2012 Battery Date Codes Unmasked

ESA Consulting Engineers, PAStationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 1 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODES UNMASKED Developed by Marco W. Migliaro, PE, Fellow IEEE Copyright © 2005, 2007-12 by Marco W. Migliaro. All rights reserved. Graphics by CA Rhodes visit: www.stationarybatterytraining.com for updates SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 2 FOREWORD This presentation has been developed as a aid to those wishing to determine the date of manufacture or warranty date for a cell or battery. Manufacturers sometimes code dates using letters and/or numbers that are not easily understood by those responsible for the battery system. This presentation attempts to provide those persons with a guide when needed to determine the date code. Date codes are sometimes changed by the battery manufacturer and there is no guaranty that the information needed is contained in the presentation; however, it may help in ultimately identifying a date code, either with help from the battery manufacturer or using the information presented to interpret what one observes. The information contained in this presentation does not include every battery type or manufacturer. ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 2 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 TERMI NAL OBJ ECTI VE Upon completion of this training, the participant will obtain: An overview of the typical methods used by battery manufacturers to identify the date of manufacture, warranty or both for stationary batteries SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODES • Are used by battery manufacturers to establish a date of manufacture for their products – Some manufacturers have two date codes one representing the warranty date and the other the manufacturing date • Letters are sometimes used to represent the month or year in a date code – Manufacturers may omit the letters “I” and “O” from the dates codes to avoid confusion with the numbers “1” and “0” • Typically, a date code system should not allow the same characters to repeat for at least 10 years, based on industry standards related to date coding ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 3 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODES (Cont i nued) • Date codes may be located on the cell (or monobloc) cover or cell (or monobloc) post. For smaller VRLA batteries the date code may be “heat stamped” or may be applied by a “dot matrix” printer on the side of the cell (or monobloc) cover • If a date code cannot be found, or if found, cannot be interpreted, one may always contact the battery manufacturer for guidance. Battery manufacturers may change their date coding system or may sometimes even reverse the date code, so if in doubt check with the battery manufacturer. • Battery manufacturers will request the battery date code if a warranty claim is filed SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODES (Cont i nued) • In the presentation, the letters M, D, W and Y, are used to represent month, day, week and year, respectively – For example MMYYYY, would represent a date code with a two character month and a four character year and WWYY would represent a two character week and a two character year ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 4 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 WHY I S KNOWI NG THE DATE CODE I MPORTANT? • It is important to know how old the battery is when inspected, since some of the conditions that may be noted can be age related and this information will be useful when evaluating the information gathered during the visual inspection – For example, a large quantity of sediment in a 15 year old vented lead-acid battery may not be a concern, but the same amount of sediment in a 2 year old vented lead-acid battery would be of concern • It is also important to know the date code to determine if a warranty claim can be made SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – C& D VENTED CELLS •The date code is located on the cell nameplate •The code is MM/YY (J une 2000 for this cell) •The letter that follows represents the plant the cell was manufactured at (A=Attica, IN) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 5 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – C& D VENTED CELLS •The date code is located on the cell nameplate •The code is MM/YY (March 2005 for this cell) •The letter that follows represents the plant the cell was manufactured at (A=Attica, IN) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – C& D LI BERTY 1000s •The date code is on the nameplate •The code is MM-YY (J anuary 2002 for this battery) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 6 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – C& D LI BERTY 1000s •The date code is on the nameplate following the word ship •The code is MM-YY (October 1999 for this battery) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – C& D LI BERTY 2000s •The date code is on the nameplate •The code is MM/YY (J une 2001 for this cell) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 7 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – C& D LI BERTY AT •The date code is on the nameplate •The code is MM/YYYY (J une 2005 for this cell) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – C& D DYNASTY •There are two date codes on these batteries •The warranty date code is on the cover (MMYY) •The date of manufacture is heat stamped into the side of the cover (YYMDD) – A to M, excluding I, are used for the months J