The International Cessna^® 170 Association

The 170A's Gill battery went 'kaput' this winter . Charged it and only got 11.11 v. I'm a new owner. As an owner, am I approved by the official rules and regs or permitted to install a new Gill battery; or is this exchange only for an
A&P? If I am permitted, then I assume I would need to make a note in the aircraft log. I would like the change to a sealed battery. Any thoughts?

Always something,
J. Edmund

You should familiarize yourself with FAR part 43 (it isn't too long). Part 43, Appendix A(c) lists a number of actions that are considered "Preventive maintenance," of which #24 is "Replacing and servicing batteries." 43.3 tells us who may perform certain types of maintenance, and 43.3(g) says, essentially, that if you're licensed to act as PIC in a 170, you're authorized to perform preventive maintenance on an aircraft that you own or operate under part 91. 43.7(f) says you're authorized to return your aircraft to service after preventive maintenance that you performed. You must log all your maintenance actions in the aircraft or engine logbook, as appropriate. The log entry must say what you did, the date, your signature, certificate number and type (e.g. private pilot, S.E.L.) Your signature is what authorizes the aircraft to be returned to service. That's all in 43.9(a). There are details that I've left out, so please read the whole part.

You can replace the Gill battery with anything suitable that's FAA/PMA, sealed or not. I'd recommend checking all the dimensions of the battery you're thinking of using, to make sure it will go into the battery box without it having to be modified (since any mod you made wouldn't be preventive maintenance).

John's statements are correct though perhaps part of the detail he left out are that you don't necessarily have to be qualified as a PIC in the aircraft, but essentially hold a private or higher rating and be the owner or operator. There are other caveats as well. Here is the paragraph:

• 43.4 (g) Except for holders of a sport pilot certificate, the holder of a pilot certificate issued under part 61 may perform preventive maintenance on any aircraft owned or operated by that pilot which is not used under part 121, 129, or 135 of this chapter. The holder of a sport pilot certificate may perform preventive maintenance on an aircraft owned or operated by that pilot and issued a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category.

As far as sealed batteries go until about a year or two ago none of them had FAA/PMA as a replacement part in our 170s. So you would have had to get an approval or installed the unit under an STC. Condcord had a free blanket STC that many people used to install those batteries. Getting an approval or installing under an STC is outside the scope of preventative maintenance.

But now it appears Concord has received a FAA/PMA for some or all of their sealed batteries to be used instead of an equivalent lead acid battery. So if you are replacing a battery with a sealed battery of Concord's that has a FAA/PMA as a replacement no further approval or STC is required and anyone meeting the conditions of paragraph g above can do it.

BATTERIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had one in mine for 3 years without any issues until my generator went bad.(It came with the plane from MN. Don't know what brand it was) Put in a rebuilt generator and new solid state regulator, and all was good for another year. Last year I decided it was time for a new one, so I had my AI put a new Gill in it. After the first really cold snap we got last month, the battery would barely turn the motor over!!! Less than 8 months old. Took it out, charged it with a trickle charger, and noticed one of the cells without any 'action' in it. My friend had put the same battery in his 140A last summer, and it lasted 2 months!
My calls to Gill tech support have gotten nowhere. Leave a message, no return calls. It's left me bitter enough to say 'No more Gill's for me".

Batteries need a periodic equalization charge, also known as a constant-current charge. It really works! I did my battery last year and brought it up from 36% to 91% capacity. For the G-25 Gill recommends something like 7 hours at 3A, and the battery will get warm and bubble. My mechanic has these nice tools, which makes it easy for me. But you can also make your own setup with big dc power supply that's capable of current-limit operation.
Charger: Load tester:

I was all set to use a battery tender until I read a recent post about hanger fires...

15A wrote:I was all set to use a battery tender until I read a recent post about hanger fires...

I've probably posted this before, but I quit using external chargers while the battery is in the airplane after once being at a fly-in fly-market and seeing what was left of a Luscombe that had burned up due to a failed attempt at charging the battery.

Miles

I simply do not recommend charging a battery in an aircraft. Charging produces sulfuric acid gasses, and will do harm, not only to the battery box, but any part of the aircraft that the gasses get to. I know .....Your asking, well what about the charge that is present wile flying?.....In theory, while you are flying air is pulled through the battery box and the acid air is expelled over board....Not so when your stagnant.....Brad

Battey shot? Local solution:

1. Put old aircraft battery on bench Connect battery charger. DO NOT TURN ON POWER.

2. Hasten to "Pep Boys" or other equivalent aviation supply house and purchase garden tractor battery.(Exact same size and AH Cap.) price $19,95 to $24,95.

3. Install new garden tractor battery in airplane post annual inspection.

4 Remove garden tractor battery before next annual and discard,

5. Repeat steps 1, 2, 3, and 4,.

Your airplane will have a nice, fresh battery all of the time.

Bluelder
You are very refreshing somedays........I hope you are around for a long time to come


W.

blueldr wrote:Battey shot? Local solution:

1. Put old aircraft battery on bench Connect battery charger. DO NOT TURN ON POWER.

I think I'd change this line to:

1. Put old aircraft battery on stump and retrieve 12 gauge shotgun.

Although that's not 'thinking green'

Joe, you didn't read between the lines. That is where it said reinstall aircraft battery from bench at annual with just enough capacity to make it through inspection.

Yeah, but all foolin' aside, you know one thing leads to another.

I had positioned my plane on the ramp and secured it, but left the engine running at idle because I didn't want the hassle of re-starting it due to the dead battery. I was standing under the wing by the pilots door.

BIG MISTAKE What the H--L was I thinking?

A 'person' walked by and at a glance, I thought 'that person' walked way too close to that swinging machete. Instant heart failure!!!
Scared myself to death! But what a 'wake-up' call.
Pilot in command. No excuse.

All that because of a dead battery. My pet peeve.

I agree that we should be paying garden tractor battery prices for our aircraft batteries, but unfortunately paying a kings ransom for anything with "aircraft" on it (or boat, etc.) is par for the course. "One of the perks of aircraft ownership". If you use the garden tractor battery, be sure to have put the certified one in on the day you have an incident in your 170 ( ), assuming you carry liability and/or hull coverage on your plane, as the insurance carrier might well deny you claim if the unauthorized battery is found to be in the plane at the time of the incident/accident. I use a Gill G-25S as I find the sealed battery eliminates the corrision problem I continually experienced with the other type. Concord also has sealed units.

I recently replaced the battery in my C140. I exchanged the lead-acid Concorde CB-35 with a recombinate gas Concorde CB RG-35. Aviation Consumer rates the Concorde recombinate gas battery as best. Though the same size, the CB RG-35 has 200 cold cranking amps verses the lead-acid Cb-35's 160 CCA. However, now I can't seem to pull and engage the starter fast enough to prevent grinding. It seems that the fresh, new, and more powerful battery rotates the starter quicker than I can engage the gears.

Anyone have a similar experience?

One solution I am contemplating: first pull and engage the starter, then flip the master switch on.

Thanks,
Dan