Inverter and inverter batteries are two major electrical appliances used across many households and commercial spaces. These power storage solutions are most useful in areas with frequent power outages or an irregular grid power supply.
Many parts of Nigeria face regular power outages and a general power shortage. So, an inverter with a battery is essential for every household to maintain steady electricity across the appliances used. So, it’s in the best of your interest that your inverter battery lasts long and runs trouble-free. And for optimum performance, you need to maintain your battery regularly.
Performing regular maintenance operations for your battery is not hard to keep up with if you know how to do it. But you should know what you are doing. As a leading battery manufacturer in Nigeria, we face many queries where people ask how to take care of their inverter battery best. Keeping that in mind, here we have rounded up a few tips to show how to take care of your inverter batteries so they last longer and continue to perform as they should.
1. Check the Battery When Fully Charged
Before performing a health check of your inverter battery, ensure it is fully charged. So, prior to examining, charge the battery for 10-15 hours with an inverter or an external charger. Also, you need to remove the battery from the front panel and the wall socket before you perform any checkups.
2. Install Your Battery in a Well Ventilated Area
Inverter batteries are heavy pieces of equipment, and for proper operation, you need to install them correctly. Install them in a well-ventilated area to make sure there is enough space around them to help dissipate the heat produced during their operation. It decreases the water topping requirement. To prevent any accident from occurring, make sure you do not keep any flammable materials near the battery. Also, take care not to expose the battery to moisture or water.
3. Store Your Battery in a Trolley
The water-acid mixture can come out a little when the battery is charging. This occurrence can cause damage to the surroundings. To prevent it from happening, you can keep the battery in a trolley for easy storage and transportation.
4. Check the Acid Level
Checking the acid level forms an integral part of maintaining an inverter battery. The acid levels in each cell must be equal for the proper working of the battery. To do that, take a look at the float indicators.
Now, open the float indicators and top the battery up with distilled water up to the specified limit if required. Do not fill the battery beyond the specified limit, as it could be dangerous for operations.
Next, test the acid color by opening the vent plugs/float indicators. A colorless acid shows the health of the battery is good. If the acid is brown/black in color, it shows that it needs replacement.
5. Keep the Battery Terminals Free From Corrosion
Inverter batteries produce lead sulfate, which can get deposited at the interconnection between the battery and inverter. Rusting in terminals reduces the current flow, due to which the battery might charge slowly, ultimately reducing battery life.
To prevent this from happening, you should clean the terminals with hot water + baking soda and use a toothbrush for cleaning. Once you clean the area, apply petroleum jelly on the terminals, nuts, and bolts to prevent future corrosion.
6. Keep the Battery Surface Clean
Any dirt or deposits on the battery surface can reduce its efficiency. So, take care to clean it on a regular basis with a dry cloth to ensure the smooth operation of the inverter battery.
7. Check the Water Level and Refill
A major mistake people make is not keeping the water at the required level, which is necessary for the smooth running of the battery. So, check the water level at least once every two months, and if you find the water level has decreased, top it up with distilled water. Remember always to use distilled water to fill the battery up. Never use tap water or water from other sources to fill, which can reduce battery life.
8. Never Tilt the Battery
As an inverter battery contains distilled water and acid, you should not tilt the battery. Doing that can leak water from the cell lid and damage metal and stone surfaces. So, ensure you keep the battery upright and do not give it any chance to spill its water on the floor.
9. Wear Insulated Clothes when Connecting
When you make the connections for the inverter battery, there are high chances of sparking. To avoid mishaps like shocks and short circuits, you should always wear insulated clothes and latex gloves when making the connections.
10. Use the Battery Power at Least Once Every Month
If you live in areas where there are frequent power cuts, you must be using your inverter battery to the fullest, which is good. Regular use of inverter batteries makes sure it runs as they should. However, if you are not using your inverter battery and suddenly, when you need it to run, it may show troubles and not run properly or not run at all. This occurs due to the underside of the battery, which can lead it to get into deep discharge. To prevent this, you need to run your inverter with battery at least once a year. Just turn off the mains and power your house with your inverter and battery setup.
11. Look for Damaged Wires
Damaged wires can reduce the efficacy of the inverter battery. It can reduce battery output and can raise the risk of short circuits and other dangers in your house. To prevent this occurrence, you should periodically check your battery wires for any crimp, break, or insulation melt.
Conclusion
These are a few ways you can maintain and extend your inverter battery life. Maintaining your inverter battery correctly will help it to run smoothly for a long time. And following the above tips will help you do just that. The tips presented above are tried and tested and have worked for many. So, there’s no reason they won’t work for you either.
If you are looking to buy an inverter battery in Lagos, you can always connect with Star Plus Battery for the best price and quality.