Elk Battery LifeTester -BLT User's Manual
Contents
1. The Best column will be 90 of the baseline number The first and second numbers in the Good column are 80 and 89 of the baseline The first and second numbers in the Weak column are 70 and 79 of the baseline The Bad column is 0 and 69 of the baseline Instructions ELK BLT Accumulating Trend Analysis over a Period of Years Trending of periodic Mhos measurements can yield valuable insights for estimating the remaining life of the battery Suppose that a4 0 Ah battery has been in service for three years and that the Life Tester measurements after the first year was 90 Mhos 85 Mhos after the second year and 80 Mhos after the third year Since the battery is still at 80 Mhos and is dropping an average of 5 Mhos per year it is highly likely that this battery will not need replacing before the end of the fourth year On the other hand suppose that the readings were 90 Mhos after the first year 82 Mhos after the second year and 70 Mhos after the third year The rate of decay has increased from 8 Mhos to 12 Mhos per year This indicates that although the battery is still serviceable it is degrading more and more rapidly It is unlikely that this battery will be serviceable for another year Under these circumstances either the battery should be replaced early or the service interval should be shortened to catch this battery before a system failure Why Mhos instead of Amp Hour The Life Tester measures the Mhos conduct2. 05 04 PRODUCTS INC Instructions ELK 1 Disconnect the battery from it s equipment 2 Connect the BLACK test clip to the Negative battery terminal and the RED to the Positive terminal For accurate readings the test clips must be tightly clipped directly to the battery posts not to the battery bolts Err or blank indicates battery voltage is too low for testing or a test clip connection is loose Try charging the battery or reconnecting the test clips 3 The Voltage of the Battery will display briefly A new battery out of the box will generally read around 12 6 Volts A fully charged battery should read between 12 6 Volts and 13 5 Volts indicates test in process please wait 4 The Mhos internal conductance reading of the battery will display within 6 seconds 5 Refer to the Mhos Chart In the Ah column find the battery size Follow across the row to find the closest match to it s Mhos reading The column heading and color code indicates the test results NOTE The Mhos chart printed on the BLT is best suited for batteries under charge and at room temperatures of around 72F degrees This covers most batteries even in cold basements or buildings since the battery will be kept warm by the recharging and by being inside the electronics enclosure However since cooler temperatures can significantly lower the Mhos reading of a battery this instruction manual has a more extensive Mho
3. 230 261 205 368 413 414 0 29 3607 264 301 339 0 328 376 422 423 0 0 0 N Ororo N N or 389 368 270 30 347s 0 335 E 397 376 276 31 354 TAI E E E e Re W N w oO Bad Replace immediately eak Nearing end of life replace soon Good Adequate standby power Best Battery is fresh and well charged ELK Products is not responsible for misprints or errors These Mhos values are benchmark averages created from fresh samples of major brand batteries If you find consistent minor variations in readings from multiple samples of a battery it s likely due to manufacturing differences However if the readings are excessively low the battery is not as good as the benchmark average If this chart does not include the battery you are testing it may be necessary to generate the values using the procedure below Adding to the Battery Mhos Chart If the battery you are trying to test is not included in the Battery Mhos Chart it may be necessary to research and generate the data on your own The following procedure will help with this task Start with 2 or 3 fresh new batteries out of the box The battery voltage should be around 12 6 Volts or higher Place the batteries in service on charge for 24 hours Remove them from charge and measure the Mhos reading of each one Average the readings together This will be the baseline number from which the Best Good Weak and Bad columns are calculated
4. Battery LifeTester The NEW and improved ELK BLT v 2 Battery LifeTester is a compact easy to use Mhos Meter for testing 12 Volt rechargeable batteries Unlike ordinary testers which only measure static criteria the LifeTester measures internal conductivity which is the best indicator of a battery s health and life expectancy The conductivity value expressed in Mhos the inverse of Ohms or resistance is easily compared to benchmark readings from the included Mhos Chart The chart then categorizes the battery condition as Best Good Weak or Bad Every battery type has a characteristic Mhos value when it is brand new and fully charged The LifeTester is powered by the battery under test and automatically warns when the battery voltage is too low for testing e Does not discharge or damage the battery e Tests 12 Volt Rechargeable Batteries e Display Shows Battery Voltage and Mhos e Warns if battery voltage is too low Replaceable test leads Includes padded carrying case Includes self adhesive test data labels Lifetime Limited Warranty e Operating Voltage 10 0V 14 Volts D C e Current Draw 1 1 Amps Max 0 0016 Ah for full test e Battery Leads 12 Inches e Size 4 4 W x 3H x 1 15 D w o carrying case To reorder a pack of 100 test data labels specify ELK BLT LABELS PO Box 100 Hildebran NC 28637 800 797 9355 828 397 4200 Fax 828 397 4415 www elkproducts com info elkproducts com
