New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-02
Battery Care
Is More Than
Half Prevention
Look to Electrical System
When You Get the First
Warnings; How to Tell
Trouble Is Approaching
BY WILLIAM II. STEWART, JR..
President of the Stewart Automobil
School.


President of the Stewart Automobile
School,
Soon or later your electrical system
will fail to charge the battery. When
that happens your engine will begin to
miss explosions, and shortly after will
refuse TO run. Before this calamity
overtakes you there will be plenty 6f
warning.
The lights will go down more than
usual when the starter is used. They
will brighten when you speed up the
engine and grow dim when you slow
down These signs point to a weak
battery and should not be disregarded
II you have been obscrvant you will
have noticed that the ammeter regis
tered low charging rate. This indi-
Gates that the generator is not charg-
ing rs it should
But the fault may be in the driver
and not in the generator at all. If
the starter or the lights are used too
much the current will be drawn from
the battery faster than it is being
charged. So note that your battery
gets the proper balance. IL the car is
run much at night the battery may not
receive enough current. Run the en-
CINE more during the day time, so as
to replace the current that has been
drawn from it,
If the charging system has failed
due to some defect, have it attended to
at service station and have the bat
terry charged Immediately. Some own
ers prefer to charge tAeir own bat
terics from the lighting system in the
house. This is a practical method and
enc that Will grow, especially where
service stations are not available.
Special apparatus is required, but it
is not expensive. 1t may be connected
to any lamp socket using 110-volt cur
rent. This may be direct or alternat-
ing, the apparatus differing according
to which current is used. For direct
current a rheostat is employed, which
brings the current down to the right
amperage, usually 10 amperes for the
average battery used on starting and
lighting system.
For alternating current a rectiher
must be used to give direct current
and to give the right amperagc. The
positive of the battery must be con-
nccted to the positive lead from the
apparatus and the negative of the bat
terry to the negative lead. This runs
the charging current into the positive
OF the battery, reversing the chemical
| NN"'PooiViVh VI tlc pldltS. men Wncn
the change is complete charging is
stopped and the current may be drawn
from the positive in the usual manner.
Before charging you must see that
the electrolyte covers the plates. Moth
ing but distilled water should ever be
added Tor this purpose, and then only
after the battery is charged. The cleo
trolyte should cover the plates at least
quarter of an inch at all times Hav-
ing inspected and corrected this con-
dition, the filing caps should be re
moved to allow the gas to escape.
Then adjust the amperage according to
the capacity Of the battery
A discharged battery should start
charging at one-tenth capacity. Thus
II l00-ampero hour battery should start
at 10 ampercs; a 60 ampcrc hour at
ampcres In an hour or so the hv-
drogcn gas will start to come off very
freely. This is known as gasHng or
boiling. When it gases freely you d.
mInIsh the charging rate one or two
amperes. The battery will be fully
charged when the electrolyte reads
l.27b to 1000 or the hydrometer. This
viii take about ten hours.
The voltmetcr reading will be about
Z V, blu! the hydromcter test is more
satisfactory. If the voltmctcr reads
Z V, but the electrolytc is low. it shows
some acid has been spilled. This
should be replaced. but only enough to
nrlng the eicctrolyte to $500
Even though an operator does not
intend to charge his battery off the car.
he should understand the process. be-
cause it will enable him to take bette r
care OF the battery in service.