Battery Diagnosis
Battery Life provides a range of battery testing services to ensure maximum performance and life to your batteries. We service and test forklift batteries,scissor lift batteries, golf cart batteries, and more!
Contact Us to find out about servicing your battery today, or have a look at our full on-site maintenance contracts.
Capacity Testing
Battery Life's Capacity testing, by discharging the battery to the manufacturers’ ratings and specifications, will determine the true value and integrity of your battery. It is important to note that batteries are considered at the end of their useful life when capacity is at 80% or less than the manufacturers’ stated rating.
Thermal Imagery
A Thermal Imagery camera can be used to illustrate hot-points in your battery. These usually highlight short-circuits from compromised separation or severely increased impedance or resistance. Thermal imagery will also highlight battery overheating caused from poor charging and discharging habits or faulty charging equipment.
Impedance Testing
Impedance testing highlights an increased resistance through sulphation and natural ageing of your forklift battery. While not a true test of your forklift batteries integrity, when combined with voltage readings and thermal imagery, will offer a clear picture of the general health of your forklift battery and is a very good indicator post remedial work of an achieved result from de-sulphation and equalization. See an example of our impedance testing document on our reporting page.
Voltage Testing
A volt meter can be used to determine equalisation from a battery at rest after charge. And it can highlight poor performance from individual cells when a load is applied to the battery bank.
Why Diagnosis is crucial - Batteries must be equal.
Battery cells should be regularly tested using a hydrometer to ensure that electrolyte values are consistent at a full state of charge. Unequal cells at a full state of charge will be amplified at full state of discharge, meaning the weaker cells will discharge below the manufacturers’ levels of acceptance and warranty parameters.
Forklift batteries should be tested within the first month of operation and equalized at this point if necessary to ensure an even dispersion of workload across the battery bank, ensuring maximum life. It is important to note that your forklift batteries life expectancy is determined by the weakest cell in your battery bank.
Battery Cells at Full Charge
Same Batteries at State of Discharge