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POWER BASE SECTION
How Long Should Batteries Last?
An average of 1 to 1.5 years.
Factors that affect battery performance:
Maintenance - Poor maintenance.•
Charging - Improper charging shortens battery life. •
Chair Components - Malfunctioning electronics, bad motors, electric brakes, •
and corroded wiring are just some of the factors that may affect battery life and
performance.
Battery Servicing and Replacement
Automobile batteries, which are used for starting, are tested with a load tester to
assure a high rate of energy production in a short burst.
The voltmeters on load testers are not accurate enough to establish a
state of charge.
Deep-cycle batteries produce energy more slowly and are designed to hold up to
constant discharging and recharging. Testing a deep-cycle wheelchair or scooter
battery requires different procedures than an automobile battery.
A routine for testing deep-cycle batteries should follow these guidelines:
Never replace just one battery at a time. This will create an imbalance when charging
and ultimately damage both batteries.
Check batteries for a voltage difference. A voltage difference of more than .4 volts D.C.
is a true indicator of a bad battery.
Voltage test - A dead battery cannot be effectively tested, yet many people mistakenly
try to do just that. Any battery that reads 11.0 volts or less is technically dead.
To perform any testing, especially a load test:
A. Batteries must be charged
B. The top charge must be taken from fully charged batteries if charge rate has just
fi nished.
Load Test• - This test can only be done on fully charged batteries and can
diagnose one type of problem, an internal short.
Capacity/ Discharge Test• - This is the only accurate way to test a deep-cycle
battery for adequate running time. The problem with this test is that it is time
consuming.
Current / Voltage check• with a regular interval check - Another way of truly
knowing how much time your battery will last is also time consuming.
Battery Diagnostics
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