This Lead Acid battery tester works on all automotive 12V lead-acid batteries. Suitable for testing various battery types including ordinary lead-acid battery, AGM flat plate battery, AGM spiral battery, and GEL battery, etc. It quickly, easily, and accurately measures the Alternator’s charging and Starter’s cranking conditions.
Fortunately, you can easily do a basic health checkup on any type of lead acid battery by hooking it up to a simple-to-use digital voltmeter. If you have an open-cell battery that lets you access the liquid inside, you can do a more rigorous checkup with a battery hydrometer.
Charge the battery fully at least 8 hours before testing it. Lead acid batteries recharge in various manners based on their function and manner of installation. For a lead acid vehicle battery, drive the vehicle around for at least 20 minutes. For a lead acid battery connected to solar panels, let the battery charge fully on a sunny day.
Checking an open-cell lead acid battery—that is, a lead acid battery with caps that can be opened to access the liquid inside—with a battery hydrometer is most accurate when the battery is fully charged. Closed-cell lead acid batteries without the access caps cannot be tested this way.
To perform the load test, follow these steps: Charge the battery fully before testing. Connect the load tester to the battery terminals. Set the load tester to the appropriate load for the battery. Apply the load for 10 to 15 seconds. Record the voltage reading. Compare the voltage reading to the manufacturer’s specifications.
When used regularly it can be used for tracking the battery’s health and actual capacity and estimate remaining life of the battery. During the test it is measured how much capacity (current x time expressed in Ah) the battery can deliver before the terminal voltage drops to the end of discharge voltage x number of cells.