Battery load tester,

[guido]

Hello,

There are battery testers and then there is this one. Can LOAD test a battery at 1000 amps. Available at Wally Mart. Associated model # 6063B Carbon pile load tester 0 to 16 volts 0 to 1000 amps.

 

[stonerock]

have one close to that I think snap-on, heavy little box

 

[guido]

Hello stonerock,

I have used the vat40 for years. Never let a bad battery cut the mustard!

Guido.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

I recall back when I worked in a farm equipment repair shop, when we got a carbon pile load tester. I was delighted, as we sold lots of batteries, and I was often tasked with trying to evaluate someone's old batteries.

Fast forward 30 years, since I've been on my own, and I still miss that tool. I can't seem to develop trust in these new electronic things. How do they work?

Harbor Freight just opened a local store. I just bought their version of carbon pile tester on sale. Tried it on a couple of known batteries, and it seemed to work. I'm not a Harbor Freight fan. I'm even less of a Wal Mart fan, so I don't even think of them.

 

[guido]

Hello Bob Bancroft,

The Vat40 can still be had on line. Flea bay Amazon. But there was a poster here that had the one from Harbor Freight that was doing the job. 500 amps I think he has had it for a couple years at least. The vat40 I use at work never let a weak one go back to service for the 25 plus years I used it. It had an inductin clamp so I used it to load test generators, and cod be used as an amp probe too!

Guido.

 

[Jon Hagen]

I have that HF carbon pile tester for around 10 years now. A very good unit for the money.
The only thing I would suggest you do is to put a drop of heavy oil behind the pile adjust knob ,then lay the machine on it's back for a minute to lubricate the screw and nut on the carbon pile load cell. Do this to prevent galling and wear of those parts. It's a lot of tool for $50.

 

[John T]

Great tool, I have a load tester, hydrometer and volt meter by which I can pretty well find out a batterys true condition.

John T

 

[guido]

Hello John T,

I posted a reply on tool talk battery testing in Geo confusion OOPS conduction thread.Your load tester is a keeper as well as your volt meter. Your other tool? Kind of useless. Testing individual cells in a series of six, does nothing to prove voltage potential for the rest, there are five more in the circuit right? Like the magic eye on hard top batteries, what a joke!!! Sure sold a lot of batteries though. One cell fully charged while the other five could have been out to lunch! One of my pet pieves. Nice sparking with you.....

Guido.

 

[Texasmark1]

Mine is HF also and works just fine. How do they work? The amperage knob varies the pressure on a pile of carbon blocks/plates with leads on both ends connected across the battery where the voltmeter connection also exists.

Pressing the blocks together improves their contact with each other reducing their effective resistance and as such forces an increase in current loading the battery like would happen in starting a vehicle. The idea is to tighten the pile till the amperage approximates what you want for a number...mine is 200 amperes and read the terminal voltage of the battery.

You need to start the test with a fully charged battery and I like to wait 24 hours since it was charged to let the electrolyte settle down as does the terminal voltage. My fully 24/7/365 number is 12.75 for fully charged. My number for a 200 amp load is that terminal voltage pulled down no lower than 11v. It it holds that voltage (for a couple of seconds) at that current, I accept it as functional for my applications.

Load tests have to be limited to short intervals like 15 seconds max due to the heat generated in the pile and lack of sophisticated cooling.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

I understand the carbon pile load tester. It's the new "electronic" ones I don't understand. My terminology may be wrong, but I don't consider the carbon pile electronic. It's a very simple mechanical device.

 

[Texasmark1]

+1........

 

[John T]

Thanks Guido, yep the hydrometer can check an INDIVIDUAL cells specific gravity and if one is low it could be dead or weak or shorted etc which drags the overall battery performance down grrrrrrrrrrrr I'm hanging onto it for now. Often however, if you just look down into the cells if one is off colored or gray or milky or other strange colored you can tell its bad even without any fancy hydrometer !!!!!!!!

God talkin to you also

John T

 

[Geo-TH,In]

JohnT.
Hydrometer doesn't work well on my sealed batteries.
geo

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Good luck testing multiple batteries without letting tester cool off. It will be smoking if you tested as many as I do.

