When to Repair Vs. Replace Your Forklift Battery

A bad forklift battery slows down your operation and can damage your equipment. Learn how to identify a dead or dying forklift battery and when to repair your battery instead of replacing it.

How Long Do Forklift Batteries Last?

Forklift batteries don’t last forever. A standard lead-acid forklift battery is good for about 1,500 charging cycles. For a single-shift operation, this works out to about a five-year lifespan (if the battery is properly maintained).

To maximize the life of your forklift battery:

• Follow the manufacturer’s watering and maintenance recommendations
• Have your forklift serviced regularly
• Don’t recharge the battery until it has discharged to 30 percent.

Batteries have a limited number of charging cycles, so you don’t want to waste them on lunch-hour top-offs. Opportunity charging forklift batteries is useful for many operations, but there's a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

Signs Your Battery May Need to Be Replaced

When your forklift battery doesn’t hold a charge like it used to, that's a sign you may need to replace it soon. That said, if the battery is only a few years old/has fewer than 1,000 charging cycles, you may be able to repair rather than replace it.

Here are few more signs your forklift battery is going bad:

• Corrosion on the battery case
• Spilled acid on the exterior
• A rotten egg smell
• Smoke
• Corroded or damaged terminals
• Dim or flickering displays
• Poor response time

Sometimes It’s An Easy Fix...
Slow performance and dim displays might be caused by a loose connection. Cables can come loose, wear out, or aren't reconnected properly after charging. Have an experienced operator with proper training inspect the connections and check for signs of corrosion or wear. They should also clean the connection area(s) properly before reattaching any loose cables. 

Sometimes, You Need a Professional
If your battery emits smoke at any point, power down the forklift or charging equipment immediately. A smoking battery can catch fire or explode. 

If the operator finds corroded or damaged terminals, excessive sulfation or acid leakage, have the battery inspected by a professional. Excessive sulfation and acid leakage are typically caused by underwatering (sulfation) and overwatering (acid leakage). In either case, the battery will be covered in a hazardous substance. Do not allow employees to handle the battery without proper training and PPE. Call a professional to evaluate whether your forklift battery is still safe to use (after some cleanup) or if it should be sent back to the manufacturer.

Forklift Battery Repair and Reconditioning

If you think you have a bad battery, the first step is to call an experienced professional. You don’t want a weak or unstable battery causing expensive damage to your forklift’s internal systems.

The forklift battery repair experts at Midco Power can determine what’s wrong and, if needed, conduct voltage tests and evaluate the specific gravity of each cell. Our forklift battery technicians will identify the issue and give you all the information you need to decide whether to repair versus replace your forklift battery. 

Some batteries can be reconditioned instead of replaced. In some cases, we can refurbish a forklift battery and restore 85% of its capacity.  Midco Power is known for our quick turnaround time and successful track record. We stand by our forklift battery repair services with warranties and guarantees.

Alternatives to Lead Acid Forklift Batteries

If you run a multi-shift operation or use your forklifts continuously throughout the day, a lithium-ion or thin-plate battery may be a cost-effective alternative to standard lead-acid forklift batteries. Lithium-ion forklift batteries don’t require maintenance or watering and last 2-4 times longer than lead-acid batteries. Thin plate batteries are a lower-cost alternative to lithium-ion and designed for opportunity charging. 

Questions About Forklift Batteries? We Have Answers
Mid Columbia Forklift and MidCo Material Handling has been helping customers in the greater Seattle area, Tri-Cities, Wenatchee and Yakima since 1978. We're happy to answer any questions you have about battery maintenance, inspection, repair. and reconditioned forklift batteries

Contact us online or by phone:
Auburn 253-854-5438
Pasco 509-547-7413
Wenatchee 509-663-9009
Yakima 509-457-5137

Further Reading
Guide to Forklift Battery Types 
What We Need to Know When You Call for Forklift Service  
What is Opportunity Charging?
Midco Power