Mike, for voltage testing, it's worth waiting a bit after a charge up.. the battery needs 30 mins or so to settle down, cant remember what the phenomenon was, 'surface charge' or something
this could be useful ?
http://www.solarseller.com/battery_stat ... charts.htm
Battery testing
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handyman
- Posts: 1107
- Joined: 20 May 2003, 18:38
- x 2
Hello Mike, the only way you can test a battery to see if it has sufficient life in it, is to use a discharge tester. This will put a load across the terminals and draw the same current as the cranking amps needed to activate the starter motor with the engine attached.
The unit I use, and have done for the last thirty years, is a Nolton Tester. Very simple device, a very thick wire, sandwiched between two fibre plates, with a moving coil voltmeter across the contacts. Depending on the state of the battery, you can interpret the voltage readings to tell you whether the battery is good, below par or fit for recycling.
Most firms that sell batteries will have something like this to test batteries and, despite your scepticism, they cannot be doctored to give a false reading. Go to your local supplier and get it tested, it will save you alot of time and effort, as you will know in a matter of minutes whether your battery is any good. Ask them to do the test in front of you.
Handyman
The unit I use, and have done for the last thirty years, is a Nolton Tester. Very simple device, a very thick wire, sandwiched between two fibre plates, with a moving coil voltmeter across the contacts. Depending on the state of the battery, you can interpret the voltage readings to tell you whether the battery is good, below par or fit for recycling.
Most firms that sell batteries will have something like this to test batteries and, despite your scepticism, they cannot be doctored to give a false reading. Go to your local supplier and get it tested, it will save you alot of time and effort, as you will know in a matter of minutes whether your battery is any good. Ask them to do the test in front of you.
Handyman