How To Test A Car Battery

Your car's battery drains more quickly in the colder months. Many roadside assistance providers attribute most of their calls during the winter to battery breakdowns. Instead of calling for assistance, you can check your car's battery at home.

Testing your car's battery on a regular basis during colder months can prevent you from being stranded along the road. By testing your battery, you will know precisely whether your car battery is good, or whether it needs to be replaced. In order to know exactly where your battery stands, you can use one of two devices: the digital multi-meter or the load tester.

Using A Digital Multi-Meter To Test Your Battery

A digital multi-meter is a little device you can purchase from a local auto parts store. The multi-meter will give you the exact volts your battery has left, allowing you to determine if your car's battery is good or not. Car batteries that have 12.6 V or more are good batteries.

Testing your battery using a digital multi-meter only takes a few minutes. After turning the car off, you connect the positive prong to the positive post. After connecting the positive, you connect the negative prong and post in the same manner. Once connected, your digital multi-meter will display the volts, allowing you to determine whether the battery should be replaced or not.

Using A Load Tester To Test Your Battery

Most people use load testers to test their batteries. With a load tester, you don't have to remember how many volts are necessary to determine whether your battery is any good. Instead, the easy-to-read display gauge points to indicators"good," "low" or "bad" to help you easily determine what to do with your battery.

Testing your battery with a load tester is as simple as testing it with a digital multi-meter. Start by connecting your positive clamp to the positive post. Once you have that connected, connect the negative post with the negative clamp. After you've established a secure connection, your load tester will apply a slight load to your battery to determine whether it should be replaced.

Harsh, frigid weather can reduce the life of your battery. If you suspect you are having battery problems, you should check your battery's charge to reduce the chances of being stranded along the road.

Using a multi-meter or a load tester, you can determine whether you need to replace your battery this winter. Taking proactive measures to ensure the safety of your cars will help you maintain the cost of your commercial auto insurance.

Make sure your fleet has the right coverage for your business' needs. Call Integrity Network Insurance Group, LLC at (844) 524-4744 for more information on the Commercial Auto Insurance policies we offer.

Do you think a digital multi-meter or a load tester is more effective for checking a car battery? Let us know in the comments below.

No Comments