Bill Darden

Top Ten Starting Battery Tips

1. Wear glasses when working with a battery, because it might
explode.

2. Keep your non-sealed battery properly filled with distilled water
and the top clean. The plates must be covered at all times.

3. To prevent permanent sulfation when not in use and especially in
hot weather, keep your battery continuously connected to a "smart" or
maintenance charger or recharge your battery at least one per week.
Cheap unregulated "trickle" chargers will kill your battery.

4. In hot climates, keep your battery as cool as possible and
non-sealed Low Maintenance or sealed AGM batteries are recommended.

5. When buying a replacement battery, be sure it matches your
charging system & Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) requirements, physically
fits, and is fresh.

6. Keep the battery cable mating surfaces and terminals free from
corrosion.

7. Avoid a deep discharge of your battery. This could kill it.

8. For longer battery life, do not add acid or additives and keep
your battery securely fastened.

9. Use chargers (or settings) that will recharge batteries over eight
to ten hours.

10. Thaw out a frozen battery before attempting to jump or recharge
it and always jump batteries positive-to-positive and
negative-to-negative. For negative grounded electrical systems, the
last negative connection should be to the frame or engine block away
from the battery.

For additional battery information, please go to
http://www.batteryfaq.org.