battery maintenance

I seem to make frequent visits to our friends at Shield Batteries in Poole, who offer club members a good deal on their batteries. (Just mention DA7C or me). During my visits, they usually remind me of the importance of look-ing after your battery, because they see many batteries dead before the end of their optimum life. They tell me that a battery is like a human being, it needs regular feeding (i.e. charging either by the vehicle or charger when not in use) and exercise (i.e. being used), otherwise it will sulphate up and die and thus not be claimable under guarantee.
Smart chargers are a good way of maintaining your battery fully charged or at least a regular charge with a conventional charger. Better still, use your Seven.
Most of our 6-volt batteries are the old fashioned refillable type. Our cars do not have a voltage regulator like moderns, but have a summer and winter charge switch. The summer one…when working, reduces the dynamo output and helps to prevent over-charging. Over-charging causes the battery fluid to “boil” and emits that rotten egg smell. It is very important with a Seven to regularly check the fluid level in the cells, topping up with distilled water so that the liquid is above the level of the plates. If a battery runs dry, it will die. Keep your terminals clean and tight, cover them with Vaseline to prevent corrosion. Ensure your battery is securely fixed. Finally consider fitting a battery master switch, which is so useful in the event of an electrical fire and is a useful anti-theft device.
Gary Munn (DA7C)