battery rundown

[mkcom1]

Hi
   Does anyone know of a way to determine the condition of a battery.  I have an 02 Niagara with the original battery.  We really haven't used the popup but maybe 30 days total since we bought it and at that we allways had an electrical hookup.  No dry camping.  I remove and store the battery in the winter and come spring charge it with a car charger.  I know about testing the electrolite but don't think that this will tell me about the condition of the battery.  The battery looks new but I would like to know how long it will last.  Any suggestions?

[wavery]

Hi
   Does anyone know of a way to determine the condition of a battery.  I have an 02 Niagara with the original battery.  We really haven't used the popup but maybe 30 days total since we bought it and at that we allways had an electrical hookup.  No dry camping.  I remove and store the battery in the winter and come spring charge it with a car charger.  I know about testing the electrolite but don't think that this will tell me about the condition of the battery.  The battery looks new but I would like to know how long it will last.  Any suggestions?

If you know how to use a hydrometer (testing electrolyte), that's the best way to test a batteries condition.
http://www.batterystuff.com/tutorial_battery.html

The most common battery failure in a camper is due to leaving the battery over long periods of time without charging it.

This can cause a myriad of problems but even if the electrolytes are good in each cell, you could suffer a short at any time. There is no way to test for the true life expectancy of a battery any more than there is of a car or a human for that matter.

[AustinBoston]

What Wayne says is correct about not being able to test the condition of a battery with certanty.

There is a way to tell the % of charge on a battery using a voltmeter, but it requires the battery to be idle (not charging or discharging) for several hours, and it won't tell you what the total actual capacity is, just what percent of that capacity is remaining, so a 100% reading may be 100% of 5 amp hours - i.e. the battery is trash.

Austin

[tlhdoc]

Take it to a garage or battery shop and they can test if for you.