5. ance of a battery using an AC impedance measurement algorithm Every battery manufacturing process produces a slightly different conductance value for a given battery size Elk Products elected to display consistent accurate Mhos conductance values rather than just estimated Amp Hour values The only accurate method for measuring a battery s Amp hour capacity is with a long discharge test which actually decreases the life of the battery Estimation of Amp hour capacity without a discharge test is a complex error prone process involving the conductance value the battery state of charge the voltage the temperature and the many varying design and production variables for each battery type Ordinary testers which measure static criteria or Amp hour are inherently inaccurate across varying battery designs In contrast extensive testing has proven that when the conductance of a charged battery is tested and has declined to approximately 70 of its full capacity reference the battery is unlikely to deliver its rated capacity and should be replaced Is Mhos relational to Cold Cranking Amp The LifeTester is designed to measure the conductance of a battery at frequencies indicative of the capacity of a battery in Amp hour Conductance measurements for estimating the Cold Cranking Amps for starter type batteries are at a much higher frequency Although the measurement techniques are similar there is little correlation between the Cold Cranking Amps meas
6. charge The higher the Mhos value the more current the battery can deliver Therefore anew 7 amp hour battery will have a higher Mhos value than a new 4 amp hour battery of the similar construction Instructions ELK BLT How Temperature affects a Battery Generally speaking temperatures below 72F degrees tend to slow down a battery s internal activity causing a significant decrease in the Mhos conductivity reading as the temperature falls Cool temperatures not below freezing will tend to prolong a battery s life Temperatures above 72F cause a battery s internal activity to accelerate but with only a slight increase in the Mhos reading Warm temperatures will tend to dry out and degrade a battery much faster than normal 100 F degrees 105 of normal Mhos conductivity 52 F degrees 87 of normal Mhos conductivity 72 F degrees 0 no adjustment 42 F degrees 82 of normal Mhos conductivity 62 F degrees 92 of normal Mhos conductivity 32 F degrees 76 of normal Mhos conductivity Battery Mhos Chart for various Temperature Environments 72F Degree Environment 62F Degree Cool Environment 52F Degree Cold Environment 42F Degree Cold Environment Ideal Conditions 8 degrade 13 degrade 18 degrade 7 22 26 29 3 0 50 5 3 0 Ah 58 3an 0 49 80 57 58 64 5 53 59 ZE 41 46 aoan 0 64 65 73 74 83 oes 67 76 77 85 86 248 0 176 244 320 359 360 0 25 33T 313
7. s chart with columns for evaluating batteries that are being adversely affected by 62F 52F and 42F degree environments Also see How Temperature affects a Battery 6 For future reference mark the battery with the Voltage Mhos reading and test date Automatic Shutdown If the LifeTester is left connected to a battery for more than 30 seconds after the test is complete it will automatically shutdown to conserve battery power Disconnecting and reconnecting a test lead will restart the test procedure Recording Battery Readings LifeTester measurements should be taken and recorded periodically The popular method is to record the information onto self adhesive labels placed directly onto the battery A supply of these labels is included with the tester Additional labels may be ordered in packs of 100 by specifying part number ELK BLT LABELS This information will be valuable in future tests for trending analysis The recorded data should include A The Date of the test B The Battery Voltage reading optional C The Mhos reading Anew fresh out of the box battery that has not been charged should have a Mhos value in the high side of the Good column and quite possibly into the Best column See the Mhos chart If the reading is considerably lower charge the battery for at least 24 hours and then retest Battery performance degrades over time due to use and abuse and may be impacted by many factors like depth and frequency of dis
8. urement of a battery and the Mhos reading of the Life Tester or vice versa Using Mhos to Estimate Battery Life The Mhos reading of a new battery out of the box will generally not be the same as that of a fully charged battery This is due to the plates not being totally formed during manufacturing Once the battery has been on charge for some time the plates will finish forming and the peak Mhos reading will normalize For standby batteries peak capacity is normally reached after about three months on a float charging system For cyclic use batteries full capacity may not be reached until after ten to thirty cycles depending upon the depth of discharge and the charging method If a new battery has been in storage for an extended period say over six months without being charged plate oxidation from self discharge will occur causing a decrease in the Mhos reading Plate oxidation also occurs in standby batteries during a power failure particularly if a battery remains in a highly discharged state for an extended time period Plate oxidation is unhealthy and can destroy a battery s capacity Once a battery is weakened by plate oxidation it is difficult to recover full capacity without special charging or conditioning methods In some cases a battery will recover and pass a test after being recharged However a second test should be performed a few days later after recovery to accurately assess the overall life of the battery The average life c
9. ycle of a sealed lead acid battery in standby use on a float charge is 3 to 5 years Abattery with a Mhos reading of less than 70 of its original capacity is no longer considered serviceable and should be replaced
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