Page 22 - IAR Recyclers News Press March / April 2013
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Page 22
Recyclers News Press
Coordinating Committee For Automotive Repair
(CCAR
®
)
AGM batteries
– NEVER USE CONVENTIONAL CHARGERS!
Submitted by Charlie Ayers, CEO CCAR
In the early 80s I was hired by Gould battery to be
one of their mobile technicians, where I was dis-
patched across the Chicagoland area with a van
stocked with a carousel of lead acid batteries and
some basic charging system diagnostic equipment
and tools. As a result, I still have a soft spot in my
heart for the battery industry and in particular for the
technicians who install them.
Thankfully my employer was very safety-focused,
and I was taught right from the very beginning the
importance of wearing safety glasses, synthetic
clothing (battery acid loves to eat cotton), as well as
how to connect the equipment (and jumper cables) to
lessen the likelihood of creating any sparks. During
my tenure I never had a battery blow-up on me -- but
I was called to the scene of more than one vehicle
that had already experienced an exploded battery.
While attending an AMRA/MAP technical committee
meeting, I sat in on a presentation on
Absorbed
Glass Mat (AGM) batteries.
What I learned is that
AGM batteries are being installed by many OEMs as
original equipment. While they offer many benefits
(to the vehicle owner in particular) they also present
some inherent dangers for technicians.
AGM batteries are sealed and are non-spillable,
meaning that they can be mounted in non-traditional
locations (i.e. somewhere other than under the hood)
and in non-traditional angles (i.e. not always com-
pletely horizontal). They are vibration-resistant, so in
addition to finding them in vehicles they are also
found in some motorcycles, ATV’s, and in marine
applications (note;
do not
confuse AGM’s with gel-
cell batteries, which are different).
So if AGM’s don’t
have the leak hazard that traditional lead-acid batter-
ies do, what are the dangers?
Because they are sealed units,
AGM’s are inher-
ently vulnerable to being overcharged.
Conven-
tional lead-acid battery chargers oftentimes have out-
puts of 16 to 18 volts – well above the 14.4 volt maxi-
mum stipulated for the AGM design. So what’s the
worst-case scenario here?
Using a conventional battery charger on an AGM
battery could cause severe damage to the electro-
lytes and premature failure to the battery.
Conven-
tional chargers also have the potential to cause
an AGM battery to literally explode
– a hazard that
we never want to expose to our technicians.
Traditional lead-acid batteries and these new AGM
batteries are similar in their outward appearance.
Before connecting a conventional charger to a bat-
tery in a vehicle (in par-
ticular if it is located
away from the engine
compartment) – see if it
is
labeled
“non-
spillable”. If so, only
use chargers that are
designed for AGM
(and/or gel-cell) batter-
ies.
More information on
this topic can be found
at;
absorbent_glass_mat_agm
Charles E. Ayers
is the President & Chief Executive
Officer of CCAR and often blogs
about new technical issues and
information in the automotive in-
dustry with a particular eye toward
safety and environmental aspects.
An
absorbed glass mat
battery has the
electrolyte absorbed in a fiber-glass mat
separator.
A
gel cell
has the electrolyte mixed with
silica dust to form an immobilized gel.
