Elk Products Battery LifeTester ELK-BLT User manual

Battery LifeTester
ELK-BLT v.2 Mhos Meter
PO Box 100 • Hildebran, NC 28637 • 800-797-9355 • 828-397-4200
Fax[phone]•www.elkproducts.com•[e-mail]
Features
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
testerswhichonlymeasurestaticcriteria,theLifeTester
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
readingsfrom the includedMhos Chart. The chartthen
categorizesthebatteryconditionas“Best,Good,Weak,
or Bad”. Every battery type has a characteristic Mhos
value when it is brand new and fully charged.
The LifeTester is poweredbythebattery under test and
automaticallywarns when thebattery voltage istoo low
for testing.
Specifications
• Operating Voltage: 10.0V - 14 Volts D.C.
• Current Draw: 1.1Amps Max., 0.0016Ah for full test.
• Battery Leads: ~12 Inches.
• Size: 4.4” W x 3”H x 1.15”D w/o carrying case.
ELK
PRODUCTS, INC.
** To reorder a pack of 100 test data labels specify: ELK-BLT LABELS.
• Does not discharge or damage the battery.
• Tests 12 Volt Rechargeable Batteries.
• Display Shows Battery Voltage and Mhos.
• Warns if battery voltage is too low.
• Replaceable test leads.
• Includes padded carrying case.
• Includes self-adhesive test data labels. **
• Lifetime Limited Warranty.
05/04

Instructions ELK - BLT
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. TheMhos (internal conductance)reading of thebattery will displaywithin 6 seconds.
5. Refer to the Mhos Chart. In theAh 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 Mhos 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
IftheLifeTester is leftconnected toa batteryfor morethan 30seconds afterthe testis complete,it willautomatically shutdownto
conservebattery power. Disconnectingand reconnecting a test lead willrestartthe 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
orderedin packsof100 byspecifying partnumberELK-BLTLABELS. Thisinformation will be valuable in future testsfor trending
analysis. Therecorded datashould include:
A. The Date of the test.
B.TheBattery Voltage reading.(optional)
C.The Mhosreading.
Anew “freshout of the box” battery that hasnot beencharged should have a Mhos value inthe highside ofthe 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
hoursand then retest.
Batteryperformance degrades overtime dueto use andabuse, andmay be impactedby many factorslike depthand frequency of
discharge. The higher the Mhos value the more current the battery can deliver. Therefore, a new 7 amp-hour battery will have a
higherMhos valuethan a new 4 amp-hour battery ofthe similarconstruction.

Instructions ELK - BLT
How Temperature affects a Battery
Generallyspeaking,temperatures below 72Fdegreestend to slowdowna battery’sinternal activity,causing asignificantdecrease
inthe Mhos (conductivity) reading as the temperaturefalls. Cool temperatures(not belowfreezing) will tend to prolong a battery’s
life. Temperatures above 72F cause a battery’sinternal activity to accelerate, but with only a slight increase inthe 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)
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
inservice(on charge)for 24 hours. Remove themfrom charge andmeasure theMhosreading ofeach one. Averagethereadings
together. This will bethe baselinenumber from whichthe Best,Good, Weak,and Bad columnsare calculated. The“Best” column
willbe90%of the baselinenumber. Thefirst and secondnumbersinthe “Good” columnare80% and 89%ofthebaseline. 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.

Accumulating Trend Analysis over a Period of Years
Trendingofperiodic Mhosmeasurementscan yield valuableinsightsfor estimating theremaining lifeof thebattery. Suppose that
a4.0Ahbatteryhasbeeninserviceforthree years andthatthe LifeTester measurementsafterthefirstyearwas90Mhos,85 Mhos
after thesecond year, and 80Mhos afterthe third year. Since the battery is still at 80Mhos and is dropping an average of 5 Mhos
peryear, itis highlylikelythat thisbattery will notneed replacingbefore the endof the fourthyear. Ontheotherhand, supposethat
thereadings were90 Mhos after thefirst year, 82Mhos afterthe second year, and 70 Mhos afterthe third year. The rateof decay
has increased from 8 Mhos to 12 Mhos per year. This indicates that although the battery is still serviceable, it is degrading more
andmore rapidly. Itis unlikelythat thisbattery willbe serviceable for another year. Underthesecircumstances, either the battery
shouldbe replaced early or the service interval should be shortened tocatch this battery before a system failure.
Why Mhos instead of Amp Hour
The LifeTester measures the Mhos (conductance) of a battery using anAC 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
measuringa battery’sAmp-hour capacityiswith a long discharge test, which actually decreases the life of the battery. Estimation
ofAmp-hour capacitywithoutadischarge test isa complexerror-proneprocess involvingtheconductancevalue,the batterystate-
of-charge, the voltage, the temperature, and the many varying design and production variables for each battery type. Ordinary
testerswhich measurestaticcriteriaorAmp-hourare inherentlyinaccurate acrossvarying batterydesigns. 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
TheLifeTester isdesignedto measurethe conductanceof abattery atfrequencies indicative of the capacityof a battery inAmp-
hour. ConductancemeasurementsforestimatingtheCold CrankingAmpsfor startertype batteriesareat a muchhigherfrequency.
Although the measurement techniques are similar, there is little correlation between the Cold CrankingAmps measurement of a
batteryandthe Mhosreadingof theLifeTester,orvice-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
theplates notbeing totallyformed duringmanufacturing. Once thebattery hasbeen oncharge forsome timethe plateswill 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,
dependingupon the depthof dischargeand the chargingmethod.
Ifa newbattery has been in storage for anextended period,say over six months without being charged,plate oxidationfrom 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
candestroy a battery’scapacity. Once a batteryis weakenedby plate oxidation,it isdifficulttorecover fullcapacitywithoutspecial
chargingor conditioning methods. Insome casesa battery willrecover andpassatest afterbeingrecharged. However,asecond
test should be performed a few days later after recovery to accurately assess the overall life of the battery.
Theaverage lifecycle of a sealed lead-acid battery instandbyuse on a float charge is 3to 5years. Abattery with a Mhosreading
of less than 70% of its original capacity is no longer considered serviceable and should be replaced.
Instructions ELK - BLT