Load testing alarm batteries.

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mdshunk

mdshunk

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Anyone got a link to an alarm system battery checker? Using a regular DMM doesn't necessarily cut it, for me, so I've been putting a load on alarm batteries with a light bulb during PM to check them. ELK makes an alarm battery checker that relies on baseline measurements from when the battery was installed new, which is somewhat unrealistic considering that I might not have been the one to put in the new battery. I've got a decent one for UPS batteries, but it doesn't go low enough to check the 4 - 7.5ah batteries normally found in security/fire/access control panels.
 
iwire

iwire

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I usually squeeze the sides and check for firmness, then I smell them and look at the color .............. oh wait, thats for tomato's.:D
 
LarryFine

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
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Electrical Contractor
iwire said:
I usually squeeze the sides and check for firmness, then I smell them and look at the color .............. oh wait, thats for tomato's.:D
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You haven't dated in a while, have you, Bob? ;)
 
mdshunk

mdshunk

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hbiss said:
They are not usually worth checking. The recommendation is to replace them every 5 years or sooner if they have a problem.
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Yeah, but I'm trying to be a little more precise than that. I know what you're saying, but I submit that's BS. Replace them every 5 years I will agree with. "Sooner if they have a problem" is what I don't want to happen. I want to replace it before they have a problem. I posted this right after I got back from replacing 3 fire alarm batteries that set the trouble light and beeper after only 23 months of service. I'd rather catch batteries that are near end of life at the annual PM, rather than generate a weekend service call. It just seems like someone ought to make a little load tester for these wee batteries.
 
peter d

peter d

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mdshunk said:
It just seems like someone ought to make a little load tester for these wee batteries.
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I think because they are so cheap they are assumed to be disposable, hence the lack of a tester on the market.
 
W

wireguru

Senior Member
mdshunk said:
Yeah, but I'm trying to be a little more precise than that. I know what you're saying, but I submit that's BS. Replace them every 5 years I will agree with. "Sooner if they have a problem" is what I don't want to happen. I want to replace it before they have a problem. I posted this right after I got back from replacing 3 fire alarm batteries that set the trouble light and beeper after only 23 months of service. I'd rather catch batteries that are near end of life at the annual PM, rather than generate a weekend service call. It just seems like someone ought to make a little load tester for these wee batteries.
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theyre SO cheap, just replace them during your annual inspection...
 
mdshunk

mdshunk

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wireguru said:
theyre SO cheap, just replace them during your annual inspection...
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Grrr..... I know what you're saying, but that's the parts changer mentality I've fought against my whole career. Just because the means don't exist to test something is no reason to condemn it. Today, the three 12-7.5 batteries cost me 16 bucks a piece, and bill out for close to 50. I sure wouldn't like a 150 dollar bill every time I had something PM'd just because it might be bad or it might last another 4 years.
 
tesla fan

tesla fan

Member
A company I worked for sent letters out to the
customers evey 4 years explaining the batterys
factory warranty was almost up and it would be
a good idea to have them replaced , please call
for sevice
 
LarryFine

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
iwire said:
Nope, but I should be.:grin: Downstairs is 25+ screaming 7 to 9 year olds bobbing for apples and other Halloween Party fun.
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Bring 'em down here, and we can pop them in front of the 10' screen in the HT.

See above. :D
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I do understand. Movies do keep them occupied for a while. To wit:

Years ago, when my son (now 21) was a Cub Scout, we took a trip to the Kennedy Space Center. (the kids raised the money washing cars and selling popcorn.) We used the church's two 15-pass Ford Club Wagons.

I thought ahead and brought a 19" portable color TV (powered by an inverter), a couple of dozen kids' movies I had recorded onto HI-8 video, the camcorder (and a 12v power supply), and a stereo-FM transmitter.

I strapped the TV on top of a large cooler right behind the driver's seat, pointing back, and everything else was between the front seats, operated by the adult passenger. The sound was great from the 6-speaker stereo.

There were two adults and 10 kids in each van. When we stopped, the adults in the other van looked as frazzled as the kids. Their kids were restless and noisy the entire time. Our van was quiet for the entire trip. Ahhhh! ;)
 
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W

wireguru

Senior Member
mdshunk said:
Grrr..... I know what you're saying, but that's the parts changer mentality I've fought against my whole career. Just because the means don't exist to test something is no reason to condemn it. Today, the three 12-7.5 batteries cost me 16 bucks a piece, and bill out for close to 50. I sure wouldn't like a 150 dollar bill every time I had something PM'd just because it might be bad or it might last another 4 years.
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I hate the parts changer mentality as well, (but my disdain is directed toward the guys who dont know how to test something so they just start swapping parts to see what happens. A/C techs and appliance repairmen are the worst) but this is a consumable item you know is going bad. If you have to take it out and test it just to see if its gone bad yet, why put the old one back in?
 
B

brennan

Member
The company I work for bought several a while back. I will see what kind they bought. It seems they were pricey. The batteries on a FA system are supposed to be load tested every year.
 
mdshunk

mdshunk

Senior Member
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Found one!

http://www.stonetechnology.com/stc612.html

BBA612.jpg
 
mdshunk

mdshunk

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Right here.
peter d said:
Yes, but did you order one yet? ;)
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No, I'm still looking. That one pictured is 200 bucks, and I don't really see 200 bucks there. I might have to pay that, but it seems to me that there ought to be something like this for closer to 50.
 
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