Checking the battery in a Cherokee

The shop that does my annual repaints the battery box every annual.

???

I can think of no valid reason for this.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

How often do you check the battery in your PA28?

At annual. (Or if the plane doesn't start -- which has never happened with
either of the Cherokees I've owned...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
The shop that does my annual repaints the battery box every annual.

???

I can think of no valid reason for this.

My shop usually does (maybe they occasionally skip a year). The
reason is that the non-sealed battery usually has seeped some acidic
residue somewhere in the box. That stuff needs to be brushed off
properly, which usually scratches the paint, which requires that the
box be painted afterwards, to protect it from any new seepage.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

Guess I'll add "Check battery condition" to the monthly checklist and
replace the battery box in August at annual.
Thanks for the comments everyone.

Eddie
N40008

Robert M. Gary wrote:
The shop that does my annual repaints the battery box every annual. I'm
not sure why, my battery has never leaks. Its either preventative or
just an extra annual tax.

The paint they use on battery boxes is "acid resistant". It helps prevent
battery acid from eating a hole in the bottom of your plane. I have a can
of that paint that I use each year. I wash the battery box with a mixture
of baking soda and water, dry it, and re-coat it with a thin coat of the
acid resistant paint. In addition, I use compressed air to blow out the
vents. Incidentally, your battery DOES leak, you just don't know it
(unless you have one of the newer design "sealed" batteries). The act of
charging causes it to off-gas a vapor of battery acid. That's why battery
boxes have vents.


--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

Obviously, it's checked at annual time, but I'll often try and check it
at the mid-year point, too.


--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com