Will it give you the cca of your old battery?

 

[Janicholson]

I do not test a series of batteries, only the one that is giving me issues. Reality testing is direct clear and not ambiguous. I vote load testing after a nice charge. Jim

 

[John T]

Nope lol I use them for my flooded lead acid batteries. I don't currently own any GEL Cell or AGM.

John T

 

[guido]

Hello Geo,

Your anectodal experience does not set industry standars. You have no clue what that $1.368.98 tester can do. I leave you in your own world, I AM DONE!


Guido.

 

[guido]

Hello janicholson,

I did with a Vat-40 three at the time while gainfully employed at Mobil Oil for more them 20 years.
The whole fleet had the batteries tested once a month, so I did not test ALL of them , but ceratainly did my share.
Amp probe came in handy for generator load testing as well. Never failed to identify a bad or week battery.
3 group 31's sealed top rated @ 625 CCA,

Guido.

 

[sotxbill]

Short duration load testing does not prove much. Especially in diesel applications..

 

[sotxbill]

(quoted from post at 11:42:50 01/09/17)
Short duration load testing does not prove much. Especially in diesel applications..

Load testing for 15 seconds or longer, is more realistic. Lots of batteries will pass a 5 second test but fail at 15 second test. And lots of diesels will need more cranking in colder weather to start.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Guido,
You are right about the $1362.96 dollar tester. I'm too cheap to buy one like that. How do you like yours?

I asked a few places that sell new batteries. One sells interstate. He said interstate gave them digital testers for FREE.
Other comments: digitals is they are fast, light weight, more portable and a costomer can get a print out. One place even said a digital can tell you when you have a bad cell. My digital lets me know when cells are bad too.

It really comes down to preference. You are sold on old school testing methods. I'm sold on digital. I write on my old batteires with a sharpie the amps, gives me a quantitive way of seeing how fast the plates are sulfating. It also told me when my heavy duty 1200 amp battery on dump trailer was slowly dying. I take mine with me when I buy a new battery. I go throught the batteries on the top of the stack and buy the best one. No way could you load test batteries in a store. And after you load test, you will need to put them on charge. My digital can also test batteries that aren't fully charged.

How many on YT are willing to spend that kind of money for a carbon load tester? NOT ME, I'm too cheap. Does HF sell a 1000a tester?

I'm very happy what I have. Sounds like you are happy with your wal mart tester, which it looks like you can get with free shipping. geo

 

[guido]

Hello sotxbill,

Yep! 15 seconds @ 1/2 the rated capacity 9.6 volts or more. I am sure I will repeat this againg. But that
is the test that is or should be performed for SLI batteries,

Guido.

 

[guido]

Hello John T,

You can drill a hole can't you? HE! HE!....

Guido.

 

[Hobo,NC]

(quoted from post at 02:11:10 01/10/17) Guido,
You are right about the $1362.96 dollar tester. I'm too cheap to buy one like that. How do you like yours?

I asked a few places that sell new batteries. One sells interstate. He said interstate gave them digital testers for FREE.
Other comments: digitals is they are fast, light weight, more portable and a costomer can get a print out. One place even said a digital can tell you when you have a bad cell. My digital lets me know when cells are bad too.

It really comes down to preference. You are sold on old school testing methods. I'm sold on digital. I write on my old batteires with a sharpie the amps, gives me a quantitive way of seeing how fast the plates are sulfating. It also told me when my heavy duty 1200 amp battery on dump trailer was slowly dying. I take mine with me when I buy a new battery. I go throught the batteries on the top of the stack and buy the best one. No way could you load test batteries in a store. And after you load test, you will need to put them on charge. My digital can also test batteries that aren't fully charged.

How many on YT are willing to spend that kind of money for a carbon load tester? NOT ME, I'm too cheap. Does HF sell a 1000a tester?

I'm very happy what I have. Sounds like you are happy with your wal mart tester, which it looks like you can get with free shipping. geo

You took the Hook line and sinker... If it works out fer ya that's all that counts its still not the cats meow...