Trouble-Shooting And Avoiding Battery Degradation And Recognizing Problems; Section 1 - How To Avoid Battery Degradation; General Information And Precautions; Float Versus Cycle Life - C&D Technologies LIBERTY 1000 Series Installation And Operating Instructions Manual

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PART 3
TROUBLE-SHOOTING, AVOIDING BATTERY DEGRADATION AND
RECOGNIZING PROBLEMS

SECTION 1 - HOW TO AVOID BATTERY DEGRADATION

1.1 General Information and Precautions

Properly maintained and charged, Liberty Series 1000 batteries will
provide many years of trouble-free service. However, despite their
inherent dependability, failure to operate and maintain them correctly
can lead to damage, shortened service life or cause loss of service.
The following sections address some of the most frequently
encountered errors.

1.2 Float versus cycle life

Standby batteries are designed and constructed to provide long life in
continuous float service. They differ in their design from "cycling
batteries," such as "starting" or "traction" types. Standby batteries are
continuously charged at a comparatively low float voltage in parallel
with the load, ready to supply instantaneous dc power either directly to
the load or by way of interfacing electronics, such as an un-interruptible
power supply (UPS) system. The name "stationary" implies the battery
is usually permanently placed in a given location and not transferred
from place to place in its service life.
Standby battery calendar life is affected by and may be reduced by
repeated cycling. Depth of discharge, number of discharges, rate of
discharge, and the interval between discharges are some of the
determining factors in battery life. Cycling should therefore be kept
to a minimum.
To ensure that the battery will perform during power outages and other
emergencies, it is strongly recommended that testing be kept to a
minimum in accordance with the following practices:
• The performance of an initial acceptance test not to exceed user's
originally specified system reserve time.
• A full-load service test should be performed not more than once
every 12 months to verify battery capacity at user's originally
specified discharge rate.
• A monthly transfer test not to exceed 30 seconds of battery
discharge time at user's originally specified discharge rate to verify
system load transfer and electrical system performance. The time
that is required to synchronize the UPS system and return to rectifier
power must be taken into account when calculating total discharge
time.
The user is expected to maintain complete records of all battery
testing and emergency discharges in order to comply with the
requirements of the warranty.