Installation Guide

Table Of Contents
5
Battery Care and Maintenance
This chapter provides instructions for performing field maintenance on the collector or repeater
battery. The following sections describe storing and charging spare collector and repeater
batteries, and replacing a collector or repeater battery in the field.
Shipping Requirements
Warning! Electrical fire hazard—protect against shorting.
Terminals can short circuit and cause a fire if they are not insulated during shipping.
Requirements for shipping batteries:
Batteries must be labeled "NON SPILLABLE" during shipping. Follow all federal
shipping regulations. See CFR 49 Parts 171 through 180, available online at
www.gpoaccess.gov.
Batteries must have short circuit protection during shipping. Exposed terminals,
connectors, or lead wires must be insulated with a durable inert material to prevent
exposure during shipping.
Failure to comply with these requirements can cause a fire during shipping and
handling.
Battery Storage and Charging
To ensure maximum lifespan and efficiency from your collector or repeater batteries, Itron
recommends the following storage and maintenance procedures.
Long-Term Storage
Batteries may be stored for up to two years at room temperature (25°C or 77°F), and then may
be recharged with no loss in cell reliability or performance capabilities. The following storage
time versus temperature chart is a plot of maximum storage time as a function of storage
temperature. This curve shows the maximum number of days at any given temperature, from
10°C (50°F) to 65°C (149°F), for the battery to discharge from a fully charged state of about 6.42
volts (2.14 volts per cell) down to a zero charge state of 5.79 volts or (1.93 volts per cell). Do not
allow the battery to discharge below 5.79 volts. A battery discharge below 5.79 volts may
permanently damage the performance characteristics of the battery.
12 February 2021 815-0491-00 Itron, Inc. Page 69 of 133