Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1921-08-26
cts POINTING
81 DAD DlTTE2Y
fr-,t al Hints on What to Do
10 Get Lorg Life and Good
Service From Juice Box.
wABLVaG WILL &c Adequate
;. or Ia Run Much at Night Current
NAV Not Be Standardization
charqing System Fails Have
II Attended to.

cooner or later your electrical
.rstem will fail to charge the battery.
when that happens your engine win
horin 70 miss explosions and shortly
oftor will refuse to run. Before this
oo,omity overtakes you there will he
rlontv of warning. The lights will go
son,n more than usual when the
s,ortor Is used. They will brighten
nban YOU speed up the engine and
rrow dim when you slow down. These
stems point to weak battery and
should not be disregarded. If you
hive been obServant you will have
noticed that the ammeter registered
,ow charging rate. This indicates that
tho generator is not charging as it
ehould. But the fault may be in the
driver and not in the generator at all
If the starter or the lights are used too
murh the current will be drawn from
tbp battery faster than 1t Is being
charged. So note that your battery
rets the proper balance. If the car
Is rim much at night the battery may
NOT receive enough current. Run the
engine more during the daytime, so
as TO replace the current that has been
drawn from 1t,
When Charging System Fails.
IF the charging system has failed
due to some defect, have it attended
TO at a service station, and have the
battery charged Immediately. Some
owners prefer to charge their own
batteries from the lighting system in
the house This is a practical method
and one that will grow, especially
where service stations are not avail
able
Special apparatus is required. hut
II is not expensive. 1t may be con-
nected to any lamp socket using 10
volt current This may be direct or
alternating the apparatus differing
according to which current Is used.
For direct current q rheOstat is EN-
plOyed which brings the current down
to the right amperes, usually ten
amperes for the average battery
used on starting and lighting system.
For alternating current q rectifier
must be used to give direct current
and TO give the right amperage. The
positive of the battery must be con
nected to the positive lead from the
apparatus and the negative Of battery
to the negative lead. This runs the
charging current into the positive of
the battery, reversing the chemical
composition of the plates. Then when
the change is complete, charging is
stopped and the current may he drawn
from the positive in the usual manner
Prepare for Charging.
Before charging you must see that
the eectrolyte covers the plates. Moth
ing but distilled r'ater should ever be
added for this purpose and then only
after the battery is charged. The cleo
troIyte should cover the plates at least
quarter of an inch at all times. Hav-
ing Inspected and corrected this condi-
uon the filing caps should be re-
moved to allow the gas to escape.
Then adjust the amperage according
10 the capacity Of the battery A
discharged battery should start charg-
ing at one-tenth capacity. Thus a JOG
ampere-hour battery should start at
zen amperes; a sixty ampere-hour at
nix 8mperes. In an hour or so the
hydrogen gas will start to come off
very freely. This is known as gassing
m ooIlng. When it gases freely you
ul'ninlSh the charging rate one or two
mlpefes. The battery will be fully
charged when the electrolyte reads
''ll' TO 1900 on the hydrometer. This
WI, 'aRe about ten hours. The volt
meler reading will be about seven
.o,tS, but the hydrometer test is more
satisfactory.