brand new 115amp luisure batteries only showing 81amps is this correct

[sjclewes]

hi al ive just bought 3 new batteries 2x 115 amp showing 81 amps and one 115 engine battery showing 89 amps ive been testing them at room temp after full charge and been at rest for 24 hours they were tested using a act intelrgent battery tester are these ok or faulty

 

[sailorman]

hi al ive just bought 3 new batteries 2x 115 amp showing 81 amps and one 115 engine battery showing 89 amps ive been testing them at room temp after full charge and been at rest for 24 hours they were tested using a act intelrgent battery tester are these ok or faulty

How does the device "know" the actual capacity

 

[sjclewes]

to be honest i dont know it just came highly recomended by loomtech whoe do all the wiring for discovery yachts it displays room temp batt temp voltage them amps

 

[sjclewes]

i had them on a 20 amp charger for 12 hours

 

[halcyon]

testing them at room temp after full charge and been at rest for 24 hours

How do you know they are fully charged ?

Brian

 

[sjclewes]

this is the unit i used
GOLD-IBT Intelligent Battery Tester
...award-winning and a global success...

The Problem
Battery manufacturers recommend to recharge or replace a battery when its rated Ampere hour (Ah) capacity falls below 65%. But how can this be established when a multimeter only measures the battery voltage?

The Solution
The award winning GOLD-IBT Intelligent Battery Tester provides a fast, accurate solution to measuring Ah capacity available in 12V SLA and car batteries in seconds.
Award-winning Features

• Simulates a full 20 hour battery discharge test in 6 seconds,without flattening the battery
• Automatically displays DC voltage, temperature and Ah capacity available in a battery, allowing the user to know exactly how long a battery will power their equipment. The GOLD-IBT will also warn if voltage is too high or too low.
• Free from complicated settings and switches. Simply connect the GOLD-IBT to the battery terminals and wait 6 seconds for the results to appear on the LCD display.
• Tests 12V SLA and car batteries from 1.2Ah to 200Ah
• Pocket sized, ideal for field work, accurate and easy to use

Click image for larger version
How It Works
The GOLD-IBT measures Ampere-hour (Ah) capacity available in the battery in a similar way that a car fuel gauge measures volume of fuel in your tank. The Ah capacity available is dependent on battery temperature and condition of charge. The Ah capacity displayed on the GOLD-IBT is calculated by simulating a full 20 hour (C20 battery discharge) test in 6 seconds. The patented neural technology employed by the GOLD-IBT achieves this by applying a pulsed frequency load test which accurately measures Ah capacity available.
GOLD-IBT Instructions 2008
Operation
1. Connect
Connect the GOLD-IBT clips to the battery terminals. It is essential to have a tight connection on clean battery terminals. Loose, high resistance connections will produce low, erratic Ah readings.

2. Result
Wait 6 seconds for the results to appear on the LCD display. Results will show the battery’s DC voltage, temperature and most importantly, the Ah capacity. It will also display if the DC voltage is too high or low.

3. Compare
When the rated Ah capacity falls below 65%, it’s time to either recharge or replace the battery. As soon as the Ah reading is displayed, look at the chart on the side of the GOLD-IBT. This chart shows the most common battery sizes and at what Ah capacity they should be recharged or replaced.
Achievements
Thanks to its innovative design, the GOLD-IBT Intelligent Battery Tester has received two major awards. Firstly, the ‘Security Industry Award’ presented in New York followed by the IFSEC sponsored ‘BSIA’ award.
Recently the GOLD-IBT became UL listed. The UL Mark is the most widely recognised and accepted evidence of a product's compliance with US and Canadian safety requirements. All ACT products including the GOLD-IBT Intelligent Battery Tester are currently available through ADI.
Special Offer - BUY 2 GET 1 FREE
Are you aware of our ‘Buy 2, get 1 FREE’ special offer on the GOLD-IBT Intelligent Battery Tester? Customers who purchase two GOLD-IBTs at list price of £159.00 each will receive a third FREE OF CHARGE! This offer is only available from www.actmeters.com and not through our NSI or SSAIB links. Offer available to UK and Northern Ireland customers only. Click on the pound sign to order!
Click pound sign to order
'Buy 2, get 1 FREE'
Just want to order the one?
No problem! When you order from this website, you’ll still receive a 10% discount off the list price. Simply add one to your basket below. For those who are NSI and SSAIB members who want to order just the one, please turn back and click on your member’s logo found at the top of the homepage. This will redirect you to your own exclusive website where you can order.


Product
Price

Qty

GOLD-IBT inc 10% DISCOUNT
£143.00

 

[earlybird]

IMHO they seem a waste of money, I'd go for a refund under distance selling regs. if you've had it for less than a week.

 

[sailorman]

Cant see how you can know what amperage they are capable of without putting a discharge tester, which is a low resistance / high current drain, across the terminals

halcyon will be back

 

[LadyInBed]

Cant see how you can know what amperage they are capable of without putting a discharge tester, which is a low resistance / high current drain, across the terminals

 

[sjclewes]

by the way i bought five batteries altogether the other two were 100 amp for vehicles in the yard and they showed 100 amps when tested

 

[sailorman]

this is the unit i used
GOLD-IBT Intelligent Battery Tester
...award-winning and a global success...

The Problem
Battery manufacturers recommend to recharge or replace a battery when its rated Ampere hour (Ah) capacity falls below 65%. But how can this be established when a multimeter only measures the battery voltage?

