ACCUMULATORS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 937, 2 April 1930, Page 7

ACCUMULATORS

CONSTANT CARE NECESSARY KEEP THEM WELL CHARGED Take care of your filament accumulator and the pounds will take care of themselves. Unlike a dry battery, an accumulator is a fickle, wayward thing that likes to be cherished. Provided a little care is taken, an average accumulator will give faithful service for five or six years, or even longer. There is no better method of obtaining current to heat the filament of a valve, apart, of course, from special A.C. valves, which use an indirect method of heating. Even then, except for its wastefulness, an accumulator would do the job as w£ll. An accumulator must never be left discharged. It will ruin it. The level of the acid must not be allowed to fall below the level of the plates, and specific gravity should be checked with a hydrometer at least once a month. Above all, do not discharge it at a rate greater than that for which it is designed. Generally this works out in amperes at about one-tenth of the ampere hour capacity of the accumulator. Whether you use your accumulator or not, it likes to be charged at least once a month if sulphation troubles, a sort of “tuberculosis” of its plates, are to be avoided. But the best way is to use your' accumulator regularly and charge it regularly. The surest way to destroy your accumulator is to short circuit it by flicking a wire across its terminals to see if it has any “pep” left in it. Use a voltmeter when the accumulator is on load. Another sure way is to charge it at a rate higher than the makers state. In some cases owners have to leave this part of the job to the tender mercies of a charging station. Go to a good one, but, better still, buy a small charger of the metal oxide type that runs off the mains. These take up little more room than the accumulator itself. They contain no messy liquids and as soon as you switch off they can be switched on and charge up the accumulator at a slow rate overnight ready for next time. Besides, they permit quite a small accumulator to be used, as it will never be necessary for it to give long periods of service without expecting a charge. Every year give your accumulator fresh acid and do not let acid spray seep all over its outside. It is bad for the battery, bad for your clothes, the carpet and your receiver. Wipe off this acid with a wet rag.