LIFELINE SAFETY BULLETIN
LIFELINE Distributors Inc. is pleased to announce that all Lifeline Marine and RV batteries have passed MIL-SPEC B8565J (Sec 4.6.22). This is incredible proof that the marine and recreational vehicle industries have a complete line of federally tested "safe batteries". These tests were tough; a testimony to our commitment to customer safety.
The United States Coast Guard issued Boating Safety Circular number 78 in August 1996, which detailed charging guidelines when installing Gel Batteries afloat. Immediately we were asked to differentiate our batteries from Gel recombinant gas products and stipulate why they were safer. Our only choice was to produce proof that our batteries were the safest, deep cycle lead acid rv / marine products available in the world
First we searched without success for written standards concerning the emission of dangerous or explosive gases from batteries installed in rv and marine applications. The guidance from controlling authorities like the American Boat and Yachting Council, United States Coast Guard, and American Bureau of Shipping, are full of details regarding forced and natural ventilation. However, the heart of the problem is the battery. We did find a very stringent standard pertaining to battery gas emissions written for batteries installed on aircraft. These MW-SPEC (Military Specification) tests involve fully charging a battery, heating it to over 130 degrees (Potential Thermal Runaway Conditions) and then overcharging the battery to simulate a shorted cell. (16V for a 12V battery) The process is completed in a temperature-altitude chamber. Air samples are removed during the test and injected into a gas chromatograph, which measures the percentage of hydrogen present. Four point one (4.1) hydrogen gases is required for flammability in air; therefore a measure of less than three (3.5) hydrogen emission is required by the U.S. Government to pass this test. Further, upon completion the battery must still function normally!
Under space available contract with the U.S. Government, each LIFELINE battery not only passed the gas emission test in MIL-SPEC B-8565J (Section 4.6.22), but no single unit generated over one percent hydrogen gas in any test section. That equates to over 99 percent recombinant gas efficiency even during a simulated-shorted cell overcharge. While these standards subjected the battery to significant abuse, they also represented real situations encountered with defective charging systems. At LIFELINE we acknowledge that no batteries are non-explosive. Anything, even solid metals can be made to explode under the wrong set of circumstances. We also know that LIFELINE batteries are the safest lead acid batteries available in the world.
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