How to Use a Lead Acid Battery Tester
The carbon pile battery load tester is what is used for testing a lead acid battery. The process of testing a lead acid battery is fairly simple for someone who works with automobiles and has been trained as a mechanic. After the first time, the testing should run very smoothly.
- Brush any loose corrosion from the battery. Corrosion is found around the battery's terminals and comes from the breaking down of the chemicals inside the battery. Always wear safety equipment when doing this such as gloves and safety goggles. The chemicals can be very dangerous.
- Mix together water and baking soda. Mix it until it becomes a paste and then brush the past on as a coating. Let it sit on the terminals for around fifteen minutes or so and then wipe the battery posts clean with a cloth. Be sure to throw away the cloth where children or pets cannot reach it.
- Turn the load control on the tester completely to the off position. This direction would be counterclockwise. Do not connect the tester when there is a load dialed in, as this will cause sparking and the possibility of an explosion.
- Connect the tester to the battery by connecting the attachments to the right battery post; (+) is for the positive and is red. The negative is (- -). It is important to hook these up correctly. Another way to tell the difference is the negative post is smaller in diameter than the positive.
- Verify the clamps are making a good electrical connection with the posts by wiggling the clamps a little back and forth.
- Hold the load no longer than fifteen seconds. Doing so will cause the battery to overheat from the prolonged load. A battery's plates can become warped from overheating.
- Check the reading after the 15-second load on the voltmeter. If the reading is in the red zone on the state of charge scale, then the battery needs to be charged but is still good. If the reading is in the green, then the battery is good.