anuary to December •The warranty date code is normally at least one month after the date of manufacture ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 8 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – C& D DYNASTY •There are two date codes on these batteries •The warranty date code is on the cover (MMYY) •The date of manufacture is located on the side of the cover (YYMDD) – A to M, excluding I, are used for the months J anuary to December •The warranty date code is normally at least one month after the date of manufacture SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 3 – C& D DYNASTY •There are two date codes on these batteries •The warranty date code is on a label the cover MMYY September 2004 for this battery •The date of manufacture (not shown) is located on the side of the cover (YYMDD) – A to M, excluding I, are used for the months J anuary to December •The warranty date code is normally at least one month after the date of manufacture ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 9 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 4 – C& D DYNASTY TELECOM •The warranty date code is under the bar code on a label located on the cover •The date code is MMYY (October 2007 for this battery) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – ENERSYS VENTED CELLS •The date code is the last three (or four) characters of a four (or five) character number “heat stamped” into the cell (or monobloc) cover •The first character is the plant the cell was manufactured at (5=Sumter, SC) •The next three (or four) are the MMYY (September 1987 for this monobloc) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 10 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – ENERSYS VENTED CELLS •The date code is in the first four characters of the cell’s serial number* •The first two are the plant the cell was manufactured at (O5=Sumter, SC) •The next two are the YM (W=1998, C=March) •EnerSys uses A to L, including I for the months •The year starts back at A once Z is used (i.e., 2001) *In some instances the date code may be a three or four character code located above a bar coded serial number for the cell, with the last two characters being the date code SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 3 – ENERSYS VENTED CELLS •The date code is the first six characters of the cell’s serial number* •The first two are the year, the second two are the month and the last two are the day of the month (J uly 16, 2001 for this monobloc) •The next two are the shift and factory where the cell was manufactured *In some instances the date code may be a three or four character code located above the bar coded serial number for the cell, with the last two characters being the date code YM, following the code on the previous slide ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 11 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 4 – ENERSYS VENTED CELLS •The date code is now on a separate sticker and is straightforward MM/YYYY •The first two are the month (February and November in these examples) •The next four are the year (2004 in these examples) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 5 – ENERSYS - EU VENTED CELLS •The date code is located on the blue ring on the negative post •The ring has a large two-digit underlined number on it representing the year and the numbers 1 to 12 around the ring represent the months of the year •There is a “.” molded in the cover opposite the negative polarity mark and the month of manufacture is placed next it. In this instance the date code is November 2011 ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 12 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – ENERSYS VRLA CELLS •The date code is in the first four characters of the cell’s serial number located on the steel module frame •The first two are the plant the cell was manufactured at (O5=Sumter, SC) •The next two are the YM (W=1998, J =October) •EnerSys uses A to L, including I for the months •The year starts back at A once Z is used (i.e., 2001) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – ENERSYS VRLA CELLS •The date code is now on a separate sticker and is straightforward MM/YYYY •The number before the “/ or –” is the month (J une and March in these examples) •The four after the “/ or –” are the year (2006 and 2007 in these examples) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 13 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – ENERSYS POWER SAFE V VRLA BATTERY •The date code is on a separate sticker on top of the jar near the cell positive terminal and is straightforward MMYYYY (December 2009 for this battery) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – ENERSYS TYPE HX VRLA BATTERY – TOP CONNECTED •The date code is on a separate sticker near the cell positive terminal and is straightforward MMYYYY (September 2006 for this battery) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 14 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – ENERSYS TYPE HX VRLA BATTERY – FRONT CONNECTED •The date code is on a separate sticker near the cell positive terminal on the top of the battery and is straightforward MMYYYY (November 2009 for this battery) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – GNB VENTED CELLS •The date code is stamped on a positive post •The code is YYMM (May 2002 and J anuary 2005 for these cells) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 15 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – GNB ABSOLYTE •The date code is stamped on the steel module and consists of a three letter code – The