Thread Content
I. Precautions for installing the battery 1. The battery should be placed on a rubber or felt pad on its mounting frame, in order to reduce vibrations and prevent the active materials from falling off due to these vibrations, thus extending its service life. 2. The connection terminals must be secured tightly to the battery terminals, to avoid damaging them. 3. Before making the connections, identify the positive and negative poles of the battery first. For a locomotive equipped with two 6-volt batteries, they must first be connected in series before wiring them. 4. Do not place tools on the battery while making connections to prevent short circuits. 5. The ground wire should be installed last. Before installing it, rub it against the chassis. With the electrical equipment turned off, if sparks appear, it indicates a short circuit in the circuit; the fault must be resolved before making the connection. II. Keep the battery clean at all times: After a period of use, remove dust and dirt from the battery, wipe away the electrolyte on its top surface, and eliminate oxides from the terminals and wire connections. This can be done by using a cloth dipped in a dilute solution of sodium carbonate or ammonia. Ensure that the vents on the battery cover and the holes used for adding liquid are clear. Practice has shown that keeping the battery clean on a regular basis can extend its service life. III. Regularly check and top up the electrolyte. During use, the evaporation and consumption of water in the electrolyte cause its level to drop. Therefore, it is generally checked every 3–5 days in summer and every 10–15 days in winter. The liquid level in a single cell should be 10-15 millimeters above the electrodes. When it is insufficient, distilled water should be added. As long as the electrolyte does not leak, it is strictly prohibited to add dilute sulfuric acid to the already prepared electrolyte; otherwise, its specific gravity will gradually increase, affecting the battery’s service life. If the liquid level in all cells drops rapidly, it indicates that the charging current is too high; an inspection should be carried out promptly and the value adjusted to the specified level. If the liquid level in one or two individual cells drops rapidly during use, and there are no cracks in the sealing ports or the casing, this phenomenon is caused by plate sulfation or short circuits. After the single-cell plate sulfides or short-circuits due to plate damage, the temperature rises rapidly during charging; the electrolyte overheats, and water evaporates and decomposes quickly, resulting in a rapid drop in the liquid level. In such cases, it must be repaired before it can be used again. IV. Be vigilant at all times for signs of plate sulfation and short circuits. When the battery plates become sulfated, the voltage rises rapidly once charging begins; a large number of bubbles are generated within the battery. During charging, the specific gravity of the electrolyte does not increase much, but the temperature rises quickly. By the end of charging, the temperature is very high, yet the voltage decreases instead, and the capacitance **decreases**. After the plates short-circuit, the battery’s ability to supply a large amount of power is lost suddenly. This can be detected at the starter. Sometimes, liquid may spray out from the filler cap of a single cell in the battery. When the electrolyte is at rest, the specific gravity of the short-circuited cell is appropriate, but the voltage is very low or even “O”. During charging, its specific gravity and voltage do not increase much, but the temperature rises significantly