The New York herald., 1921-01-16
WINTER HARD ON
STORAGE BATTERY
Requires More Charging Be-
cause Of Greater Use in
Cold Months.
ny II. cLIFFoRp pRoKAw.

Technical Director West side Y. NJ. c. A.
Automobile Schools
How does you battery bat? Is it a
Babe Ruth that has no trouble in making
home runs or is 1t down below the 300
mark? Does it fall down occasionally
when you want to start the motor? DO
lights go out or burn dim at times? Is
the ignition intermittent? There are
some things the driver should know about
the care Of the battery especially in
cold weather. IL he is to have efficient
service from it,
The storage battery in the automobile
usually consists of three cells in which
are two sets OF plates, kept Gpart by
wooden or rubber separators. one set OF
plates known as the positive group and
the other as the negative. These plates
are made in the form OF a gridiron. the
grids of the positive group being filed
with peroxide of lead. which is dark
brown or reddish brown color; the grids
of the negative plates are filled with
spongy lead. which is duh gray.
The positive plates of each cell are
grouped by connectors and the cell
groups are likewise connected. The same
is true Of the negative plates. An
electrolite, composed usually of a 20
per cent. solution OF sulphuric acid and
distilled water. fills the cell to the top
of the plates There is not particle
of electricity in the whole thing. 1t does
not store electricity and the name
storage battery is a misnomer. The
l., al ba
positive and negative terminals are con-
nected by wire or otherwise chemical
action is set up and electricity Is one of
the products of this chemical action.
This. however, Is only done when the
battery is charged"
Charging and Discharging.
To charge a batto<y an electric cur
rent is passed through. which creates
Il chemical reaction, changing the char
acter Of the plates. NO electricity Is
produced in this process. but when the
terminals are connected either to the
lighting wires, the ignition, or the
starting motor. the discharging process
begins. that is. the chemical process is
reversed and in the chemical reaction
of this reverse process electricity Is pro-
duced This process is continually GO
fact, battery will run down or dis
charge from lack of use, and If 1t is not
continuously being charged by the gen.
orator while the car is operated it viii
soon run down so that there will not
be enough current for the starting mo-
tor or for ignition and lights. This
means that care must be taken to see
that the generator is furnishing enough
current to the battery to keep 1t charged
At this time of the year there Is
great danger that the battery will be
starved. Many generators have an ad-
justment for winter driving and the
owner should see that the adjustment
is made. The battery should likewise
be tested at least every two weeks in
winter to see that it is up TO the
mark in efficiency. The best way to
make the test Is with a hydrometer.
Full directions how to use it comes with
each instrument.
4. The electrolite must be kept above
the top OF the plates at all times.
This Is done by adding distilled waite u
In the summer time this should be done
every week and in winter time at least
every two weeks.