Common reasons for early life failure of lead acid batteries.
The integrity of any standby power system is reliant on the battery installed, if the battery is degraded then the system will not provide the necessary or expected back up power when required. This can be a serious issue for environments that are reliant on back up power from uninterruptible power supplies, and even critical when emergency lighting is considered. So what causes early life failure in VRLA battery systems and how can maximum service life be achieved? The following offers some of the main causes of life failure that should be understood.
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE.
Temperature is possibly the most common cause of life failure in lead acid battery systems, high ambient battery room temperature is a common issue that needs to be addressed within any battery installation environment. Most valve regulated lead acid battery manufacturers will specify a temperature range of 21 to 25 degrees celsius as necessary to achieve optimum service life. For an in depth look at how temperature affects lead acid battery life please refer to our previous blog post How Does Temperature Affect Lead Acid Batteries?.
OVER CHARGING.
Batteries that are exposed to over charging can experience excessive gassing, water consumption and grid corrosion causing the battery to fail in a very short amount of time. Sustained over charging can lead to destructive thermal runaway which can cause the battery to rupture and melt.
UNDER CHARGING.
Not allowing for the battery to return to its charged state will cause the battery to form sulfate on on its lead plates and seriously compromise the batteries performance. Continued undercharging will inevitably lead to failure of the battery altogether. To avoid incorrect charging it is always best to make sure you are using the correct type of charger, rated correctly to suit your battery type.
DELAYED RECHARGING.
For lead acid batteries, it is essential to recharge after use. This is because when a battery is discharge the electricity produced is created by the electrolyte converting to sulfate crystals on the plates of the battery. Initially this sulfate is soft and can be reconverted back to electrolyte when the battery is put on recharge. If this recharge is delated by any significant time period then the sulfate will harden and not convert back, this is known as battery sulfation.
EXCESSIVE CYCLING.
All lead acid batteries have a finite number of discharge and recharge cycles, how many cycles a battery system will provide is dependent on the type of battery chemistry being used (for example AGM or Gel) and the depth of discharge of each cycle. The deeper the discharge of each cycle then the less cycles the battery will be able to provide.
INCORRECT INSTALLATION.
For any battery system to operate properly it must first be correctly installed with careful handling and manufacturers installation instructions observed and followed. All manufacturers will issue manuals providing instruction for installation of batteries, it is important to ensure to carry out works using the information provided.
INCORRECT TORQUE.
When connecting batteries in series and parallel it is essential to use torque settings as advised by the manufacturer and make this common for each battery connection. Failure to do this can lead to batteries significantly under performing and charging becoming inefficient.
MANUFACTURING FAULTS.
Todays manufacturing processes are highly automated which has lead to genuine manufacturer faults becoming quite uncommon, however the types of deficiencies that can occur include faulty post seal design, paste irregularities (paste lumps causing shorts between plates), case weaknesses and internal connection issues.
MAINTENANCE.
Essential battery systems should be regularly checked and maintained to ensure integrity, this can include electrical measurements of each battery and environment observation to ensure ambient temperature, airflow and general battery room conditions are kept suitable and within the manufacturers recommended operating parameters.
We hope you have found the points of consideration raised within this blog article to be useful. As always, if there is any doubt of correct procedure please consult the manufacturers manual applicable to the battery type and range you are installing. The team at Blue Box Batteries are always available to provide this information upon request.