Inverter Battery Maintenance Tips: How to Get the Most Out of Your Inverter Battery

 

 In today's fast-paced world, where our dependence on electronic devices is ever-growing, inverter batteries play a crucial role in ensuring an uninterrupted power supply during outages. These batteries are the backbone of inverters and are expected to deliver optimal performance for an extended period. The longevity of your inverter is significantly influenced by the quality of your battery and how well you maintain it. While regular maintenance may not be necessary, timely and effective maintenance is a must. Neglecting your inverter battery can lead to reduced performance and a shorter lifespan. 

 

Corrosion and Rust Prevention

Corrosion and rust in the battery terminals can hinder the flow of current to and from the battery. This restricted current flow leads to slower battery charging, decreased battery life, and ultimately affects the backup power of your inverter. To combat corrosion and rust, you can use a solution of hot water and baking soda on the affected areas or use a toothbrush to clean them. Additionally, storing your battery in a dry place and applying petroleum jelly to the terminals can help prevent these issues.

 

Regular Use of the Battery

Using your inverter battery regularly is essential to maintain its optimal performance. Even if you rarely experience power cuts, it's advisable to discharge the battery completely once a month and then recharge it. Properly charging the inverter battery is crucial to preserve its backup capacity.

 

Proper Ventilation and Temperature Control

Inverter batteries tend to heat up during charging and operation. To mitigate this, it's important to install your inverter in a well-ventilated area with a cool temperature. Keeping the battery's surface and sides clean and free of dust can also help maintain a suitable operating temperature.

 

Regular Water Level Checks

Regularly check the water level in your battery, typically every two months. Ensure that the water level is within the recommended range, and top up the battery with distilled water. Using tap water or rainwater is not advisable as they often contain minerals and impurities that can harm the battery's performance and longevity.

 

Battery Replacement

Over time, tubular batteries lose their designated capacity, leading to reduced backup power. If your inverter batteries are worn out, it's crucial to replace them. Invest in high-quality batteries that offer both longevity and a guarantee of the correct charge storage capacity. Avoid inferior-quality batteries, as they tend to fail prematurely and do not provide sufficient backup.

 

Protection from Thermal Environments

To extend your battery's capacity and prevent potential disasters, it's essential to keep it away from sources of heat and smoke. This will help safeguard the battery and prevent it from overheating or exploding.

 

Load Capacity Management

It's crucial not to exceed the load capacity of your inverter. Overloading it with more devices than it was designed to handle can drain the batteries faster, resulting in a shorter backup period. Therefore, it's important to manage the loads connected to the inverter during power failures and disconnect any unnecessary devices.

 

Avoid Complete Battery Drain

Frequently allowing the battery to drain completely before recharging can damage the battery cells and reduce its lifespan. To maintain the health of your inverter battery, avoid letting it discharge to a critical extent and recharge it in a timely manner.

 

Choose Energy-Saving Devices

Using energy-efficient devices can significantly reduce power consumption from your inverter batteries. For example, switching from traditional incandescent bulbs to energy-efficient CFL or LED bulbs can save up to 75% of energy. Similarly, selecting appliances with better energy efficiency, like ceiling fans with high-quality copper wiring, will put less strain on your inverter and extend the tubular inverter battery's backup.

 

Conclusion

An inverter battery keeps our lives running smoothly during power outages. To ensure that they continue to perform the way they should and have a long lifespan, it's imperative to follow these maintenance tips. From preventing corrosion to proper ventilation and load management, each of these steps contributes to the efficiency and longevity of your inverter battery. By implementing these practices, you can enjoy uninterrupted power and peace of mind. Remember that the key to a longer inverter battery life lies in timely and effective maintenance.

 

How to Check the Health of an Inverter Battery

 

Inverters and inverter batteries are used in various applications to keep the power running when there are power issues like an outage. When the inverter battery stops performing the way it should, it drains the device’s power. It may also unnecessarily harm your device. So, knowing that your inverter battery is performing correctly is paramount. That way, you can determine if there is a fault in it and take the necessary steps to correct it. 

Thus, periodically checking the health of the battery is essential, and here is how to do it. There are different types of inverter battery, but the method for checking their health primarily consists of these eight steps. 

1. Charge the Battery Fully

First, charge the inverter battery fully to ensure that it doesn’t discharge during the check. This forms the first step to checking the health of your inverter battery. Use a charger to deliver a full charging current for 24 hours. This will make sure any fluctuations due to short circuit is resolved entirely.

2. Unplug the Battery

After the battery has been fully charged, disconnect it from the inverter and check for irregularities. Make sure the battery is free from any load connected to it. Also, it’s crucial to ensure that both positive and negative loads are disconnected to avoid accidental reverse polarities arising. 

3. Check if the Terminals are Clean

Check if the battery terminals are clean. Check for any dirt or grime on the battery terminals. If you find any, clean them with a clean and dry cloth. Clean terminals are important to make sure there is proper contact with the meter, which will lead to proper reading. A secure connection is vital to avoid discrepancies in the preliminary test. 

There are different types of inverter battery, but the terminals must be kept clean at all times. 

4. Check Acid Levels

A battery with good health has an optimum acid level in it. For a sealed lead acid battery, you can use a special meter to check the acid levels in different cells. This will help you determine any leaks or damage to the electrolyte solution inside these batteries. It also helps determine how much charge is left in the batteries for future use. 

5. Assess the Acid Color

Once you have checked the acid levels, you now have to check the acid color. You can use special test strips available in different colors showing different pH levels. The acid color and density should also be visually checked. The denser and darker the color, the higher the acid content. A battery with good health has a colorless acid. 

6. Check Voltage and Specific Gravity 

Inverter batteries are charged using a charger. A loss in capacity can be determined by verifying the voltage and specific gravity of the battery. Charge your 220Ah tubular battery fully and use an electronic meter to check the voltage and see if the voltage fluctuations are consistent. Too many changes in voltage can cause problems with the battery. The fluctuations in the specific gravity should also show consistent readings. It should not vary too much. 

7. Check for Faulty Connections

Sometimes, the terminal connections of a battery can become loose or disconnected and cause issues. To check, apply a low load current to the battery. If your 12v 220Ah tubular battery remains functional after this test, it is likely a connection is loose. 

It can happen that some components have been exposed to water or direct sunlight, causing corrosion at the terminals. Any component coming in contact with it also gets corroded, and in such cases where the connections are weak, they will not be able to carry as much current as they usually do. 

The excessive heat produced during charging and discharging may even damage the battery, leading to subsequent failure. 

8. Check the Surface for any Dust 

Check the surface of the battery for any cracks or damaged areas. Any impact or shock to the battery may damage the internal components and make it useless. 

Conclusion

It is important to make sure that your inverter battery functions optimally so that your inverter and appliances continue to function properly. That’s why checking your battery is important. Follow the above steps to check your battery health and ensure it’s running the way it should.