second and third letters are MY (November 2000 and J une 2006 for these modules) – A to M, excluding I, are used for the months J anuary to December; however, I is used for the year – The first letter is the plant the module and cells in it were manufactured at – The year started back at A once Z was used (i.e., 1997) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – GNB ABSOLYTE •The date code is on a label placed on the steel module and consists of a three letter code – The second and third letters are MY (March 2008 for this modules). – A to M, excluding I, are used for the months J anuary to December; however, I is used for the year – The first letter is the plant the module and cells in it were manufactured at – The year started back at A once Z was used (i.e., 1997) The date code is a stamp or label on the side of the steel module ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 16 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – GNB SPRI NTER •The date code is on a label on the side of the plastic container •The code is shown two ways – The first is a letter and number representing MY (December 2001 for this example), where A to M, excluding I, are used for the months J anuary to December – The second is the month, followed by numbers representing MM-Y With a single digit for the year one may need to verify the installation date to determine the year (e.g., 1 could be 1991 or 2001) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – GNB MARATHON •The date code on this front connected battery is on a label on the rear of the plastic container •The code is shown two ways – The first is a letter and number representing MY (December 2001 for this example), where A to M, excluding I, are used for the months J anuary to December – The second is the month, followed by numbers representing YY – With a single digit for the year one may need to verify the installation date to determine the year (e.g., 9 could be 1999 or 2009) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 17 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – BAE •The date code is on a label located on the cell cover. The MMYY for the date code are punched on the label •For this battery the date code is December 2003 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – DOUGLAS VENTED CELLS •The date code is located on the cell nameplate •The code is MMYY (April 2004 and J uly 2005 for the cells shown) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 18 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – EAST PENN UNI GY I •The date code is on the nameplate on the battery container •The code is YYMM (February 2003 for this cell) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – EAST PENN UNI GY I I •The date code is on the nameplate on the steel module •The code is YYMM (J une 2003 for this module) •There is also a date code on the side of the steel module •The code is WW YY (week 22 of 2003 for this module) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 19 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – EAST PENN TELECOM •The date code is on the nameplate on the battery container •The code is MMYY (September 2004 for this cell) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – EAST PENN FRONT CONNECTED •The date code is on a label beneath the nameplate on the battery container •The code is MMYYYY (May 2009 for this battery) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 20 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – FI AMM/ALCAD/SAFT VENTED CELLS •The date code is stamped on the cell cover and consists of a letter followed by three numbers – The first letter represents the year (H is 2001) – The letters used are based on the Italian alphabet, A to Z, so the letters J ,K, W, X and Y are not used – The three numbers represent the day of the year (i.e., 1 to 365, or 1 to 366 for leap years) that the cell was manufactured on – The last letter is the cell type SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – FI AMM/ALCAD/SAFT MONOLI TE VRLA BATTERY •The date code is stamped on the cover of the battery container •The date code is YYMMDD (March 4, 2002 for this battery) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 21 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – FI AMM/ALCAD/SAFT MONOLI TE VRLA BATTERY •The date code is stamped on the cover of the battery container •The date code is WW YY (week 19 of 1992 for this battery) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – HAWKER* •The date code is on a label above the nameplate on the battery container •The code is MM/YY (August 2002 for this battery) *Hawker was acquired by EnerSys ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 22 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – HOPPECKE •The date code is on a label on the cell cover, separate from the cell nameplate •The code is MM/YY (May 2010 for this cell) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 I NTERSTATE BATTERI ES – CONCERTO (FRONT CONNECTED) •The date code is on a label or sticker on the jar cover MMYY (February 2007 below) or MMDDYY (August 1, 2007 left side) for the batteries shown ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 23 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 I NTERSTATE BATTERI ES – CONCERTO •The date code is on a label on the jar cover MMYY (February 2007 for the battery shown) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 I NTERSTATE BATTERI ES – HI GH RATE •The date code is on a label on the jar cover MMYY (October 2003 for the battery shown) and there are punch-outs