If your company uses forklifts, you know how important it is to keep the batteries in good condition. This will help them last longer, which can save you a lot of money. One thing you need to do is to wash your forklift batteries on a regular basis. Below is some more information about this so you can get started.
Why You Need to Wash the Batteries
Just like car batteries, there is acid in forklift batteries. Over time, the acid can leak and when it does it gets onto the surface and terminals of the battery. If you see acid, you need to clean it immediately before it causes damage. In most cases, washing the batteries twice per year will suffice, but you should do it more often if your forklifts are heavily used.
Not removing the acid is also dangerous for you and your employees. This is because acid is a conductor, which causes the forklift batteries to discharge when they are not in use.
Use A Battery Washer
You can purchase a battery washer to give your batteries a good bath. They are very easy to use as you simply load the cell and then press a button. It starts out washing the internal battery. If you purchase a large battery washer you can clean more than one battery at a time, which not only saves you a lot of time but saves you money as well.
Give the Wash Water a Bath
When you use a battery washer, the water is collected in a tank. This water is contaminated with heavy metals, such as copper and lead, as well as the acid. Even small amounts of the acid, copper, and lead contaminates groundwater. Because of this never drain the water or pour it on the ground.
You can hire a professional company to take care of the waste water for you but this can get expensive, especially if you wash a lot of batteries. Instead, you can purchase a filtration system when you purchase the washer. This system remove the heavy metals and neutralizes the acid from the water. You can then recycle the water back to the battery washer and use it again and again.
You can wash batteries by hand but this takes up a lot of time and this can be dangerous to your employees. This is because they are exposed to the acid and other toxic metals and they can spray off while they are cleaning and get on their skin or even on their face. If you choose to do it by hand then make sure your employees wear protective clothing, including a face mask and safety glasses.
