Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-06-01
sIMPL|F|ED LESSONS N
CARE OF AUTOMOBILE
Expert Gucrriick Tells of the Uses
g and Problems of the Storage
IS Battery.
Different Questions Often Annoying
r. TO Machine Owners answered by
- Engineer i'm NontcChnical Terms
Readily Understood.
The storage Buttcry.

The capacity or let us say the
amount: OF curroni which can he stored
tamperc- hours. thus, there arc 40. 60.
50. 100. etc. ampere-hour patterns.
,iriied by tho number Of hours II flows,
being the ampcre hours. So CO.
amperc. hour battery can Weld am
mere for 90 hours, or aupcrcs for so
l.o ampercs for u hour. etc
Also, TO hrins Gompic,e,y dis,
ampcre current, tho battery must he
;connected 10 this charging current FOR
~ hours As it is customary 70 give
"a battery 10 per cent ovcrcharGc. it
would, III fact have ia 10 connected
dong enough to give 90 ampcrc hours.
IL Undcrs;andns the above will help
Non tell what tho condition OF the
battery OF your car rs. for en-
ample. a starting motor viii require
anywhere from i20 to 80 ampcres IN
order 10 crank the engine Assuming
tina; il requires a lS0-ampere current.
then a fully charged 6u-Hmpcrc hour
battery would be discharged COM
twenty minutes. Now, the charging
generator charges at about a G-ampere
rate. so that II would take 10 hours TO
charge this battery. Thus YOU sec il
takes about so minutes OF running to
send back tho same amount of cur
cent 10 a battery as Is taken oil, or
used in one minute OF use OF the motor.
and so there Will be no chsrsing y
battery Will also discharge slowly
when IDLE
s From the above YOU can sec that
Nhere the starter is much used and
battery will become discharged and
nave TO he recharsed a an outside
source; as. a charging station. II
your battery has tendency TO be
come discharged. reasoning from the
above Viii tell you If the dischargins
is natura! or Il something is wrong.
Testing tho Battery.
sulrhuric acid : much heavier than
pnuric acid and water ,aS the electro
lyte) viii he heavier than water. and
ne Ssss}sr rTGPGrti9p 81 Tsd 10 water
When the elsctrolyte is first poured
INTO the battery, much OF the sulphuric
scid will be absorved by the plates.
IN weight the proportion of acid 10
water 6eGomlns less As the battery
is thrown out of the plates and into
the clectrolyte again, thus making the
eiectro!yte heavier As the battery is
Here. then. is a way in which to
see ho" well charged the battery is.
The best way 10 Weigh the electro
LITE is b. means OF hydrometer.
This sr1 is aI glass tube made air sisnt,
the bottom. and having a scale Of
numbers in the top. Figure shows a
.ydroTeter.
The hydrometer IS SO weighed and
nroport!oned that when placed in pure
water II Will sink to such a depth as
20 have the top OF the water come TO
The 1000 mark on the scale. as figure
=. The very top is the 1000 mark OF
many hydromctcrs. II placed in
liquid heavier than water il Will not
sink SO far, and the number TO which
:he TOP OF the liquid comes will give
The weight OF the LIQUID a S compa red TO
the weight OF water Iaus the LIQUID in
tsure weighs Is as much as water
does
SO, then. to test battery 20 see
how the charge is, draw out some OF
the electrolyte and place into II
hEdrcmeter When the reading is
l.2'5 10 1900 battery IS fully
charged.
1850 nattery is 81 charged
l2lo battery is l2 charged
l,ls0 battery IS IA charged.
i,l20 battery is discharged
3 special hydrometer syringe with
which ;hc electrolyic can be dra wn gu;
Of the battery. and also containing the
hydrometer, can be purchased a, any
accessory store, and Will prove handy
device 20 have.
While YOU can test A battery OF dry
cells with Ar ammeter. YOU canno, do
this in the case of storage battery
In the first case the ampcrage is sell
dom over twcntr-tSro willis IN ,h1