Battery maintenance onboard ship


  • Battery top side should be maintained clean and dry.
  • Keep the vents clear and free of deposits.
  • Check electrolyte levels and top up with distilled water till the plates are covered.
  • Keep terminals connections tight free of corrosion and coated with petroleum jelly to prevent corrosion.
  • Measure the relative density of the electrolyte as this indicates the state of charge of the cell.
  • The relative density varies from 1.275 to 1.285 for a fully charged lead acide battery and falls to 1.1 when discharged fully.
  • Maintain fully charged lead acid battery on trickle charge as they suffer internal discharge.
  • An automatic battery charger will detect the battery condition and automatically change over to trickle charge and complete charging.
  • Check the state of charge of the batteries by measuring the terminal voltage while supplying load current.
  • The terminal voltage of a fully charged lead acid battery is 2.2 volts.
  • The voltage falls to 1.75 volts after discharge.

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