How to Get the Most Out of Your Lawn Mower Battery
As Spring starts to arrive and the brown grass that is holding the soil together returns to life with twinges of green, keeping the grass under control this season starts to cross our minds.
But wait, will the mower start or is a battery replace needed again this year,
There are ways to help prevent this recurring story, here are some tips that will go a long way to extending the life of you Lawn & Garden batteries. A new lawn mower battery should last about three years. In order to achieve that it is important to perform some regular easy maintenance. Here are a few tips to help you get the longest life possible out of your battery.
Before any Battery Maintenance is undertaken ensure correct Personal Protective Gear is worn this should include Safety Glasses & Gloves.
Battery Fluid levels (Electrolyte)
Some flooded lawn mower batteries require you to occasionally add distilled or demineralised water to help maintain the electrolyte inside. This is because flooded batteries aren't completely sealed and lose water due to the chemical reaction and evaporation. If your battery has removable caps, you probably need to add water. If you have an AGM [Absorbed Glass Mat] or a fully sealed battery, you don't have to add water.
Keeping Lawn Mower Battery Charged
Much like our cars, a ride-on lawn mower has an alternator that recharges the battery while you run it. As long as you use your lawn mower or tractor regularly, your battery will stay charged up. Lawn mower batteries begin to discharge when they aren't used. When your battery sits for too long in an undercharged state, crystals will begin to form, this is called Sulphation on the battery's plates, lowering its ability to hold a charge. If you don't plan on using your ride-on mower or lawn tractor for a month or longer, or if you plan on storing it over the winter, you'll need to maintain the batteries charge using a battery charger.
How Do You Know What Battery Charger You Need?
Here are some things to keep in mind when selecting a battery charger for a ride-on lawn mower:
- Pick a charger that matches the voltage and chemistry of your battery.
- Modern chargers generally have the ability to control the voltage and current being provide to the battery from bulk to float charging, these maintenance chargers will look after the battery whilst it is not being used.
- The length of time it takes to recharge your battery will be determined by how deeply the battery is discharged along with the amperage of the battery charger you're using.
Terminals and the Most Common Cause of Battery Corrosion?
Ensure that the battery terminals are tight and there is no build-up of corrosion.
Lead acid batteries frequently vent sulfuric acid and hydrogen gas during use. These gasses react with the lead terminals and cables to produce a buildup of colourful material on the terminals called corrosion.
Corrosion harms a battery's performance by creating a poor connection and limiting the amount of power that can travel from the battery to the engine and from the charging system back into the battery. If you find corrosion on the terminals this can be cleaned of using a mixture of bi-carbonate soda and water and finished off with a brush, don’t forget to clean the inside of the cable connections as well. You can prevent the corrosion from returning by applying an anti-corrosive spray.
Where should you go if I need to replace the battery for your lawn mower or lawn tractor?
Battery World, with over 100 stores Australia Wide. Featuring top-quality lawn and garden batteries from trusted brands like Yuasa YardMaster, Century EverRide , and Drypower and a full range of Battery Maintenance Chargers to extend the life of your batteries.