ake the change made to the complete
discharge device (CDD) on several of
the batteries manufactured by BlueStar
and SAFT America. Batteries like the
BA-5800A/U, NSN 6135-01-440-
7774, the BA-5600A/U, NSN 6135-
01-441-0402 and the BA-5590/U, NSN
The old CDD was a pain to activate.
First you had to remove or carefully
slit the CDD label. Then you had to
depress the CDD with a small screw-
driver. A slip could damage the battery
or cause a battery to vent.
A little change in this case would be
good and that’s just what has happened.
Finding their way into your battery
supply this year are batteries with a
new CDD. So, put the screwdriver back
in the toolbox—you won’t need it.
The new CDDs have a plastic acti-
vation tab which is covered by a label.
Just peel back the edge of the label
and remove it. Removing the label will
expose the pull-tab. Pull the tab to ac-
tivate the CDD.
Lithium Batteries . . .
5-KW, 10-KW DED Generator Sets . . .
Here’s one thing that hasn’t changed:
Only trained and designated personnel
are supposed to do the discharging.
Here’s how they do it:
Discharge the batteries in a secure,
well-ventilated area away from people
and hazardous material.
Set discharging batteries at least 2
inches apart on all sides.
Let the batteries sit a minimum of
5 days for complete discharge.
Remember that discharging batter-
ies may be hot. The heat could even
deform the battery case. That’s nor-
mal. However, if you hear a hissing
sound or smell a strong, pungent odor,
clear the area immediately until the
odor is gone and the hissing stops. This
is battery venting and you must dis-
pose of these batteries as hazardous
waste.
At the end of a normal, complete
discharge cycle, the amount of lithium
remaining in the battery will be small
enough to let you dispose of the bat-
tery as non-hazardous waste. Even so,
some places still require special dis-
posal procedures.
there's a
little switch
that can
make
all
the
difference
.
*
*
*
*
PS 567
53
FEB 00
52
e all know that throwing the DC circuit
breaker after shutting down your
5-KW or 10-KW generator won’t
stop the power drain on the batteries.
The alternator, voltage regulator and
battery charger continue to pull
power from the batteries.
A battery master switch is the
solution that will stop this problem.
The switch fits over the negative
terminal of the battery and lets
you cut all power by turning
a knob or throwing
a knife switch.
Switches are
available for local
purchase from an
auto parts store or
tool catalogs.
Or you can order a
switch for around
$15 on a DD Form
1348-6 using part
number 192-B from
RIC A12. There’s no
CAGE, so put in the
REMARKS block:
Bathhurst Company
6875 Oakland Rd, Dept 7
Loveland, OH
45140
800-783-3122
While you’re waiting
for the switch, stop the
power drain by disconnecting
the negative cable from the
battery every time the
generator is shut down.
Turn master switch to prevent power drain
hey,
sometimes
change
is
good!
so make
sure you
know what
your
local SOP
says!