries in the system.
If the batteries in the machine are more than 1 year old, it’s usually best to replace the whole set, rather than
replacing just one battery.
BA 500
Service Manual
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