Ed, If I'm reading?FAR 43 correctly, this maintenance action?should be entered into the Aircraft (not Engine) logbook.?
But I'd be willing to bet you a cold Coke that your mechanic will not be willing to enter the problem (frozen battery) and corrective action (thawed, recharged and reinstalled battery) in your logbook.? ?I don't know the?manufacturer of your battery, but?I would suggest that you?contact the manufacturer and see what they have to say about thawing out a frozen battery and putting it back in service. The Gill's Maintenance manual says to replace the battery if it is frozen.? See: http://gillbatteries.com/pdfs/Flooded_Service_Manual.pdf >From Page 37: Problem, Cause and Recommendations Electrolyte in battery freezes. Battery left in a discharged state. Electrolyte specific gravity too Replace battery. ? So whatever brand of battery you have, I doubt that your mechanic is going to be able to sign that off "in accordance with" anything at all. Technicalities and legalities aside, there's no way I would fly an airplane with a battery that had been frozen, thawed and recharged.? To me, that's like flying?around with a slightly damaged grenade?in the baggage compartment.? Too much energy, no containment if something goes wrong. BTW, for what it's worth, I agree with you about the bill.? I wouldn't complain at all about 1 hour of labor cost?to remove, charge and reinstall a battery in a Coupe.? That seems more than reasonable.? For that 1 hour charge you got his time (even if it was only 12 minutes), his tools,?his battery charger, his electricity, his insurance coverage, and probably the use of his facility.? When I pay my mechanic, I?am always worried that he's not charging enough to stay in business and that he won't be there when I need him again!? As always, just my opinion. Best Regards, Wayne DelRossi Alon N5618F -----Original Message----- From: carl_lavon <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tue, 24 Feb 2009 4:45 pm Subject: [ercoupe-tech] Battery repair... I told the group recently of my leaving the master switch on and my battery going dead and freezing. Line guy removed the battery, let it thaw, charged it, a mechanic tested it then left it on the bench for two days, re-tested and inspected the battery again and returned it to service. Question: Is that something that should be included in my aircraft log or engine log? Or is it of no consequence and not worth an entry? And, yes, they charged me a full hour for about 12 minutes work! I'm disabled and not a mechanic and I don't play one on TV, so I'm not bitching (I guess) about tbe bill. I'm asking because this is my first aircraft and I'm not sure what should be included insofar as aircraft and engine log entries go. My Grandfather always said that the only stupid question... Respects and thanks in advance, Carl LaVon N415CB '46 ERCO 415C KJVY
