Emergency Lights

[Mendonsy]

That 9.2 volt reading sounds high so your charging circuit could be damaging the batteries. Some charging circuits do not have good regulation which will produce higher voltage when there is no load (battery fully charged).
Some of the "battery maintainer" type chargers have an AC signal riding on top of the DC voltage which many digital meters will misinterpret as higher DC voltage. You can usually detect this by switching the meter to an AC voltage scale.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Mmmmm... That meter on that range is very very suspect. Lead acid batteries are 6.3 to 6.4 volts at rest 2.1 volts per cell is set in stone...You can't change chemistry.. That is why I have several meters 2 analog and 3 digital. Trust but verify!

Dead on correct k0ua! Meter was reading 25% high on all ranges. Low battery. Old batteries now read under 6v. Thanks for the tip.

 

[k0ua]

Dead on correct k0ua! Meter was reading 25% high on all ranges. Low battery. Old batteries now read under 6v. Thanks for the tip.

Aha!... man it really sucks when your test equipment is not working right. It can really throw your troubleshooting for a loop..

 

[EddieWalker]

Instead of relying on an emergency light when the power goes off, I use my Makita LED flashlight with an 18 volt battery from my cordless tools. I've put it on the counter and left it on for 6 hours while we sat around playing cards. I have no idea how long it will last, but that was the longest I ever tried. I have several batteries always charge in my truck, and the amount of light that flashlight gives off is amazing.