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Show I PAFmCULAR JOS Inter-Mountain Service Expert Ex-pert Explains Why Time Is Needed. That the battery man himself can't tell how long it will take to recharge a I storage battery, was the statement made yesterday by C. M. McDonald, manager of 1 tho Willard battery and other service stations maintained by the Inter-Moun-raln Electric company. Mr. McDonald says a great many automobile owners t!i ink they are be ins: imposed upon if their batteries are kept more than two or three days, whereas this is often absolutely ab-solutely necessary. "The ' baitery man who really knows his business." said Mr. McDonald, "will never set a definite time for returning a battery he has taken to charge. "It is impossible to tell how long a recharging re-charging Job will take. A battery that has been neglected and starved may take from three to seven-, days of steady charging before it is back In working condition again. It may need a long period of slow-rate charging to bring the plates back again to a condition where even a normal rate of charge can be applied. ap-plied. "On the other Viand a battery that is just run down, that perhaps has been slowly drained by a dash light, for instance, in-stance, and brought in for charging as soon as it shows signs of weakness such a battery can be brought up again to full strength by an overnight charge. "An old battery takes longer to recharge re-charge than a new one very frequently. A starved battery takes longer to recharge re-charge than one that has the same specific spe-cific gravity that has merely become run down through being stored and forgotten. for-gotten. "In short, so many different elements enter Into the charging of a battery that it is Impossible to tell what the length of time will be until the reading 1200 is actually secured. "The conscientious workman, then, makes no definite promise of delivery to the man who brings the battery for charging. He can't, because he doesn't know how long it will take. If the car owner is wise he will not insist upon having his battery back at a certain time. Satisfactory charging cannot be done on that basis." Mr. McDonald says that the Inlter-Moimtain Inlter-Moimtain Klectric company has so large a stock of batteries on hand that it can nearly always supply one to take the place of the battery left for charging. For this service only a nominal charge is made and the automobile owner Is saved the inconvenience of losing the use of his car. even when the condition of his battery bat-tery makes quick charging Impossible. |