Battery power wheelchairs have become a necessity for many people who are not able to walk or have a disability. These battery powered wheelchairs can be customized to the user needs by using a control interface, which allows people to easily carry out their daily tasks.
The wheelchair batteries have to be handled properly if they are going to last for a long time. The tips below will show you ways of extending your wheelchair battery life.
Wheelchair batteries fall into two major categories, the gel cell and the wet cell. The batteries are rated in amp hours and come in 3 different amp sizes. The higher the amp number, the more powerful the battery. The wet cell batteries usually have a higher amp-hour rating and are usually around 10% higher compared to gel cells.
Wheelchair Battery Sizes
These wheelchair batteries usually come in 3 sizes 22, 24 and 27 amp ratings. The 22 rating battery is the standard size while the 24 rating battery is for higher performance and heavier wheelchairs. The 27 rating battery is ideal when traveling longer distances and for wheelchairs that are used often or if the wheelchair is used constantly on sloped terrain.
Wheelchair users can run into problems if their chair has not been fully charged. Not using the appropriate charger is one reason for the battery not properly charging or in some cases actually overcharging the battery. But the main reason for battery charging problems is because of the old age of the battery, which will have to be replaced.
- If you are going to be using the battery powered wheelchair for an entire day, be sure to give it a full charge overnight.
- For regular charging, be sure to use the manufacturer’s charger.
- Do not use the batteries of they have been fully depleted.
- Avoid exposing the wheelchair batteries to extreme hot and cold temperatures. Do not overcharge batteries.
- For open instructions, contact the battery maker.
- Get your wheelchair maintained and checked up every 6 months at a maintenance facility. However you should still do your own weekly checkup. This way you quickly pick up loose or squeaky parts of your battery, which will extend its useful life. Wheelchair batteries are fairly expensive, so regular checkups can save you lots of time and money.
- Keep a wheelchair repair kit with you at all times, which will help you to perform any minor repairs if you are out and about.
These simple tips will help to extend your wheelchair battery life and save you the money of an expensive replacement.
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