A modern car cannot be operated without a mobile power source. The battery not only allows you to start the car engine, but also takes on the main load, with low engine speeds.
There are 2 main types of batteries: maintenance-free and maintenance-free. What constitutes an unattended chemical source of electricity will be described in detail in this article.
Content
What is a maintenance free battery
Maintenance-free battery is a product in which there is no possibility of adding distilled water. Such devices are safer during operation and charging, due to the reduction of explosive gas emissions, as well as the spill of acid solution during capsizing.
As for the internal filling, the maintenance-free battery is no different from the maintenance. Visually determine whether the battery belongs to the category of maintenance-free products by the absence of filler plugs.
Which one to choose, serviced or unattended
Deciding on the type of battery you purchase can be very difficult. If a serviced battery was previously installed on the car, many car owners prefer not to change their habits. Served batteries have the following advantages:
- It is possible to check the electrolyte level and its density.
- If the level is insufficient, you can easily restore battery performance by adding the required amount of distilled water.
Unfortunately, this type of battery has many disadvantages:
- Evaporation of water in hot weather and when recharging the battery.
- If you roll over to your side or drive too off-road, electrolyte may spill.
- Greater leakage current, especially if electrolyte was spilled on the upper outer plane between the terminals during refueling.
- Additional time spent on routine inspection and maintenance.
Maintenance-free battery has the following positive characteristics:
- Set and forget;
- No need to top up water.
Disadvantages:
- If the battery fails, then it will not be possible to restore its performance.
- If the electrolyte boils away, it will not be possible to add distilled water without rough mechanical intervention;
- Critical to recharge and deep discharges.
Attention! If the car has serious electrical problems, a maintenance-free battery will not last long. In this case, it is better to purchase a serviced battery and carefully monitor the quality and level of electrolyte.
If there are no deviations in the on-board electrical network of the car, then the most appropriate solution would be to purchase a maintenance-free device.
What are maintenance free batteries?
If you decide to purchase a maintenance-free battery, you need to know that these devices differ not only in capacity and discharge current strength.
Maintenance-free batteries can be of the following types:
- Calcium Lead Acid. Plates of this type of device are doped with calcium, as a result of which the material acquires properties such as: vibration resistance, reduced corrosion effect. Also in calcium batteries, a decrease in the process of self-discharge and electrolyte boiling is observed.
- AGM. It is an acid accumulator in which between the plates the electrolyte is located in special fiberglass separators. This kind maintenance free batteries tolerates deep discharges more easily, and due to the decrease in the intensity of sulfation of the plates, the service life can be increased to 10 years.
- EFB. The design features of this type of battery is that the thickness of the lead is significantly increased compared to conventional products. To reduce sulfation each plate is wrapped with a special material that is impregnated with acid electrolyte. Thanks to the use of modern technology, the service life Efb battery is from 5 to 10 years.
- GEL. Unlike other batteries, these batteries have helium inside.
The types of maintenance-free batteries listed above will work without any complaints only when charging is properly organized, when the battery capacity drops below the set minimum limit for starting the engine.
What kind of charger can charge maintenance-free batteries
Given the confined space in which the battery plates are maintenance-free type, it is necessary to prevent significant recharge of the battery.
Attention! To protect the device from boiling, it is recommended to use an automatic charger.
The main advantage of the memory of this type is the lack of control on the part of the person during the whole time of charging the battery. The smart device will decide for itself what voltage and current to apply to the battery terminals at the beginning of charging, in the middle of the cycle and at the last stage.
In the absence of an automatic device, you can restore the capacity of a conventional charger, but in this case, you will need to fully control the process.
For calcium batteries, you can use any standard charge, for gel and Agm special charger required.
How to charge a maintenance free battery
Before you charge a maintenance-free battery with a conventional charger, you need to correctly determine the level of battery discharge. Given the fact that it is not possible to open such a battery to check the electrolyte level and its density, the degree of discharge is measured using multimedia. Many batteries also have a charge indicator.
This device allows you to measure DC voltage with an accuracy of hundredths of a volt. If during the diagnosis the voltage at the terminals is more than 12.6 V, then there is no need to charge the battery. If the voltage drops to 12 V, the battery charge will be only 50%, and if there is a voltage of less than 11.7 V, the battery is considered to be completely discharged.
Charging time when the battery is completely discharged is easy to calculate. The recommended charge current of all car batteries is 10% of the battery capacity. For example, if you need to restore a fully discharged battery with a capacity of 60 A / h, you will need to turn on the charger for 10 hours, while the charge current should be 6 amperes.
It is easy to calculate how much time you will need to spend with a 50 percent discharge or with a decrease in battery capacity by 30%. For this, it is necessary to divide the total capacity of the battery by 100 and multiply by the percentage of charge reduction, then divide the result by 6 for a battery of 60 A / h and 5.5 for a battery with a capacity of 55 A / h.
How to restore a maintenance free battery
If a maintenance-free battery fails earlier than the manufacturer's recommended life, then, in many cases, you can restore the battery to acceptable values. Given the inability to disassemble a maintenance-free battery, you will have to pierce the top battery cover in 6 places with an awl.Thus, you can access the electrolyte, which must be carefully drained from the battery.
At the next stage, distilled water is poured into the holes to the required level. Then the battery is charged, before gas evolution, with a constant voltage of 14 V. When the charging process is completed, the battery is left for a while so that the lead plates are slightly cleaned of the sulfate film.
After a few days, the battery charging procedure is repeated, after which the water is drained and the working mixture of sulfuric acid and water is poured. After charging, the battery can be installed on the car. The holes in the top cover should be sealed with any acid-resistant sealant.
Conclusion
A maintenance-free battery is ideal for beginner use. It is impossible to open such a battery, therefore there is no danger of making errors during maintenance. For experienced drivers who know how and love to take care of their iron horse, it is better to purchase a regular serviced battery, because conducting infrequent and simple events will significantly extend the battery life.
Have you ever had maintenance free battery? Share your experience in the comments, this will help to make the article more complete and useful.
