How to test a battery’s health and performance?

Possibly you have a vehicle that is not starting. You will need to ensure your battery is in good condition and working properly. If you are looking to get information about how to check a battery’s health and performance, then you are in the right place.

There are a couple of tests that you can run to check the health and working condition of the battery. You can check a battery physically or with some basic tools and devices.

There are many testers and apparatuses also available in the market. If your battery is not providing you power, first of all, you will need to check the connections and further go for a detailed battery check-up. Here are a few different ways to test your battery at home before going to replace it.

Physical Inspection of Battery

First of all, you will need to go through a physical check-up of the battery. If a battery is physically not looking good, it may also not work properly. There are a couple of things to assess the physical shape of the battery like broken or loosened terminals, battery shape, cracks or splits on the body, spilling and staining around the battery.

Loosened terminals are risky and can cause a short circuit. First of all, make sure that the terminals of a battery are connected well. Loosened terminal cause power drain of battery. Cracks on the battery is a clear sign of battery overheating. Water stains around the body of the battery is a clear sign of overcharging. Overheating and overcharging both cause battery power drainage.

Water Level of Battery

Water levels must need to be kept maintained in acid batteries. If the water level is low, refill it with distilled water up to the marked level. If you don’t check the water level of a battery frequently, you will face a power drain issue.

Acid batteries contain cell plates. Keeping them without water can cause battery sulfating. In most cases, a battery in sulfating condition needs to be replaced with a new one.

If your battery water level is good, but it is not charging, you will need to check the color of the water. If the color of the water is dark, it is a clear sign of a faulty battery.

Voltage Test of Battery

The voltage test of a battery is a decent method to decide the condition of a battery. The following table describes the best condition of a battery while you are performing a voltage test.

Voltage	Charging%
12.7 to 13.2	100%
12.4	75%
12.2	50%
12.0	25%
11.9	0% or Discharged
* These values are for a 12-volt battery.

You will need a voltage tester to perform a voltage test. If your battery shows 0 volts, your battery is dead and needs to charge again. Put it on charging, and if you can’t get at higher than 10.5 volts when being charged, your battery is dead. In that case, you will need to buy a new one. A completely charged or healthy battery displays up to 12.4 volts. If the value on the voltage meter is less than 10.5, your battery is sulfated.

Load Test of Battery

To run a battery load test, you need a digital voltmeter. For better results, make sure the battery is charged fully. You will need to be care full while performing a load test.

Hold the wires of your voltmeter to the right terminals of the battery, positive wire to the positive terminal, and negative wire to the negative terminal. Start the vehicle and watch what the voltage meter displays.

A healthy 12-volt battery needs to keep up a range from 9.5 to 10.5 volts during the load test for 30 seconds. If the battery consistently drops the voltage, there is an issue. If the voltage in a flash drops to 0 volts, then you need to replace the battery.