The Quest For The Perfect Hydrometer

[MtnDon]

This is for anyone who uses flooded type lead acid batteries with removable caps. Not for OTTCT

I don't know anybody who really enjoys using the typical battery hydrometer where one draws battery electrolyte into a glass tube by squeezing and releasing a rubber bulb and watching the float. Me neither, but I do it to all 36 cells in our battery bank. Sometimes it is difficult to read the float for any number of reasons; aging eyes and needing eyeglasses for close reading is near the top of my list.

I found an interesting hydrometer on Midnite Solar's website. Did a Google search and did not find many hits in North America. Quite a few in Europe where it is made in Germany. In Europe one can be bought for $16 to $20 US. I found one at Colorado Solar a while back, for $36. Ouch! They had them in stock in their store in New Castle; near Rifle and Glenwood Springs.

ebay.de

So far I love it. It is temperature corrected and easy to read, bubble free.


User Manual

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Your right MtnDon

I've thrown the hydrometer & $1,600 in flooded L16 Surrette batteries in the Garbage !!
But for those who swear by T105 golf cart batteries ..... This is PERFECT !!

Cheers OTTCT

[lrrowe]

MtnDon,

I just purchases one of the old gauge this past Friday and you are right. It is a pain to use. Not only was it hard to accurately read, it was messy with me dripping battery acid every where.

I will add this new idea to my list of thinks to think about getting. $5 compared to $36.

[highdesertranger]

how about these. old school glass, they have a rv kit. best of all made in the USA.
http://www.freasglass.com/index.html
highdesertranger

[MtnDon]

I have used Freas hydrometers for years. They are very good. The two I have have little glass pips around the circumference. They help preveny float sticking to the hydrometer glass barrel. However, with 36 cells to read the HydroVolt cuts the read time at least in half. I like that. No need to apply a temperature correction at all as it is built into the HydroVolt. In part the time savings is due to the Hydrovolts scale being easier to read than the float scale. In part that is my aging eyesight, the need to wear reading glasses to see up close properly.

If it was made in the USA the HydroVolt would be perfect. I do like to buy stuff made in the USA when it offers me the equivalent features, quality and price or a compromise I can live with. That is not always the case.

[Mike M]

I have used a Glycol Viscosity Tester - Refractometer, the one I use is a Miso $200. I am able to use it from work. If you Google 'Glycol Viscosity Tester - Refractometer' you will see most of them do battery also and can be purchased for about $30.

[Gold5one]

I use this RV tech trick to check a battery-
Cut off a 12" piece of enameled coat hanger wire- sand off one inch of enamel coating on each end, bend it 90 degrees.
Clip your digital volt meter to one end of the wire and the other to the positive post-
check the far post and record the battery voltage-
insert that coat hanger wire into each successive cap hole down to touch the plates and record the voltage= it should be about a 2.2 volt step with each hole. When you come to a bad cell you will see it is less voltage than the others= just like an engine compression test locating a weak cylinder.
I have had batteries which tested OK on the hydrometer, but had a bad cell when checking the voltage drops. We never had any problem getting them covered under manufacturers warranty when we presented that info. The customer knew the battery was bad, but it was sometimes hard to prove using a hydrometer.

[abqlloyd]

They have them here:

http://www.solarpanelstore.com/

I went ahead and ordered one.

[abqlloyd]

I received today from the above company. Prompt service and well packaged.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1410828888.132325.jpg (113.94 KiB) Viewed 2792 times

[abqlloyd]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1410828936.902548.jpg (107.09 KiB) Viewed 2791 times

[MtnDon]

Congrats. I do love mine.

[lrrowe]

I guess I will have to put this purchase up higher on my list of things to get. Right now I am trying to get a little more life out of two Marine Batteries given to me by a professional fishing guide. They are pretty bad, but I need to spend my budget dollars on other more critical things for the immediate future. Every day I use the old style (got it from Advance Auto) tester and it is a pain, not to mention messy to check on a total of 4 batteries I am working with. Hopefully they can get me through hunting camp this fall.

[bdosborn]

They have them here:

http://www.solarpanelstore.com/

I went ahead and ordered one.

Here's a direct link:

Hydro Volt

I'll have to get one of these, I hate my hydrometer for all the reasons mentioned above.

Bruce

[abqlloyd]

I'm making the switch from AGM to T105's for my new trailer. My AGM batteries have served me well but I can't justify spending $500+ for 200amp hours. I'm hoping this will help me maintain them. I bought the auto zone hydrometer and hated it.