Measuring Battery State of Charge
CAN YOU MEASURE YOUR BATTERY VOLTAGE TO DETERMINE HOW CHARGED THEY ARE?
So, you can measure your battery voltage to determine how charged they are, and you can measure the current to see the rate of charge or discharge (how fast the batteries are gaining or losing power). Use the chart below to interpret your battery voltage readings.
This chart will allow you to get a pretty good idea of how charged the batteries are. They must not be charging or discharging for these voltages to be correct. Also, it should be at least 1 or 2 hours since they were being charged or under a load. A good time to check is early in the morning before charging starts or any appliances are turned on. This will tell you the battery SOC (state of charge) or, simply put, how full they are.
Remember, this measurement is most accurate after the batteries have been at rest at least 1 hour, and neither charging nor discharging.
BATTERY VOLTAGE CHART
Percent of Full Charge | Battery Voltage | |
100% Charged | 12.7 volts | 25.4 volts |
90% Charged | 12.6 volts | 25.2 volts |
80% Charged | 12.5 volts | 24.9 volts |
70% Charged | 12.3 volts | 24.8 volts |
60% Charged | 12.2 volts | 24.6 volts |
50% Charged | 12.1 volts | 24.4 volts |
40% Charged | 12.0 volts | 24.3 volts |
30% Charged | 11.9 volts | 24.1 volts |
20% Charged | 11.8 volts | 24.0 volts |
10% Charged | 11.7 volts | 23.9 volts |
Completely Discharged | 11.6 volts or less | 23.8 volts or less |
Other Battery Wiring Diagrams:
More Battery Information:
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