THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAINTENANCE FREE & MAINTENANCE FREE ACCESSIBLE BATTERIESMaintenance Free vs. Maintenance Free Accessible Batteries This document was created to help answer the most common questions about the difference between Maintenance Free Accessible Batteries and Maintenance Free Batteries | ee The ratings for Cat® 4D and 8D batteties are among the highest in the industry. They are designed to exceed the performance demands of Caterpillars hard working equipment. Cat batteries are designed and built to survive the toughest abuse and perform in the harshest environments and temperatures. They provide maximum performance and long life making them the best value. Cat batteries supply surge currents to the starter motor, enabling engine start-up. These batteries are ‘wet cell” or ‘flooded’ lead-acid batteries, which utilize @ chemical reaction between lead electrodes, sulfuric acid and water solution (electrolyte) to create power. Although all of the Cat batteries are ‘wet cell’ or ‘flooded’ batteries, they can be either wet-charged or dry-charged, meaning the electrolyte solution can be included or excluded in the battery when it is shipped. ‘The main advantage of dry-charaed lead-acid batteries is shel-lfe (dry-charged lead-acid batteries stil require the addition of an electrolyte solution prior to use). Dry-charged batteries have a longer shelf life prior to usage over wet-charged lead acid batteries (and thus are more applicable in the aftermarket). Advantages of wet-charged batteries over dry-charged batteries include: higher CCA ratings which result in greater engine cranking performance, higher reserve capacity ratings which means greater/longer energy capability: and finally, the elimination of the cost of adding electrolyte for activation, Battery Construction Each 12V battery has six cells; with @ number of negative and positive plates/grids within each cell, These grids are made of lead and are used as the supporting framework for the lead alloy active material/paste to stick on. ‘The grids are identified as plates once the active material/paste is applied. A pure lead grid is not strong by itself to stand vertically while supporting the active paste thus alloys are added to harden, strengthen and stiffen the soft lead. This is necessary so the grids can be handled during the battery manufacturing process without bending or cause other damage, PEHVO328-01 1 DEALER USE ONLYTraditionally the hardener has been antimony therefore these grids are sometimes called lead-antimony. The use of antimony has decreased over the years because antimony increases the battery's susceptibility to overcharge and gassing. Battery designs which use antimony are called: ‘© Maintenance Batteries (antimony in positive and negative grids) © Low Maintenance or ‘Hybrid’ Batteries (antimony in positive grid and calcium in negative grid) Today almost all batteries uses calcium to harden the grids therefore called lead-calcium grid construction. Lead- calcium batteries produce less gassing in comparison to traditional lead-antimony batteries; therefore, it Is sometimes labeled as "Maintenance Free’. MATERIAL ADDED TO LEAD GRID Grid Battery Type Positive Negative Maintenance Antimony Antimony Low Maintenance (Hybrid) Antimony Calcium Maintenance Free Calcium calcium Tho benefits of Cat Maintenance Free accessible batteries compared to Cat Maintenance and Low Maintenance (Hybrid) batteries are: * Longer shelf life due to a low discharge rate © Longer useful or service life ® Faster deep discharge recovey * Less prone (or susceptible) to overcharge © Less water loss PEHJ0328-01 2 DEALER USE ONLYMaintenance Free ‘The terminology of “Maintenance Free" is widely used in the battery industry. It is used to describe the battery grid composition that it is made of lead-calcium alloys, Usage of this terminology has caused confusion becuse it implies thet batteries do not need any type of preventive maintenance such as inspecting electrolyte levels, adding distilled water into batteries or measuring specific gravity to properly maintain battery life and performance. Al batleties produce hydrogen and oxygen gases during normal battery operation, some more so than others, depending on battery composition. Even a battery standing idle generates small quantities of hydrogen due to self-discharge action, This gas collects in cells and escapes through the battery vents, Cat Maintenance Free batteries ere made using lead-caicium alloys in both the positive and negative plates (’calcium-calcium"), meaning thay gas less, resulting in fess water consumption over the life of the battery, therefore requiring lower maintenance under normal battery conditions. Batteries can either be non-accessible or accessible. A non-accessible or accessible battery can be a maintenance free battery if it is constucted using calcium/calcium technology (lead-calcium alloy in both the positive and negative plates). Cat Group 4D and 8D Maintenance Free battery covers comes with accessible caps. Caterpillar also offers a number of Group 31 batteries that are maintenance free and contain accessible caps. Accessible caps provide flexibility to customers who either by legal requirement (i.e. Fire Codes) or added es needs the ability to inspect flui jevels. Cater their preferred maintenance these caps to their maintenance free design to provide this flexibility, prevent battery dry out, and maximize battery useful/service life. The only difference between a maintenance free accessible battery design and @ non-accessible maintenance free battery design, is the accessible design has caps for monitoring and maintaining electrolyte fiuid levels. These accessible caps used in Cat Maintenance Free batteries do not vent. PEHJO328-01 3 DEALER USE ONLYWhen these fluid levels are property maintained, the Cat Maintenance Free accessible design will provide a longer useful/service life over standard non-accessible maintenance free batteries. Exercise care when opening battery caps to minimize contamination and oxidation inside the battery. The following are key external battery features: © Vented Manifold Cover © Accessible Caps © Vented Safety Caps ‘A Cat Maintenance Free battery has a vented manifold cover which directs gases away from the battery and hold- downs. This allows for remote venting outside of the compartment, which helps prevent the possibilty of an explosion, (See Figure 1 and 2). Accessible caps are bu levels, adding distiled water or to take specific gravity measurements. Accessible caps do not vent gasses. (See into the covers to allow for battery preventive maintenance, such as inspecting electrolyte Figure 1 and 2). Cat dry charged batteries are built with vented caps or safety caps. They have flame barier arresters and are designed to inhibit ignition of gases. (See Figure 3) Figure 1: Example of Cat Group 4D battery with vented manifold cover and accessible caps PEHJ0328-01 4 DEALER USE ONLYFigure 2 : Example of Cat Group 31 battery with vented manifold cover and accessible caps Venema ice: ees Alo (ieipinneny So seine eer Figure 3: Example of Cat Group 8D-Dry Charged battery with vented safety cops PEH0328-01 5 DEALER USE ONLYMaintenance Schedule Most people will never need to add water to their maintenance free accessible batteries. However, Caterpillar recommends maintaining proper electrolyte/uid levels to prevent battery dry out and to maximize battery useful service life by inspecting them every 1000 hours. In warmer climates, more frequent inspections are recommended, such as every S00 hours. Included below is the table of all available PHO batteries including their maintenance schedule. Keep in mind that some distribution centers, such as Grimbergen, are still exhausting inventory of the old style maintenance free batteries that do not have the accessible caps. PEHJO328.01 6 DEALER USE ONLY