The clothing should be of woolen material, which, unlike cotton, is practically unaffected by the acid. If cotton shirts be worn, they should be dipped in a strong solution of washing soda and then rough dried.
An apron of sacking, backed with flannel should be worn over all the other clothes. A bottle of strong ammonia should be kept in the battery room at all times, and in case of an accidental splash of acid on the clothes, the immediate application of a small quantity of the ammonia, by means of the stopper, will at once neutralize the acid and prevent it burning a hole in the material. A pail containing water made strongly alkaline with washing soda should also be kept conveniently at hand during all operations in the battery room. The hands should be dipped occasionally in this water in order to prevent the skin smarting and becoming sore under the action of the acid.
Fig. 1,157.—Interior of storage battery room showing arrangement of cells. A, are the cell insulators; B, wooden stringers; C, supporting pieces.
If a splash of acid should happen to enter the eye, it should be washed at once with clean water, warm water preferably, and then put one or two drops of olive oil into the eye. If olive oil be not immediately available, any kind of engine oil is better than none at all.
Points on Care and Management.—In setting up storage cells, they should be placed in as few tiers as possible, and in such a manner that the direct rays of the sun are not allowed to fall upon the cells. The rays of the sun are likely to crack the glass. This is probably due to the unequal expansion of the glass, for it has been found that jars which are carefully annealed never crack in this manner. Of course, the latter precaution does not apply to large batteries, where lead lined wooden tanks or solid lead boxes are used.
In installing plants where expert attendance is not to be had, it is well to place in the circuit two magnetic cut outs, one set for maximum current, and the other for minimum voltage, so that the battery cannot be discharged too low.
Ques. How should the cells be placed?
Ans. They should be placed as shown in [fig. 1,151], on insulators A, resting on wooden stringers B, and supporting pieces C placed on the floor. The insulators are usually of glass or porcelain, which in certain patterns may be filled with oil, to insure better insulation as shown in figs. 1,165 and 1,166.