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Question Battery tester needed

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Neal

Staff member
RVF Administrator
Joined
Jul 27, 2019
Messages
11,477
Location
Midlothian, VA
RV Year
2017
RV Make
Newmar
RV Model
Ventana 4037
RV Length
40' 10"
Chassis
Freightliner XCR
Engine
Cummins 400 HP
TOW/TOAD
2017 Chevy Colorado
Fulltimer
No
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.
 
Other threads where this has been asked:




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


foxwell-battery-tester.png
 
Last edited:
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
 
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...
 
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
 
Just trying to learn, not stating any opinions. I have ZERO knowledge of this hence this thread.
 
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
 
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
 

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