Almost every car owner is familiar with a situation where for no reason the car will not start, and later it turns out that the cause is a discharged battery. To avoid this, you need to monitor the charge level, and to check it is enough just to look under the hood.
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What is a peephole for a car battery for?
Many car batteries are equipped with a special device that measures and shows the degree of battery charge. The built-in charge indicator is located on the front (upper) side of the device and looks like a peephole - looking at it, the car owner quickly realizes that everything is in order or needs recharging.
Interesting! Many people think that this is a light bulb that lights up in different colors. However, the device is not equipped with any light bulb. All that a person sees when looking through a peephole is a colored ball or emptiness.
How the indicator works and how accurate it is
Under the small eye is a built-in aerometer (a device that measures the density of a liquid). Inside the battery, electrolyte and, measuring its density, the device reports whether there is a need for charging.
Device device
The aerometer is a small tube at the end of which is a float in the form of a colored ball. If the battery is well charged, the electrolyte density is high and the ball rises up. It is him who the car owner sees through the magnifier of the eye.
With insufficient charge, the density of the electrolyte decreases, and the green ball drowns. Instead, only the device’s black tube is visible and the peephole appears black. In some batteries, in addition to green, there is also a red ball. It is he who pops up with a decrease in density, replacing green.
In addition to insufficient charge, there may be a lack of electrolyte in the battery. In this case, the surface of the liquid is visible in the eye, and the indicator acquires a white color.
Error in the indicator
Do not unconditionally trust the indicator indicator and rely on it completely. Judging by the numerous reviews of car enthusiasts, there are errors in his work, and he does not always show the real state of the battery. The reason may be as follows:
- the density of the electrolyte varies depending on the temperature - the cold increases its density, and the indicator will show the norm despite the fact that the battery is actually almost discharged;
- glass and plastic parts of the device may be damaged due to high temperature and affect its accuracy;
- the battery consists of 6 cans, and the device is installed in only one and displays data only on it, the situation in other banks can differ significantly and affect the overall operation of the entire battery.
Motorists note another drawback of such an indicator - to check the charge you need to open the hood and look under it. Of course, it is much more convenient when the data is displayed directly in the car.
Color designations
The battery peephole suggests three colors - green, white and black, depending on the battery charge and the state of the electrolyte. Some devices use another color - red. Each color has its own meaning, thanks to which the motorist understands whether the battery is charged or discharged.
- Green indicator on the battery. If the peephole is green - you can be calm. This means that the battery is charged and no recharging is required. You can use the car in normal mode.
- Red indicator on the battery. The red peephole is an alarm signal informing the motorist that the battery is discharged and requires urgent recharging. In this case, you need to immediately get it out of the car and fully charge it.
Attention! Do not leave the battery fully discharged for a long time, this may damage it.
- Black indicator on the battery. The black eye has the same meaning as the red. The electrolyte density decreased, the green ball drowned, and you see the blackness of the tube in the eye. Charging required.
- White indicator on the battery. If the peephole is white, then there is not enough electrolyte in the battery. This can be corrected independently by disassembling the device and adding distilled water to it.
Why, after charging, the green color may not light up
Some people face the fact that even after a long charge, the eye color does not turn green. There are several reasons for this:
- the green ball simply got stuck in a narrow aisle and did not stand in the right place - shake the battery slightly to move it;
- dirt from plates that crumble over time prevents the indicator from showing the correct value;
- The battery has failed.
A peephole on the battery is a convenient way to check the degree of its charge, however, many motorists claim that this is a useless twist and should not be fully relied on. For an accurate charge check, better measure the voltage with a load plug
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