The Solution
The award winning GOLD-IBT Intelligent Battery Tester provides a fast, accurate solution to measuring Ah capacity available in 12V SLA and car batteries in seconds.
Award-winning Features

• Simulates a full 20 hour battery discharge test in 6 seconds,without flattening the battery
• Automatically displays DC voltage, temperature and Ah capacity available in a battery, allowing the user to know exactly how long a battery will power their equipment. The GOLD-IBT will also warn if voltage is too high or too low.
• Free from complicated settings and switches. Simply connect the GOLD-IBT to the battery terminals and wait 6 seconds for the results to appear on the LCD display.
• Tests 12V SLA and car batteries from 1.2Ah to 200Ah
• Pocket sized, ideal for field work, accurate and easy to use

Click image for larger version
How It Works
The GOLD-IBT measures Ampere-hour (Ah) capacity available in the battery in a similar way that a car fuel gauge measures volume of fuel in your tank. The Ah capacity available is dependent on battery temperature and condition of charge. The Ah capacity displayed on the GOLD-IBT is calculated by simulating a full 20 hour (C20 battery discharge) test in 6 seconds. The patented neural technology employed by the GOLD-IBT achieves this by applying a pulsed frequency load test which accurately measures Ah capacity available.
GOLD-IBT Instructions 2008
Operation
1. Connect
Connect the GOLD-IBT clips to the battery terminals. It is essential to have a tight connection on clean battery terminals. Loose, high resistance connections will produce low, erratic Ah readings.

2. Result
Wait 6 seconds for the results to appear on the LCD display. Results will show the battery’s DC voltage, temperature and most importantly, the Ah capacity. It will also display if the DC voltage is too high or low.

3. Compare
When the rated Ah capacity falls below 65%, it’s time to either recharge or replace the battery. As soon as the Ah reading is displayed, look at the chart on the side of the GOLD-IBT. This chart shows the most common battery sizes and at what Ah capacity they should be recharged or replaced.
Achievements
Thanks to its innovative design, the GOLD-IBT Intelligent Battery Tester has received two major awards. Firstly, the ‘Security Industry Award’ presented in New York followed by the IFSEC sponsored ‘BSIA’ award.
Recently the GOLD-IBT became UL listed. The UL Mark is the most widely recognised and accepted evidence of a product's compliance with US and Canadian safety requirements. All ACT products including the GOLD-IBT Intelligent Battery Tester are currently available through ADI.
Special Offer - BUY 2 GET 1 FREE
Are you aware of our ‘Buy 2, get 1 FREE’ special offer on the GOLD-IBT Intelligent Battery Tester? Customers who purchase two GOLD-IBTs at list price of £159.00 each will receive a third FREE OF CHARGE! This offer is only available from www.actmeters.com and not through our NSI or SSAIB links. Offer available to UK and Northern Ireland customers only. Click on the pound sign to order!
Click pound sign to order
'Buy 2, get 1 FREE'
Just want to order the one?
No problem! When you order from this website, you’ll still receive a 10% discount off the list price. Simply add one to your basket below. For those who are NSI and SSAIB members who want to order just the one, please turn back and click on your member’s logo found at the top of the homepage. This will redirect you to your own exclusive website where you can order.


Product
Price

Qty

GOLD-IBT inc 10% DISCOUNT
£143.00

Snake Oil

 

[halcyon]

i had them on a 20 amp charger for 12 hours

So why should they be fully charged ? they could be only 81% and 89 % charged, and the machine is right.

You are only making an assumption that they should be 100 % to start with.

Brian

 

[sjclewes]

hi brian they were only showing around 60 amps when i got the so thats why i charged them

 

[allangray3]

ACT Ah Tester

I have used the ACT meters for the last 15 years as an Engineer. The meters are as accurate provided hey are used correctly .
It seems from your description you are using the meter correctly and would trust the readings given.
You should also check the S/Gravity of the electrolite as this has a marked effect on the capacity of the battery .I am affraid suppliers do not allways bother to show due dilligence in the filling of new batteries.
Nobody should rely on the voltage or AH readings to judge the health of their batteries, it is the electrolite that has the largest effect on battery efficience and longevity.

 

[Halcyon27]

hi brian they were only showing around 60 amps when i got the so thats why i charged them

Yes, you charged them, but how do you know they are fully charged, the readings you are getting may be the true capacity you have.

You have two unknowns, either may be right, answer may lie towards the machine end, but I would not like to rely on either.

Brian

 

[sjclewes]

how can you check this if they are sealed

 

[allangray3]

Sealed

Are they true sealed or just unvented

 

[sjclewes]

how do you tell without damaging them the supplier said i could take the back what do you advise

 

[allangray3]

ask your supplier if he would be able to check the electrolite level and S/gravity. If he is willing to accept there return he sounds like a customer orientated Guy. They may have been tipped or miss handled in transit to him. They will have the tools to check both.

 

[Plevier]

You said you charged for 12 hours, but later said that as bought they were only at 60%.
If we assume that 60% figure is accurate, those batteries had been stood months without charging or had been inadequately charged after filling by the supplier which is very common (or else are simply of very poor quality but that really isn't common these days).
12 hours is nowhere near enough to recover them from that condition unless it's at a very vigorous boost voltage. Do you know what voltage your charger was giving them, did you measure it? If it's the typical 13.8 or 14V, give them about 3 days and try again. However if they were not properly conditioned after filling I doubt if even that will do it.

Is it a simple float charger or a sophisticated 3 or 4 stage one? If it's a multi stage one it may do the trick over a few discharge cycles, or it may let you force a strong boost or equalisation charge which should help.

Re the capacity meter, I worked in a technical role in the battery industry for 10 years admittedly some years ago and never knew of a device like this. The only thing we trusted was a full discharge test properly monitored. I am dubious. The description vaguely suggests to me it might work by looking at internal resistance, but for that to have any accuracy it would need to build up a performance database over time. (I think this is what the Smartgauge does and that seems to get good reports.) I can't see how it could achieve any accuracy without making big assumptions about what the IR should be when new.