Battery Bridge Rests

Inside all lead-acid batteries, small particles are formed which can adversely affect battery life. These impurities fall to the bottom of the battery jar where they slowly accumulate as sediment (frequently called mud). This mud is composed of lead compounds that fall from the element plates during charging and discharging cycles. As a result, this mud eventually builds up against the lead plates. When the mud becomes thick enough, short circuits will occur which results in a defective battery.

To prevent that from happening, some manufacturers use battery jars with molded-in ribs on the bottom surface. When the element plates are installed, the plates rest on top of the ribs. The purpose of the ribs is to prevent the mud from touching the plates by providing space underneath the plates for the debris to safely accumulate.

This helps somewhat, but this method has a major disadvantage. When industrial batteries are used in vehicles such as forklifts and golf carts, this subjects the battery to vibrations and acceleration which causes the mud to flow sideways. When the mud flows against the side of the ribs, it has nowhere to go except upward where it will hit the battery plates. Molded-in ribs will always have this problem because there is no economical way to manufacture flow-through ribs in a one-piece battery jar. One way to solve this problem is by inserting a separate bridge rest into the battery jar.

The patented lattice design of our bridge rest support solves this problem by providing a path for the mud to flow sideways instead of upward. In addition, the mud can freely flow between the cross-bridging members where it can seek a common level. This allows a larger space for the accumulation of mud at a lower level, thereby extending the life of the battery. We manufacture bridge rests in both standard and custom sizes. Many of our standard bridge rests can be cut into smaller sizes for custom applications. To receive a quote for any custom size, please contact us for details.