What should battery voltage read

If the battery is fully charged according to the battery charger but the voltage is Sulfation is the natural byproduct when the battery discharged. Naturally, charging the battery back up will reverse the sulfation crystals and turn it back into electrolyte, ready to produce power again. But if a battery has sat, uncharged, and drained for extended periods of time, the sulfation will increase and harden onto the plates.

This covers the surface area available for power. It decreases the potential to fully charge, and it self-discharges the battery quicker. It's not very effective. If your battery cannot even reach a full charge, consider it bad. Mechanic and automotive shops are more than able to load test your battery for you.

But It's quite easy to do at home. All you need is a digital voltmeter. For any load test to be accurate, the battery must be at fully charge. For our example, let's test a motorcycle battery. Expose the battery in your bike so that you have 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. Now, push the starter button, and watch what the voltage drops to. It doesn't matter if the bike starts or not, what you're looking for is a voltage reading.

A healthy 12 volt motorcycle battery should maintain a range from 9. If the battery begins to hold and then steadily declines, there is a problem.

If the voltage drops to 0 volts, there is a problem. We call this, the open cell. This is typically a result of poor manufacturing at the factory, but it can be caused by sulfate crystal buildup as well.

Under the intense heat of the load, one or more of the weld pieces connecting the cells is coming loose and separating. This gives you a false indication of a true voltage reading. Batteries with open cells may read fully charged in idle, but they fail under a load test. These 3 steps will help you determine if your battery is bad or not. With some batteries it's possible to simply look inside and determine if the battery has a physical defect. But for the sealed AGM and Gel batteries, it requires testing.

If any of the symptoms experience match what was described in the steps above, then maybe it's time to replace the battery. We've got a wide selection of powersports batteries for your motorcycle, ATV, scooter, Jet Ski, or snow mobile. If you need a starting battery, or a deep cycle, we've got the stuff. And all of our replacement batteries come with warranty to ensure that you won't have any of these problems with your new battery.

Name Should contain only letters, numbers, and ' -. Email Email address should be formatted user domain. If it is safe to access the batteries while the mower is running you could put a volt meter on each battery and see how they are holding under load. The voltmeter would only detect what is between its positive and negative, so the battereis could still be tested like above while the mower is turned on.

However, I bet the manufacturer warns against such practices and we don't want anybody getting hurt, so it might be simpler to get a load tester and test the batteries while the mower isn't running. As far as weather is concerned you do not need to be worry about the batteries freezing if they are being maintained with a charger. A fully charged battery will not freeze in your locations since the acid concentration would prevent the battery from freezing, so not heating device would be needed.

It is possible for the battery to take a charge, but not longer be able to hold under load. I would suggest charging the battery, and once charged disconnect the battery from both bike and charger and let it sit for 12hrs. After 12hrs you can hook it back up and see if the battery is able to start your bike. Typically a good battery will hold under load at least 9.

If you find the battery is doing just fine you may have a parasitic draw that you need to track down. The smallest panel we typically recommend for maintenance charging is a 3-watt panel such as the PulseTech SP Powering an a microwave through an inverter requires a battery that can hold under a large amp load. Even a smaller watt microwave will require an amp load in excess of 70 amps back to the battery on a 12v inverter.

I can tell you that the smaller group D34M Optima Blue Top is only a 55AH battery and could only last under load for about 12 mins before you start to excessively discharge the battery. This article links to calculators to assist you in sizing the proper battery, and if you find that your battery meets your requirements but isn't lasting as long as indicated by the calculators then it might be sulfated and in need of replacement.

Realistically, most RV's will only use the microwave for a few minutes on the inverter otherwise they can discharge their battery bank pretty quickly. Ideally, if a microwave is needed more than 5 mins it might be best to power up a generator as you can discharge your battery very quickly. Been working for a parts store for about 17 years. Cant always teach you the things you need to know, while your working.

You have to look for the knowleadge of others if you are willing to learn. So you can pass it on to your customers and employees. The reason I read this article is because it was my very own battery giving me problems. Thank you. Now I know what to look for and test it or at home. Just a question about dry cells. How long for an idle battery with a dry cell before it gets damaged?

