Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-08-24
BATTERY BLAMED
when the FAULT
IS ELSEWHERE
Driver Frequently Responsible
for Failure of Battery to
Remain Charged.

Tor FaIlufe OF Battery to
Remain Charged.
Quite often the battery is uniustlv
blamed for failing to keep charged,
when the actual cause is a lack Of
charging current. There are many
cars equipped merely with charging
indicators, which do not show how
much current is being furnished the
battery and some cars do not even
have this instrument. In such cases
it is not known at what rate the bat
terry is charging and it may be that
the rate is much less than it should
i be, under which circumstances the
! battery is not at fault if it does not
keep charged. A rule very generally
given out by the battery manufac-
turers is that, at a speed of Is miles
per hour, on high gear, the genera
tor should furnish the battery with
as many amperes of current as all the
lamps consume when burning I'M
dimmed. This lamp load in amperes
is unfortunately equal to one-sixth
of the total rated candle power in
use in volt system. For example,
car with two 81 C. P. headlights
and instrument and tail lamps of 2
c. P. or a total of SO C. P. has lamp
| load of 9 or 10 amperes In order
to fulfill the above rule, the genera
tor should furnish or 10 amperes
at Is mile per hour engine speed.
If an ammeter is installed this is very
readily checked up, but if there is
only charging Indicator, it is neces-
sary to connect regular ammeter in
| it's place temporarily and measure
the charging current when the engine
is at a speed corresponding with Is
miles per hour. In the case of bat
terry, which is in good condition but
| fails to keep charged, it is only reas-
enable to make sure that it is receiv-
! ing charging current at sufficient
rate. The rule here given is a very
liberal one and results in overcharg-
ing when applied to some cars. Many
motorists think that it is the starter
rather than the lights which dis
charges battery, but in normal use,
this is not the case. The starter
draws an enormous current, but it
should not be in action more than
| five seconds at each operation and
this would be the equivalent of less
lights. An hours use of all lights
would equal in current. consumption,
nearly thirty normal starting opera
tions, but, of course, would have much
less severe effects upon the battery
The unnecessary use of lights ac-
counts for many failures to keep bat
teries charged. for the lamp load is a
long continued heavy drag"
Battery Maintenance Details
Distilled water, bought at drug
store or garage, is not necessary for
refilling a storage battery Rain
water, caught in glass, crockery or
other non-metallic receptacles and
kept in clean, stoppered bottles is
equally good and is in fact, distilled
water. The receptacles may be ex-
posed in the open or, for quicker re-
suits, under the caves of a roof, after
this has been washed clean by the
rain, but it is we'll not to collect it
from metal roofs or through metal
conductors. The water should be
filtered through a clean, fine cloth
to remove dust particles. Artificial
ice melted in a non-metallic dish is
also suitable for battery use. For
refining cells hydrometer syringe
is we'll worth it's cost, as it enables
the water to be put in without slop-
ping or overlooking and, if too much
| is supplied, and any excess to be
readily removed. Cells should never
be filled above the recommended
level, which is usually the lower edge
of the filling plug, or stopping and
boiling over may occur. 1t should be
remembered, that cell that is being
overcharged gases so freely that the
electrolyte foams and it's level rises,
so that if overfill;ng has; occurred the
liquid runs over. Acid is then lost,
the electrolyte is. weakened, the out
put of the cell is reduced and the
spilled acid attacks the wood or
metal, which it reaches rotting the
former and eating through the latter.
Electrolyte spilled over the surface
of battery not only may form a con-
Quoting path, by which current
escapes, but it forms a capillary film,
through the action of which more acid
may escape from the cells. If the
top of the battery is wiped dry, there
is no tendency for the electrolyte to
creep" out In case the gravity OF
cells is to be tested, this should be
done before thew are refilled as it
takes sometime for pure water thor
oughly to mix with the acid solution
and this may make the hydrometer
readings misleading. The mainten-
ance of battery at temperature OF
over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, for long
periods of time, tends seriously to
shorten it's life. 1t may become over
heated by hot air from the engine
but continued oyercharging is the
most common cause. It. is a COCO
thing to test the temperature of the
liquid, with a thermometer, afte,
rather long drive and if it is founc
much above the danger point, to con
slider a reduction of the charging