Hi. I have a 110 amp leisure battery on my caravan,Can anyone recommend a battery tester for these batteries will a ordinary 12v car battery tester be ok for a 110 amp battery. Regards
I have been in a similar situation. I got the battery checked at a garage and they said it was OK . I found it was still not lasting long in use so I tried elsewhere. they said that although the indicator on the battery showed green it was no good as the best test was whether it actually worked. If you test just after charging it would probably show as good.in use,
Accurately testing batteries isn't always the easiest thing to do.
A 12V battery should read about 12.7V when fully charged, 12.4 at 75% charge, 12.2 at 50%, 12.2 at 25%, and 11.9 when discharged. Having a meter that can read to 0.1V is important. A voltage reading of 10.5+/- may indicate a shorted cell.
Next I would do a load test. A typical starting battery might be rated at 500CCA. With a fully and freshly charged battery it would be best to apply a 20 amp load for 3-5 minutes to burn off the surface charge. Then apply a 250 amp load for 15 min. Next take hydrometer readings of all cells. There should not be more than .05 difference between all cells.
Maintenance free/sealed batteries are harder to test.
Best to use your batteries and keep them fully charged to prolong their life.
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Topic: Battery Tester
