It is getting to that time of year again, heading towards the end of the traditional Winter lighting season.
Having previously posted a blog suggesting tips on the best ways to look after your Lighting units after the Winter season, now with the emphasis focusing more and more on the Green benefits of all site equipment, we thought that this year we would like to offer some suggestions relating to the servicing and maintenance of the Battery packs as fitted in our Solar, Hybrid and Battery Lighting units, we hope you find them useful.
Care of AGM Batteries
Most of the Batteries used on the Trime range of Solar, Solar Hybrid, Hybrid and Battery lighting units are AGM (Absorbed Glass Matt) Batteries. These Batteries are Sealed, Maintenance free, Deep Cycle Batteries particularly suited for delivering power over a longer period of time rather than in short burst like a starter Battery. Although they are Maintenance Free there are some simple tips that will make the most of the power available and elongate the life span of the Battery.
- At regular intervals and at least one a year the Battery cover should be removed from the top of the AGM Batteries and all connections across the top of the Batteries should be cleaned and check for tightness. Most often battery problems are caused by loose or dirty connections.
- Battery retaining clamps and brackets should be checked that they are tight at regular intervals and at least once every year.
- Always recharge the Batteries as soon as possible after fully discharging them, this will happen automatically if the control system is left to monitor the Batteries in Auto mode on Hybrid or Solar Hybrid units or a Battery unit is plugged in to a power supply when it is returned from hire.
- Batteries should not be left in a discharged state for any longer than necessary, fully charged Batteries will have a longer life than Batteries that are left in a discharged or semi discharged state.
- If a machine is returned with low batteries after a hire, the Batteries should be allowed to fully recharge before the unit is placed in storage before the next hire.
- If a Hybrid, Solar Hybrid or Battery powered lighting tower is not going to be used again for an extended period the unit should be cycled at least once every two months, to do this the LED Lamps should be switched on to drain the Batteries and then once drained to their lower limit they should be fully recharged again, this will help prevent the Battery Sulphating and eventually loosing storage capacity, shortening the life of the AGM Battery.
At Trime, we have a team of lighting tower experts with plenty of experience to answer any questions you have about lighting towers.