on the nameplate that can be used to indicate the installation date ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 24 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – HBL VRLA CELLS •The date code is on a sticker affixed to the side of the steel module and is DD.MM.YY (October 2, 2006 for this battery) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – NI FE/LORI CA •The date code is “punched” on the specific YY MM printed on the cell cover •For this cell the date code is October 2003 ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 25 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – NORTHSTAR •The date code is on a label on the side of the plastic container •The code is straightforward and is MMYYYY (August 2005 for this battery) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – NORTHSTAR •The date code is on a label on the side of the plastic container •The code is straightforward and is DDMYY (11 August 2005 for this battery) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 26 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 •The date code is on a label located on the cell cover. The DDMMYYYY for the date code are indicated (i.e., “blacked out”) on the label •For this cell the date code is December 15, 2003 DATE CODE 1 – TAB BATTERY (MTI TECHNOLOGI ES) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 •The date code is heat stamped as YYMDD or YYMMDD on the cell cover. •For this cell the date code is J une 18, 2001 DATE CODE 2 – TAB BATTERY (MTI TECHNOLOGI ES) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 27 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – TYCO •The date code is on the nameplate on the steel module •The code is YYMM (J une 2002 for this module) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – YUASA NP •The date code is the first five characters “heat stamped” on the cover on the side of the container •The code is YMMDD (October 2001 for this cell) for monoblocs manufactured in North America •The code is different if the monobloc was manufactured in Asia ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 28 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – CHI NA STORAGE BATTERY •The date code is the first six characters on a label on the side of the container •The code is YYMMDD (March 27 and April 7, 2001 for the labels shown) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – PANASONI C VRLA •The date code is printed on top of the container and is YYMMDD (February 13, 1993 for this battery) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 29 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – POWER BATTERY •The date code is stamped on the negative post •The code is MM/Y (November 1997 for this cell) •With a single digit for the year one may need to verify the installation date to determine the year (e.g., 7 could be 1997 or 2007) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – POWER BATTERY •The date code is stamped on the negative post •The code is MM/Y (October 2007 for this cell) •With a single digit for the year one may need to verify the installation date to determine the year (e.g., 7 could be 1997 or 2007) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 30 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – POWERWARE VRLA •The date code is the first six characters on a label on the top of the container •The code is YYMMDD (February 14, 2006 for the labels shown) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – WERKER •The date code is on a label on the end of the plastic container •The date code consists of a letter and number representing MY (April 1999 and March 2000 for this example) – With a single digit for the year one may need to verify the installation date to determine the year (e.g., 0 could be 1990 or 2000) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 31 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE – CHLORI DE VENTED CELLS •The date code is located on the red polarity ring at the base of the positive post •The red ring has a two-digit number on it representing the year, followed by the numbers 1 to 12 for the months of the year •There is a “-” molded in the cover and the month of manufacture is located at the “-”. In this instance the date code is J une 1984 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – ALCAD Ni Cd •The date code is on the cell container •The code is MM/YY (J uly 2003 for this cell) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 32 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – ALCAD Ni Cd •The date code is on the cell container •The code is YYMM (May 2005 for this cell) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – SAFT Ni Cd •The date code is on the cell container •The code is MM/YY (March 2002 for this cell) ESA Consulting Engineers, PA Stationary Battery Information Date Codes Unmasked – 2012 Edition Page 33 ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 2 – SAFT Ni Cd •The date code is on a label located on the side of the cell container •The code is YYMM (December 1994 and November 2008 for these cells) SM ESA SM ESA ©MWM 2005, 2007-12 DATE CODE 1 – NI FE Ni Cd •The date code is on the cell container •The code is YQ, where a random letter was used for the year and the letters N, I, F, E were used to represent the 1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th quarters, respectively. The letter Y was used for 1998, so this cell was manufactured during the 3 rd quarter of 1988. Since the letter representing the year is random, the manufacturer would have to be consulted in any case