Forklift Battery
Maintenance Guide
Forklift batteries can be costly and Forklift Battery Charging
properly maintaining your forklift Stick to a protocol for charging your forklift truck battery. Since batteries have
battery can save you thousands. a finite number of cycles, charging based on convenience instead of sticking to
a schedule can potentially shorten the battery’s life. The general rule of thumb
Educating operators on some of
is to recharge the battery after an eight-hour shift or when it is more than
the basics of electric forklift battery 30% discharged. If you charge too frequently when it is not more than 30%
maintenance will help extend battery discharged, you will shorten the battery life. Follow these best practices for
life, improve performance, and charging batteries:
increase the lifespan of your forklift. • If possible, let the forklift battery charge completely once you’ve started to
charge it. Cutting a charging cycle short can also be harmful to the battery’s
longevity. Be sure to recharge the battery once every day fully.
• Don’t let a discharged battery sit for too long–not more than a few hours
to one day. By doing so, you increase the likelihood that hard sulfation will
develop, which will reduce the run time and life of the battery.
• Don’t over discharge your forklift battery. If you discharge beyond 80%, you’ll
be doing long-term, irreparable damage to the battery and significantly
shorten the battery life.
• Be aware of battery temperature when charging. Excessive heat will shorten
battery life by half. Keep the forklift battery as close to 25°C as is practical.
Charging a cold battery around 15°C or less requires extra time, as well
as temperature compensation on the battery charger to achieve proper
charge voltages.
© 2017 by MCFA. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Check and Maintain
Battery Fluid Levels
Having the right amount of water in your battery is critical for
it to function to its full capacity. Have a schedule to check the
fluid level of your forklift batteries–approximately every five
charging cycles is ideal. Check several cells to see if there’s
enough water to cover the separator plates. If it’s not obvious
from inspecting two or three, proceed to check all the cells.
If necessary, top off the fluid.
Typically, forklift batteries will need to be topped off every ten
charges if they’re brand new. The battery should be filled to
cover the separator plates. Batteries should only be topped off
Forklift Charging Stations when they are fully charged. It’s also important not to overfill
the battery as there needs to be some additional space to
In addition to these electric forklift battery maintenance tips,
for safety purposes, it’s also highly recommended that a account for expansion when the forklift battery is in use.
facility is set up with a designated battery charging area.
This area should have clear signage, available water supply
for eye washing, ventilation, a fire extinguisher, and a phone
in case of emergencies. Additionally, these other safety
precautions are recommended:
• Prohibit smoking near the designated battery changing area.
• Avoid wearing metallic jewelry while recharging batteries.
• Use appropriate handling equipment for lifting and moving
heavy batteries.
• Wear appropriate protective equipment (safety goggles,
gloves, apron, and/or face shield).
• Position forklifts appropriately and apply brakes before
charging or changing batteries.
• For batteries with sealed vents, do not recharge with a
current greater than 25 amperes. Water used in batteries should fall between 5 and 7 on the
• If the battery becomes hot or electrolyte fluid begins leaking pH scale and within the battery’s recommended levels for
from the vents, turn off the charger. When the battery has impurities. Check the documentation on your forklift battery
cooled, restart at a lower charging rate. for specifics on the allowed limits of water impurities.
• Keep accurate records of battery watering, cleaning, Distilled water is preferred.
inspections, and other maintenance.
• Recycle or follow specified local procedures for battery Each month you should take a gravity reading of all of the
disposal as they contain hazardous waste. battery’s cells with a hydrometer after a charge. Fully charged,
standard forklift batteries typically have an ideal specific
gravity of 1.285. Check your battery’s specifications for the exact
number for your model.
© 2017 by MCFA. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Keep Your Forklift Battery
At A Safe Temperature
Often forklifts are used in extreme environments, and
temperature has a direct effect on the life of a battery. The
design life of the battery is based on an average annual
temperature of 25°C (77°F). As the temperature increases above
25°C (77°F), the life of the battery decreases. The chart below
shows the effects of temperature.
Maximum Annual
Maximum Battery Percent Reduction
Average Battery
Temperature In Battery Life
Temperature
25°C (77°F) 50°C (122°F) 0%
30°C (86°F) 50°C (122°F) 30%
Cleaning Your Forklift Battery
35°C (95°F) 50°C (122°F) 50% Cleaning the top of the forklift batteries with battery cleaner or
40°C (104°F) 50°C (122°F) 66% warm water is not only a good maintenance practice, it is also
45°C (113°F) 50°C (122°F) 75% required on some batteries to maintain the warranty. Check
50°C (122°F) 50°C (122°F) 83% your warranty documentation just to be sure. We suggest a
monthly cleaning even if it’s not required by your warranty to
For example: If a battery has a design life of 10 years at 25°C help avoid build-up, which can cause tray corrosion, faster self-
(77°F), but the actual annual average battery temperature is discharge and possibly even impact the forklift’s electronics.
35°C (95°F), the projected life of the battery is calculated to Review the safety procedures listed above when preparing to
be only 5 years [10 years - (10 years x 0.50) = 5 years]. It is clean a battery.
important to maintain the battery temperature as close to 25°C
(77°C) to achieve the optimum service life from your battery. Additional Resources
• OSHA’s Forklift Page
Exide Technologies. Section 95.10 2012-07 Relay Gel I&O Manual: Page 10. • Battery University’s “What is Equalizing Charge?”
• MCFA’s Spring Forklift Maintenance Checklist
Equalizing
Some batteries require equalizing, and if so, they will often
have an equalizing setting on their charger. What is equalizing
a battery? At its core, equalizing a battery means that you are
overcharging it to remove sulfate crystals that have built up on
the plates. Sulfation, as mentioned in the charging section of
this article, can shorten the battery’s life. Equalizing a battery
also reverses acid stratification, which occurs when the acid
concentration at the bottom of the battery is greater than that
at the top. Not every forklift battery requires equalizing, so
check the specifications on your battery before adding this to
your forklift battery maintenance routine. For wet cell batteries,
these should be equalized about once per week. Do not
equalize more than the recommended frequency per operating
procedures. More is not necessarily better!
© 2017 by MCFA. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
