Vetus EP2200E Manual De Operación página 34

4 Maintenance
• Keep the batteries clean and dry. Cleaning
is best done with a slightly damp cloth or
sponge.
• Disconnect the battery cables during main-
tenance (remove the negative (-) earth ca-
ble first).
• Lubricate the battery terminals with acid-
free Vaseline. Clean corroded battery termi-
nals with warm caustic soda solution (rinse
thoroughly!).
• Take care that the battery terminals make
good contact after fitting. Tighten the bolts
finger tight only.
• Check that all connectors and cables are fit-
ted properly; loose connections can cause
problems, and even a danger of explosion
under certain conditions. When the batter-
ies are not going to be used for some time
(holiday - winter lay-up - repairs) ensure
that the batteries are fully charged. When
not used for a long period, recharge the
batteries every 3 months.
• When the battery voltage is 24.8 Volts or
less when not operational, charge immedi-
ately.
32
3 Check electrolyte level
• The electrolyte is a mixture of chemically-
pure sulphuric acid and pure water. During
charging, the water alone can partially de-
compose and escape as gas.
• So top up only with distilled or chemically
purified water.
• The correct filling level; after topping up
and/or charging, is about 15 mm above the
plates. Check this level regularly and top
up as required using a clean funnel. Over-
filling can cause 'boiling' when charging,
Batteries, cables and connections
Every 25 operating hours or monthly.
causing acid loss and current leakage. Spe-
cific gravity measurements made shortly
after topping-up give a false reading, the
topping-up water should be well mixed by
charging.