FAQ

  • Q. With voltage or volt being the standard measurement of a battery, what is the nominal voltage of various batteries?
  • A. Dry cell = 1.5 volts, Nickel-Cadmium= 1.2 volts, Lead Acid= 2.0 volts, Lithium >3.2 volts
    FACT In VRLA. cells, the oxygen from the positive combines with Hydrogen from the negative to form water that stays within the cell.

Return to top ^

  • Q. What does VRLA. stand for?
  • A. Valve Regulated Lead Acid

Return to top ^

  • Q. Is the GNB Absolyte product a “gel cell”?
  • A. No, although it is sealed and is a VRLA. type of battery as the “gel cell” is. In a gel battery the acid is absorbed in a fumed silica. The Absolyte uses AGM technology (Absorbent Glass Mat). In batteries that utilize AGM, the acid is immobilized in a porous thick glass mat.

Return to top ^

  • Q. What affect does temperature have on the life of a battery?
  • A. Accelerates corrosion of the positive grid and creates excessive self discharge. In VRLA. type batteries, high temperatures increase battery gassing. It also increase the float current.

Return to top ^

  • Q. What affect does overcharging have on the life of a battery?
  • A. Both overcharging and undercharging will increase corrosion of the positive plate grids. Overcharging will increase the amount of gassing a battery does and will increase the frequency of water additions in a flooded battery. In a VRLA. type battery excessive gassing will cause premature dry out within the jar.

Return to top ^

  • Q. Will undercharging decrease the amount of battery capacity?
  • A. Yes. Undercharging the battery increases the positive grid corrosion and thus causes a loss of battery capacity.

Return to top ^

  • Q. Can the battery charge voltage be adjusted to compensate for high or low temperatures?
  • A. Yes, consult your batteries Installation and Operation manual for specifics but for GNB product the rule is to increase the volts per cell by .003 for every degree F you are below 77 degrees and decrease your volts per cell by .003 for every degree F you are above 77 degrees. This is especially important for VRLA. type batteries.

Return to top ^

  • Q. What kind of life expectancy change on a battery will we see if the battery is not maintained at 25 degrees C or 77 degrees F?
  • A. A. 20 year design life battery at 35 degrees C (93.8 degrees F) has a life expectancy of 6.8 years. A. battery at 30 degrees C (86 degrees F) has a life expectancy of 14 years. Testing batteries which are in a cooler environment show an increase of life but dramatically decrease in capacity.

Return to top ^

  • Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Lead Calcium positive grid alloys?
  • A. Advantages Low Gassing, Low Corrosion, Good Handling Disadvantages High Growth, Shallow cycle.

Return to top ^

  • Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Lead Antimony positive grid alloys?
  • A. Advantages Deep Cycling, Good Cycling Life, Good Handling Disadvantages High Gassing, Gassing Increases with Age, Moderate Corrosion

Return to top ^

  • Q. What is the function of the battery separator?
  • A. To electrically isolate the plates.

Return to top ^

  • Q. What are the most common specific gravities used in the GNB product?
  • A. 1.215 (general purpose and long duration battery), 1.250 (typically UPS, high rate battery), 1.310 (VRLA)

Return to top ^

  • Q. Is there any correspondence between the specific gravity reading and the voltage readings?
  • A. In looking at the open cell voltage (OCV) a 1.215 s.g. battery will show 2.06 s.g. volts per cell, a 1.250 battery will show 2.12 volts per cell and a 1.310 s.g. battery will show 2.17 volts per cell.

Return to top ^

  • Q. Does temperature affect the conductivity of a battery cell?
  • A. Yes.

Return to top ^

  • Q. What is the purpose of the battery vent?
  • A. In the flooded battery the vent allows gasses (hydrogen and oxygen) to vent freely. It minimizes acid misting and when incorporated with a “flash arrestor” it reduces the risk of explosion.

    In the VRLA. design, the vent limits the loss of gas (oxygen) to support recombination. It also prevents the ingress of oxygen to cell.

Return to top ^

Applications

Testimonials

"Your installation crew is doing their final clean-up and getting ready to finish. I wanted to tell you how pleased I am with the work they did here. They have been very thorough, professional, neat and generally pleasant to have around. I have had no problems at all with them getting in the way of our daily tasks, and with all of the activity currently going on that is quite an accomplishment in itself. Thanks again for having such a good crew and helping us here with our upgrades."
Steve in Wisconsin