How Do You Know When a Battery Is Bad
Having battery troubles? Yeah, nosotros hear you lot. Almost everyday, we receive calls and comments about batteries that "won't concord a charge" whatever more. Peradventure you've been in that boat before. To clear up a misconception: a battery isn't similar a water canteen. You tin can't use up half at present, and and then wait and employ half subsequently. Information technology's not a tank of electricity. Also, batteries don't "leak" power like water can. What we're dealing with is a atomic number 82 acid battery in a plastic box that encases a delicate balance of chemicals which are set up to collaborate with each other to produce electricity when the load is applied.
If your battery is having problem property nether load, and then chances are it'south a chemic result.
How to examination a bombardment:
Hither are some ways to test your bombardment at home, and determine if it's bad:
i) Inspect the Battery
Sometimes you can tell if your bombardment is bad by simply taking a good expect. There are a few things to inspect:
- Broken final
- Bulge or bump in the instance
- Crack or rupture of the plastic
- Excessive leaking
- Discoloration
Cleaved or loose terminals are dangerous and can cause a short circuit. If a brusk did occur, there would exist some indication of burning or melting. When a bombardment curt circuits, all the power is unloaded in an instant. That produces a lot of heat, and sometimes fifty-fifty causes the battery to explode.
If the battery is still intact, only there is a bulge in the case, this is ordinarily a event of being overcharged. Other signs such as physical openings in the case are often caused by mishandling. Cracks, splits, and holes volition not cause a bombardment to stop working, but for condom reasons the battery should be labeled unsafe to utilize.
With wet-jail cell (flooded) batteries, h2o levels must exist maintained. If they are depression, usually refilling them with distilled h2o will help. Simply, if the cells inside the bombardment have been exposed to air for a long fourth dimension, it can crusade a problem. When the plates within each prison cell are exposed to oxygen it can rapidly dry the paste that surrounds the lead plates. When the paste has stale information technology creates a barrier that prevents the chemic reaction within the battery. This tin also cause the sulfation that has already occurred to harden leading to a sulfated battery which is the number one crusade of early battery failure. We strongly recommend checking the water levels prior to charging a moisture cell battery since charging a dry out battery will burn it up. If your battery has plenty of fluid in the cells, but the color is dark, or brown, this is also an indication of a bad battery. Even if one cell is chocolate-brown, it is rendered useless and therefore the entire battery is, too. Time to replace your battery!
2) Take a Voltage Reading
The voltage of a battery is a proficient way to determine the land of charge. Here'southward a handy table with the breakdown:
| State of Charge | Voltage |
| 100% | 12.7 - 13.2 |
| 75% | 12.4 |
| 50% | 12.i |
| 25% | 11.7 |
| Discharged | 0 - 11.6 |
If your battery is:
- Reading 0 volts, chances are the battery experienced a short circuit
- Cannot reach higher than 10.5 volts when being charged, then the battery has a expressionless cell
- Fully charged (co-ordinate to the battery charger) merely the voltage is 12.four or less, the bombardment is sulfated
Sulfation is the natural byproduct when the battery discharges. Naturally, re-charging the battery will reverse the sulfation crystals and turn it back into electrolyte, ready to produce ability once more. But if a bombardment sabbatum, uncharged, severely discharged, and/or drained for extended periods of fourth dimension, the sulfation will increase in size and harden onto the plates. This covers the surface expanse of the plates, removing the chemicals needed to produce power.
Sulfation decreases the potential to reach a full charge, and it self-discharges the battery quicker than normal. Charging a sulfated battery is similar trying to wash your easily while wearing gloves. At this bespeak, charging alone volition not restore the bombardment to a healthy condition. The bulk of replacement battery purchases occur when the original bombardment has reached this point.
three) Load Examination the Battery
Your local automotive shop is more able to load test your battery, but information technology's quite like shooting fish in a barrel to do at home and all you need is a digital voltmeter. For whatsoever load test to be accurate, the battery must be fully charged and left to sit 12 hours before load testing the bombardment. A recently charged battery volition concord a residual charge from the charger, so letting the battery sit for 12 hours will release that residual charge and give you a more than authentic sense on how the battery will perform under normal circumstances. To the exam...
Let'south employ a motorbike battery for an case:
- Remove the seat and expose the bombardment in your bike so that you take access to the terminals. Do not disconnect the battery because you will attempt to start the bike.
- Hold the prongs of your voltmeter to the correct terminals on the battery.
- At present push button the start button and picket what the voltage drops to. It doesn't affair if the cycle starts or not, what you're looking for is a voltage reading.
A healthy 12 volt bombardment should maintain a voltage range from 9.6 - 10.5 volts under the load for a good 30 seconds straight.
For starting batteries we don't wait yous to run the starter for 30 seconds, so if yous meet the voltage meter drop inside the voltage range and it sounded like a expert strong start, then y'all probably merely had a discharged battery. However, if under the starting load the voltage drops below nine.6v, then it is nearly likely time to replace the bombardment.
For deep bike application if the battery holds under load for a few seconds so voltage starts to steadily drop this would indicate a problem with the battery. If the voltage instantly drops to 0 volts, that is likewise a problem. Nosotros phone call this the open cell. On a new battery, this can exist a result of manufacturing flaws, only information technology too may exist caused by sulfate crystal buildup.
A mutual occurrence with open prison cell batteries is that under the intense estrus of the load, ane or more of the weld pieces connecting the cells together is coming loose and separating. This will cut the electric current, and voltage volition drop. When the battery cools off, the pieces will touch, barely giving a complete connectedness. This gives you a fake voltage reading. Batteries with open cells may read fully charged in idle, but they fail nether a load test every time. Once a bombardment reaches this point, there is no going back. The all-time matter to practice is recycle the thing.
How to tell if a battery is bad or skilful: These 3 steps volition assistance you examination and make up one's mind if your battery is truly bad or getting there. Sometimes it'due south obvious if in that location is a failure, merely other times information technology'southward not. Flooded batteries make it possible to simply look inside the cells and determine if the battery has a physical defect. Just for sealed AGM and Gel batteries, it requires testing. The only tools you actually need are a battery charger and a digital voltmeter. If your battery experiences any of the symptoms described in the steps above, and then maybe it's time to supersede the battery.
Wait no further. We've got a wide selection of powersports batteries for your motorcycle, ATV, scooter, jet ski, or snowmobile. But we also bear batteries for lawn mowers, wheelchairs / mobility scooters, UPS systems, RVs, and marine applications. Whether yous need a starting battery or a deep cycle battery, we have the stuff. And all of our replacement batteries come up with warranties to ensure that you won't have any of these problems with your new bombardment.
Notice Your Battery
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Written on past Stoney DeGeyter with BatteryStuff.com 
Modified on
How to Tell if Your Battery Is Bad in 3 Easy Steps
Source: https://www.batterystuff.com/blog/how-to-tell-if-your-battery-is-bad.html
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