Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-30
Storage Battery Not to Be
Treated Like Dry Cell

Not infrequently, motorists allow
their storage batteries to become al
most discharged and, in some cases,
nearly dry" says l.. S. Ellmire of the
local Prest- O-Lite battery service
station at Front Market Motor Sup
ply Company.
Too many motorists are apt to
treat the storage battery as they
would treat a dry cell-they have the
impression that there is nothing to
do but use the battery until it is eX-
hausted. Consequently they pay no
attention to it, as long as it does it's
work, with the result that by the
time 1t becomes imperative, the bat
terry is very seriously harmed.
1T should be remembered that dry
cells are not intended to be recharg-
ed or used again while storage bat
teries, by virtue of their electro che
mical nature, may be used continu-
ously throughout their life by re-
changing source of electric supply.
THE inside of a storage battery
consists of cells 81 which are sus-
pended plates of a chemical COM
position covered with a solution of
acid and distilled water.
The natural action of these chem
icals, through use of the battery, is
to combine-the acid of the solu-
tion combining with the material
of the plates. The battery is re-
charged by passing electric current
through it which reverses this ma
tural action by expelling the acid
from the plates or, in effect, separat-
ing the solution froIn the plates. At
ter the recharge, the chemicals i'm
mediately start combining again or
following their natural action. 1t is
this action which causes the battery
to give off electric current until the
action has ceased or the chemical
combinations has been affected.
In other words chemical compo-
sitions, which naturally combine,
are separated by electric current
from without and the action that
follows produces the current which
is obtained from the battery.
Thus, electric current is not
stored in a battery, but simply pass
ed through it to bring about a
chemical action. A battery is con-
stantly striving to gee back to its orr
gnal, or discharged, condition, and
since this action is continuous. il
slowly discharges itself even when
not in active use.
"A storage battery should never
be allowed to completely discharge
itself. 1t is considered discharged
''N'h hAiS cNAh SOidtiOil III lile Cells
kept to the proper level shows a
specific gravity test of 1.15O-which
means that most of the acid has
combined with the plates. At this
stage the battery may still sluggish
ly do its work, but it has about lost
its energy and the battery should be
Immediately recharged. If this is not
done, the plates, mo- longer being
able to resist the acid solution, will
begin to rapidly deteriorate and be-
come difficult, if not impossible, of
recharging.
Generators, furnished on most
automobiles, usually keep the bat
terry pretty we'll charged, but yari-
Gus things can happen to the bat
terry, as we'll as to the generator and
electrical system, which will even
tually drain it of current or cause
considerable trouble and expense.
1T is safest, therefoE, to have the
battery tested regularly by some bat
terry expert so that any irregulari-
ties in either the battery or electri-
cal system may be corrected before
they become serious.
THE testing service maintained at
our battery service station, at JO9
Marget street, is in the hands of *
perts and takes all the care of bat
teries off the hands of the many mo-
torlsts who are taking advantage of
it both to their comfort and financial
s aving."