What to consider when buying a battery for
your floor cleaning equipment
Cleaning industry professionals are always
looking for new technology to make their jobs
more efficient. The adoption and implementation
of new battery technologies in floor care
machines such as floor scrubbers and sweepers
continues to revolutionise the floor cleaning
industry due to increasing operation times,
resulting in increased productivity and efficiency.
These days, the floor cleaning machines that are
used to efficiently clean and maintain any large
facility rely on battery power to keep them
running and odds on, it’ll be a deep-cycle battery
The evolution of battery technology
Flooded, AGM and gel batteries have long been used in cleaning machines but the industry is developing all the time and lithium-ion batteries are becoming increasingly popular with quicker charging and longer runtimes.
Facility cleaning professionals and building service
contractors recognise the potential role of lithium
battery technology in day-to-day operations, as power
sources for floor cleaning machines.
But how do operators choose between this large
assortment of batteries when powering their machines?
Stuart James from DC Battery Technologies, the UK’s
fastest-growing battery distributor, explains how…
Considering cost, performance and longevity
Stuart says: “We specialise in batteries for a range of sectors including marine, mobility, golf, motorhomes, renewables, vehicle conversion, as well as floor cleaning and materials handling companies.
“We understand the specific pains of customers in these sectors such as fast charge turnaround and the impact of batteries not being charged such as missed deliveries for logistics companies due to forklift failure
or messy supermarket floors for the customers’ end users, for example. There is the potential for a massive knock-on effect with unhappy customers at the end of the supply chain.
“Customers have traditionally tended to buy on price but they’re increasingly becoming more perceptive, examining value for money options and the longevity versus cost arguments.
“Technology has evolved over time and we’ve seen some operators moving from flooded to AGM to carbon gel and now, lithium. In terms of longevity, depending on levels of use, AGM batteries tend to last
from 12-24 months with 3-4 years for carbon gel up to circa 10 years for lithium.
“The quality of AGM batteries set a very important standard and they offer extra deep cycle functionality, whereas with carbon gel, they can recharge quicker, are better for opportune charging and increase life expectancy. Now, new lithium technologies enable opportune charging in between shifts with longevity up to 3-4 times longer than
with AGM or 2-3 times longer than with carbon gel.
“Downtime in this sector is expensive and maintenance costs come into play so the fit and forget option of lithium becomes more inviting. Cost savings can also be made as opportune charging
means that the battery can be re-charged within an hour (as opposed to lead acid which can take 8-10 hours) so operators are not
waiting for batteries to recharge. This makes the floor cleaner or floor scrubber a 24/7 cleaner.
“Lithium solutions have also reduced in price over the last few years and now have a purchase point where the ‘maths stack up’ for
using them over several years.”
Battery options for cleaning equipment
DC Battery Technologies has battery experts who can advise on the cost/benefits of all of these technologies. One of the company’s key drives in 2022 is the launch of the new Predator 24v Lithium battery which will replace the 100 ampere lead acid product and offers reduced space and a smaller footprint.
The Predator Xtra Deep Cycle (XDC) batteries with AGM technology are ideal for high deep cycle demanding usage and heavy duty requirements. Thicker plates contain a Tin-Carbon-Lead alloy,
allowing increased cycling and battery life. They are ideal when extreme depth of discharge is required, perform 1,000 cycles at 60% DoD compared to the 400-600 cycles of other brands’ AGM batteries, and will extend the life of a conventional AGM battery by 50%. This makes them a great affordable option for floor sweepers and electric vehicles.
For more information on the DC Battery
Technologies range of batteries for the cleaning sector, visit www.dcbattery.tech, call 01536 856530 or email sales@dcbattery.tech
