Battery testers that provide an amp hour reading may seem convenient, but misinterpreted readings could leave fire systems and other critical security/life safety equipment with insufficient backup power.
ALL Battery testers test conductance, which is measured in Mhos. Conductance is critical to storing a charge, thus to battery life. Chemical makeup, substandard lead, amount of lead, and corrosion affect conductance/Mhos. Not all batteries are alike. However, once any battery’s conductance is at 71% of its original conductance when new, the battery should be replaced and recycled. At 70%, a battery is unable to store a charge.
Most battery testers display an Amp hour reading based on an automatic calculation after the conductance/Mhos test. The problem with an Amp hour display is the false confidence it can provide. Consider a 7Ah battery being tested displays 5Ah. The battery is at 71% conductance so it is ready to be recycled, but the amp hour reading may lead the installer to believe the battery can provide 5Ah of backup power.
An ELK-BLT Battery LifeTester™ displays Mhos, not Amp hour, as again, not all batteries are alike. A display of Mhos is not susceptible to differences or changes in battery makeup – it simply displays the Mhos/conductance of that particular battery.
Installers can monitor the health of the battery, from initial installation and throughout the life of the battery, by noting the Mhos/conductance reading of each test on the ELK-BLT test data label. Since installations vary by control system, available power, environmental conditions and more, there is no set lifetime for a battery.
The included padded carrying case & self-adhesive test labels with each ELK-BLT make it an even better value!
The ELK-BLT carries ELK’s Lifetime Limited Warranty.