In general we recommend that if you are not going to use a battery put it on a maintainer. I had a battery that got submerged, the poles were covered in water, for a week and the battery drained down to 3 volts. There is no visual damage to the battery. Any chance this battery can be used again? Unfortunately, the electrolyte most likely mixed with the water and was highly diluted.

This is the reason why the voltage dropped so much, and unfortunately you cannot get the acid back. In a situation like this we recommend replacing the battery. I would consult with the manual of the UPS , but it sounds like it is no longer able to hold under load when using the batteries. If in fact it is time for the batteries to be replaced you can view our replacement UPS Batteries. Thanks for all the info. It was just the things I was wondering so I could determine what to do next.

For this, you will need a voltmeter. A fully charged battery should read over If the battery reads After charging the battery or jump starting the car, connect the voltmeter to the battery the same as before and not the charging voltage.

A charging system that is operating normally should produce about If the charging voltage is less than You should have the alternator tested or bench tested at an auto parts store. If the current output is not up to specifications, replace the alternator. After the battery has been recharged, the battery should also be tested to see if it is capable of holding a charge. This can be done with a hand-held electronic battery tester or a conventional load tester.

The tester will tell you if the battery is good or bad. NOTE: Load testers require the battery to be fully charged for accurate test results. By comparison, most electronic testers will give reliable test results even if the battery is not fully charged.

If the battery fails a load test, it needs to be replaced. The average service life of a wet cell lead-acid car battery is only about four to five years, and can be as little as three years in really hot climates like Arizona and Florida. AGM batteries are better and typically last 6 or more years. So if you have a conventional wet cell battery that is more than four or five years old, chances are it has reached the end of its useful service life and needs to be replaced if it is not accepting or holding a charge and the charging system is working normally.

If your car battery is less than six years old and tests okay, and the charging system is working normally, your battery may be running down because of a key-off current drain also called "parasitic battery drain". When you turn the ignition off, switch the lights off and remove the key from the ignition switch or the smart key fob from the vehicle , the electrical load on the battery should drop to almost nothing.

On older cars that do not have computers or other onboard electronic modules, the key-off load on the battery is typically only a few milliamps if it has a clock or a digital radio , or it may drop to zero no load at all.

However, on late model vehicles with computers and numerous electronic modules, the key-off drain on the battery can range from 20 to 50 milliamps, and as much as to milliamps on some applications. On some Fords, the electrical system will continue to pull as much as milliamps almost 1 amp for up to 20 minutes or more after the ignition has been turned off.

The key-off current drain is used by the modules to keep their memories alive. Many modules have internal timers that either turn off the module to put it into a "sleep mode," or power down the module to a "standby mode" to reduce the parasitic power drain on the battery after a predetermined length of time when the key is turned off.

Some of these modules power down in steps and time out at different rates. You can expect to see the battery voltage measure around If the voltage reading is significantly lower or higher, it could mean issues with the battery or alternator.

If the headlights dim during cranking, there might not be enough battery charge. If the charging voltage drops under The voltmeter or volt meter is a simple instrument for measuring the electrical potential between two points in an electric circuit.

The multimeter measures multiple electrical properties — typically voltage Volt , resistance Ohms , and current Amps. The alternator converts mechanical energy from the engine into electrical current for the car battery.

Generally, the alternator produces more current at higher speeds which means that driving faster will produce more current. You should check your battery voltage at least twice annually. If the reading is below Using a trickle charger helps avoid the risk of battery overheating and overcharging. The battery load test is used to test the battery under load and is a more accurate battery health indicator than voltage measurement.

If you need more than a car battery voltage test, a professional mechanic is your best option. They can handle all the car battery maintenance tasks — including load testing, checking battery cables to battery replacement.

Like RepairSmith! Your vehicle could be from a reputable manufacturer, be well maintained, have a full tank of fuel and fitted with brand new tyres - but if you've got a flat battery you won't be going anywhere. The majority of automotive lead-acid batteries are now classed as being "maintenance free" but this doesn't mean there isn't anything you can do to help extend their service life.

If you're looking to extend the life of your battery there are a few easy things you can do at home.

As a rule, the following items should be checked once a month to maintain optiumum performance, or at least every three months at a minimum. Keeping your lead-acid battery clean is an easy way to extend service life.

Ensure the top of the battery is clean, and that the terminals are free of corrosion. It is a little known fact that a dirty battery can discharge across the grime sitting between the terminal posts, reducing service life.