I know you can test voltage of a battery, but can you test how much of a battery is left?
One of my smoke alarms is "chirping", so I figured the battery is getting weak. However, when I hook it up to a battery tester I get 9.3 volts across the terminals. What is my smoke alarm doing to know this battery is weak?
2007-10-12 06:55:42 · 5 answers · asked by It's the hair 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
It is testing power not voltage. there are two components of power, voltage and current. The battery is starting to get too week to supply the correct amount of power, the detector is testing the batteries peak power output which will degrade by usage or just over time. Yes can can buy battery testers, that measure the power output form a battery.
2007-10-12 07:20:05 · answer #1 · answered by Brian K² 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Depends on the battery chemistry, but it needs to be tested under load. 9.3V could be good for a 9V battery but is terrible for a 12V battery. If you are near the expiration date printed on the battery, it's probably time to replace. For a smoke alarm, alkaline batteries are best, and rechargeable batteries are not suitable. Sometimes a new pack of alkaline batteries will include a simple tester.
If you replace the battery with one which is near its expiration date, the test probably won't tell you anything. Shelf life of a good alkaline cell is years, but it is still finite.
2007-10-13 01:35:40 · answer #2 · answered by Frank N 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is no true way of test the life of a battery. my suggestion is to change batteries and see if your smoke alarm stops "chirping" if it doesn't you need a new smoke alarm
2007-10-12 14:09:04 · answer #3 · answered by cleatus 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
More than 9v is very good.
less than 9 v is no good
2007-10-12 15:19:56 · answer #4 · answered by STUDY 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Stick the 9v on your tongue. If it tingles, you're good.
2007-10-12 14:01:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