CHOOSING THE BEST BATTERY FOR SCRUBBER DRYERS 

Cleaning service providers and facilities managers are discussing their scrubber dryer batteries more and more these days. Although the old standby lead-acid batteries have been powering floor-cleaning machines for decades, modern technologies are offering better, safer, and more efficient battery options than ever before.

In addition to a wider range of lead-acid battery types, cleaning teams can now opt for long-lasting, cost-effective lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries for scrubber dryers improve safety, simplify operations, reduce battery replacement costs, maximize productivity, and reduce cleaning time.

That said, choosing the best battery for your scrubber dryer, or fleet of scrubber dryers depends on several aspects. Understanding your options will help you choose the best battery for scrubber dryers in your cleaning fleet. Let’s discuss the floor cleaning machine battery types available today:

• Lead-acid (flooded) batteries
• Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM)
• Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) batteries
• Lithium-ion batteries

Flooded or “wet” lead-acid batteries are common, easy to acquire, and are generally quite cost-effective. However, they require regular maintenance, such as checking and topping up the electrolyte level and adding distilled water if necessary. One-pack batteries last about 750 charge cycles, while pure traction batteries (box batteries) last about 1250 cycles. If they are not maintained properly, their service life can be drastically reduced.

AGM lead-acid batteries are even less expensive generally than flooded lead-acid batteries. They typically last for a year under average cleaning use—about 400/500 charge cycles. As sealed batteries do not generate acid fumes, they are therefore advisable in places where good ventilation of the charging rooms is not possible.

Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) batteries are another advanced option for floor scrubber battery needs. This technology uses pure lead plates, which allow higher efficiency and faster charging. They are ideal for applications requiring high performance and frequent deep discharge cycles.

Lithium-ion batteries are an advanced solution for scrubber-dryers, offering numerous advantages:

• Higher energy density: lighter and more compact than lead-acid batteries, they improve machine maneuverability.
• Long life: up to 2,000 charge cycles, reducing replacement costs.
• Fast charging: they recharge in less time than conventional batteries.
• Zero maintenance: no topping up or periodic checks required.

Li-ion batteries are the ideal choice for companies wishing to reduce downtime and lower operating costs. Thanks to their high efficiency and long service life, they improve the performance of the cleaning team and provide optimal results.

Although lithium-ion batteries require no maintenance to last a long time while keeping your scrubber dryers running optimally, some best practices can extend battery life even further, including:

• Use the manufacturer-recommended or provided charging ports for your floor cleaning machine battery. These are optimized to charge the battery to its best potential while minimizing wear and tear.
• Keep lithium batteries for cleaning machines charged between 80% and 20%. This will optimize battery life.
• Maintain a regular charging schedule that allows the batteries more slowly, using a longer charge cycle in a lower-temperature setting. For example, charging overnight if cleaning teams operate during the day, or during the day if cleaning teams operate overnight.
• Avoid overcharging the battery and track the battery charging details on a schedule so you can monitor performance. Maintaining a schedule and checking the charge rate will help with this.
• Charge the batteries within the following temperature range: 10°C to 25°C.

Looking for the most efficient battery solution for your scrubber dryers? Whether you need a reliable power source or want to enhance your cleaning team’s performance, IPC Worldwide has the expertise to help. Contact our team for expert advice and explore our range of scrubber dryers and advanced Li-Ion lithium battery solutions designed for efficiency and durability.