How to prevent decreased battery life

As we all know, batteries are not created equal and they do require maintenance.  It is important that batteries are charged properly and to make sure the source that is using this supplied power is not abused so that they reach their maximum potential.  After reading this, you should be familiar with two causes of decreased battery life and some charging standards for Odyssey batteries. 

One of the biggest problems that can decrease battery life is a machine that has been abused.  When a machine is not kept clean or well maintained, it can cause an overall higher amp draw and result in the battery dropping out faster. 

For example, if the vacuum motor has had waste sucked into it, like the images of abused vacuum motors below, this can greatly affect the battery.  Damage like this could hinder machine performance and easily cause a NEW set of batteries to do 25 lanes less than it should.

Another battery issue that is often overlooked is whether the charger is giving the batteries a proper charge.  This can take into account any portion of the charging mechanism.  The Odyssey batteries require different stages of charging which should be as high as 29 volts within the first 30 minutes of being on charge to as low as 27 volts after being on charge for 6-8 hours. If proper charging does not occur, this will also affect the life of your batteries.

Periodic checking of the charging system along with regular maintenance of your lane machine will greatly extend the life of your batteries.