Troubleshooting; Test Preparation; Specific Gravity Testing; Discharge Testing - US BATTERY US1800 XC2 User Manual

8

TROUBLESHOOTING

The following troubleshooting tips are for general diagnosis of battery issues only.
There may be issues that occur within the batteries that aren't addressed in this sec-
tion. For help with this section and interpreting the results, contact our technical sup-
filling out the support form.
port group by
● Internal Resistance (i.e. C.C.A testers) and carbon pile discharge testers are not
suitable testing methods for deep-cycle batteries.

8.1 TEST PREPARATION

● Check that all vent caps are securely installed on the battery
● Properly clean the top of the battery, terminals, and connections with a cloth and/or
wire brush. Electrolyte should be cleaned with a baking soda and water solution in
order to neutralize the acid.
● Check the battery cables and connection integrity. Ensure all connections are tight-
ened to the correct torque per the torque table.
● For flooded lead acid batteries, check that the electrolyte is at the correct level per
the fill line diagram.
● Fully charge the batteries before testing in order to obtain meaningful results.

8.2 SPECIFIC GRAVITY TESTING

● Use a hydrometer to test the specific gravity.
●A hydrometer is a tool that extracts the electrolyte into a vessel that
contains a calibrated float. The float is measuring the specific gravity or the
density ratio of acid to water.
● Hydrometers must be corrected for temperature
●Add 0.004 points for every 10ºF(5ºC) above 80ºF(27ºC)
●Subtract 0.004 for every 10ºF below 80ºF(27ºC)
●If every cell within the battery is below 1.250 then the battery may be
undercharged. If so, recharge batteries.
●If any battery has a specific gravity variation of more than 0.015 between
cells you should equalize the set.
●If the specific gravities still vary then you may have a bad battery.
●If a single cell within a battery is more than 0.050 points off from the others
it is safe to assume it is a bad cell.
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8.3 DISCHARGE TESTING

● Ensure that all charging sources and loads are disconnected from the battery.
● Connect and start the discharger at the desired discharge rate.
● Record the runtime when the discharger is finished.
● The runtime has to be corrected for temperature since the ratings that will be used
for comparison were determined at 80ºF. Temperatures above and below 80ºF will
affect the overall runtime.
● Temperature Compensation
●Fahrenheit
●Tc = Tr[1 – 0.005(F-80)]
●Celsius
●Tc = Tr[1 – 0.009(C-27)]
●Where,
●Tc = Corrected discharge time.( Corrected to 80ºF(27ºC))
●Tr = Recorded discharge time.
●F/C = Battery Temperature at the end of discharge(Fahrenheit,
Celsius)
● If the corrected discharge time is greater than 50% of the rated capacity at that
rate then the pack is still usable.
● Restart the discharger to observe the individual battery voltages while under a
load.
● If a battery voltage within a pack is more than 0.5V lower than the highest voltage
battery then it may be a bad battery.

8.4 ON-CHARGE VOLTAGE TESTING

● Disconnect and reconnect DC plug to restart charger.
● While the batteries are on-charge record the current in the last half hour of charge
and measure the battery pack voltage.
● If the measured current is below 5 amps compare the measured pack voltage to
the table below. If the measured voltage exceeds the "End-of-Charge Threshold
Voltage," proceed to the next steps.
TABLE 6
On-Charge Test Voltage
System/Battery Voltage
End-of Charge Threshold Voltage
6V 8V 12V 24V 36V
7V 9.3V 14V 28V 42V
User Manual
48V
56V
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