Question Battery tester needed

[Neal]

Okay, spend my money. Quartzsite has taught my I hate these lead acid (FLA) batteries. I also learned that I need to learn how to test them, house and chassis and not wait for surprises such as a no start. So what battery tester do you recommend and if there is anything to share as to how to use them and what to look for please educate me and other readers. I know some suggestions have been sprinkled in other discussions, let's make this thread strictly about battery testers and what you use or recommend.

 

[Neal]

Other threads where this has been asked:

Question - Test House batteries

How do I test the loads on my house battery to make sure they are all in good condition. My battery depletion rate seems fast even with minimal draw one light and frig and micro clock on. I see battery load testers on amazon but need more info on how to go about it.

rvforums.com

Question - When to replace your chassis batteries in your motorhome?

The emphasis always seems to be on the house batteries but when do RVers decide to replace their chassis batteries? Do you wait until you have a no crank situation? In my Newmar there is a battery boost option to get the battery juice from the house batteries but I prefer not to have to get to...

rvforums.com

Bad Batteries?

We were in a "rehab" state with the coach at that time so the coach remained stationary and the batteries never saw any use. They remained connected to shore power and should never have discharged enough to need the inverter/charger to "catch up". Is it possible, then, that they were constantly...

rvforums.com

Let's keep the specific product recommendations and how to use / suggestions in this thread so it's specific to the question at hand.

 

[Neal]

In one of the above threads @TJ&LadyDi recommended this one:

Amazon.com: Associated Equipment 6029 6/12V 125 Amp Hand Held Analog Battery Tester: Automotive

I'm looking at this one strongly:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ANF1D7U/?tag=rvf01-20 (good reviews on this - this may NOT work on 6V batteries)

Edit: Found this on the Foxwell:

PLEASE NOTE:
1. The FOXWELL BT705 battery tester will test 12V&24V car starting and charging system, BUT it can not test 6V and 24V battery alone!!!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

If you want to test 6V batteries, you need to be careful in selecting a tester. I did quite a bit of looking around and found only a few would do 6V. Pretty much all of them will do 12V and some will do 24V.

When testing batteries, you need something that will test each individual battery. Testing them as a group doesn't tell you much.

TJ

 

[Neal]

I was wondering if testing individual batteries really is important because they are connected as pairs, and if one in that pair is bad then both are bad and both need to be replaced as a pair from what I've heard. So I wonder if testing our house batteries if we are doing it correctly in testing individual batteries vs. 12v pairs?

Why do we use 6V batteries instead of 12V batteries? Maybe for another thread...

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I dunno, @Neal. What I do know is that being able to test individual batteries is important to ME...but, maybe not to others.

TJ

 

[Neal]

Just trying to learn, not stating any opinions. I have ZERO knowledge of this hence this thread.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Didn't mean to be terse, @Neal. There are many different kinds of battery issues and I want to be able to test down to the lowest component level. In general, I agree that paired batteries should be replaced with a pair, but maybe not always. One example: I bought new batteries for the 5th wheel some years back and one of them was bad from the get-go. If I could have only tested them as a pair, it would have been harder to know which one was the problem.

TJ

 

[redbaron]

Testing 6v individually is very important during the batteries warranty. This starts day 1 and ends usually around day 2. I am joking, but the day 1 issue is very important to be aware of. When spending 200-300 or more per battery, knowing it is good on day 1 is crucial.

As time goes on, it is less important, but for me, it is still an issue. If my bank is 3 years old and 1 battery is dead, i would replace the single battery. If 7 years old, I may replace the pair of whole set.

Bottom line, knowing the root cause of the problem is ideal.

2019 DSDP 4369 * Active Air * NHSO

 

[Neal]

@redbaron any suggestions on a tester?

 

[redbaron]

I am old school. I test voltage with a multimeter, and load with a simple load tester.

This would be similar to what I have, although mine is 20 years old, same basic concept.

Schumacher BT-100 100 Amp Capacity Battery Load Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AMBOI0/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_Z9ZiEbZ4TGJ8B

2019 DSDP 4369 * Active Air * NHSO

 

[Neal]

I am old school. I test voltage with a multimeter, and load with a simple load tester.

This would be similar to what I have, although mine is 20 years old, same basic concept.

Schumacher BT-100 100 Amp Capacity Battery Load Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AMBOI0/?tag=rvf01-20

So I went to that link and Amazon shows me I already purchased it - so now I have to figure out what I did with it!! I'm sure it's at home in my garage somewhere. Hmmmm (A.G.E. syndrome striking again)

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I love it! You're the man, @Neal.

TJ

 

[J&JD]

So I went to that link and Amazon shows me I already purchased it - so now I have to figure out what I did with it!! I'm sure it's at home in my garage somewhere. Hmmmm (A.G.E. syndrome striking again)

Maybe if you check with Newmar they might find that Essex you ordered. ?

 

[Neal]

Maybe if you check with Newmar they might find that Essex you ordered. ?

The day I forget to show up for FPU please commit me!

 

[Chuggs]

I’m under the assumption that the 12v load testing devices are suitable for determining if your starting battery is serviceable. It will apply a resistance and watch the voltage result. More to see if it has the cold cranking amps needed to run the starter for a short time.

Testing deep cycle 6v batteries would require a timed run down using a device which applies a known load and records the time to drain the battery to the mfg. spec. The alternative being a EIS type tester which applies a load and compares the characteristics of the voltage drop to known data to extrapolate the results.

I’m kinda hesitant to drain my battery to find out if it was good or not, I don’t think the test itself is a healthy thing to do to the battery???? I’m probably wrong. It still isn’t convenient. Cannot imagine the Hassle of taking two 6v batteries and performing tests...which might take a couple of days...and repeating for three more pairs. You could spend a week testing. Or find a service with an EIS tester... you still have to isolate the batteries for testing, but the test takes less than a minute.

 

[RKins]

I was wondering if testing individual batteries really is important because they are connected as pairs, and if one in that pair is bad then both are bad and both need to be replaced as a pair from what I've heard. So I wonder if testing our house batteries if we are doing it correctly in testing individual batteries vs. 12v pairs?

Why do we use 6V batteries instead of 12V batteries? Maybe for another thread...

From a sailing website:
"
6v golf cart batteries generally have much thicker plates than their 12v "deep cycle" counterparts. i.e. the 6v battery is truly a deep cycle battery where most of the 12v batteries are dual-purpose.

They're also relatively cheap. They're also much easier to handle than 4d or 8d batteries. Bang-for-buck, for a SLA, I'd always go for 6v batteries.
"
Also watch this video from approx 10:30 to 15:00