eparators are:

1. Whenever the pores are closed by any foreign matter whatsoever. Put
in new separators whether you can figure out the cause of the trouble
or not. The separator shown in Fig. 201 is sulphated clear through
above the line B, and is worthless. The separator shown in Fig. 203
should not be used again.

2. When the separators have been cut or "chiseled off" by the edge of
a buckled plate, Fig. 214.

3. When a buckling plate or plate with bulged active material breaks
through the separator, Fig. 214.

[Fig. 214]

Fig. 214. Separators Worn Thin and Cut Through on Edges by Buckled
Plates. Holes Worn Through by Bulged Active Material, Center One Shows
Cell Was Dry Two Thirds of the Way Down.

4. When a battery has been used while the level of the Fig. 214.
Separators Worn Thin and Cut Through on Edges by Buckled Plates. Holes
Worn Through by Bulged Active Material. Center One Shows Cell Was Dry
Two Thirds of the Way Down electrolyte has been below the tops of the
plates, or the battery has been used in a discharged condition, and
lead sulphate has deposited on the separators, Fig. 201.

[Fig. 215 Rotted separators]

5. When a battery has been over-heated by overcharging or other
causes, and the hot acid has rotted, burned and carbonized the
separators, Fig. 215.

6. When a battery has been damaged by the addition of acid and the
separators have been rotted, Fig. 215.

7. Separators which are more than a year old should be replaced by new
ones, whether plates are defective or not.

When you have put in new separators, and put the battery on charge,
the specific gravity of the electrolyte may go down at first, instead
of rising. This is because the separators may absorb some of the acid.
If the battery was discharged when you put in the new separators, the
lowering of the specific gravity might not take place, but in most
cases the specific gravity will go down, or not change at all.

Find the Cause of Every Trouble

The foregoing rules must be studied carefully and be clearly tabulated
in your mind to be able to tell what to put into commission again and
what to discard as junk. It will take time to learn how to
discriminate, but keep at it persistently and persevere, and as you
pass judgment on this battery and that battery, ask yourself such
questions as: What put this battery in this condition? Why are the
negative plates granulated? Why are the positive plates buckled? What