Battery selection & maintenance

These issues can cost both time and money when it comes to successfully completing floor cleaning maintenance tasks. But choosing the right battery for your floor scrubber, knowing proper battery maintenance and educating your staff are a few important ways to ensure the safe, uninterrupted operation of your floor machines, as well as getting the biggest return on your battery investment.

According to Trojan Battery Company, deep-cycle batteries, whether they are flooded, AGM or gel, are the best choice for cleaning machines because they are optimised for deep discharge, which is characteristic of daily floor scrubber operations. Flooded versus non-spillable (AGM or gel) technology is a decision based on feasibility of maintenance or environmental regulations at an individual location.

Regardless of which battery technology you choose, a battery is only as good as the maintenance it receives. Proper maintenance of deep-cycle batteries will provide maximum performance and longer life extending overall equipment runtimes.  

Watering is key to maintaining flooded batteries, so single-point watering systems are gaining in popularity. A single-point watering system, such as Trojan’s HydroLink, is said to make maintenance of deep-cycle flooded batteries quick and easy. With a battery watering system, staff can fill a complete set of batteries in less than 30 seconds. 

Trojan has developed a series of YouTube videos titled “Trojan Tips” to walk you through proper battery maintenance practices.  You can view the videos at http://www.trojanbattery.com/multimedia.

Gaining a clear understanding of the various deep-cycle battery types and maintenance practices ensures that your battery-powered floor machines will continue to operate at peak levels of performance and reliability. With proper care and maintenance, an initial investment in deep-cycle flooded, AGM or gel battery technology can be extended as well as keep the total cost of ownership to a minimum.