just a test between inspections giving an idea of state of charge I would of thought was enough.
When permanently on float, knowing the state of charge will tell you that the charger is working, but not whether the battery is any good. You might have a life-expired 7Ah block that is down to a usable capacity of only 1Ah, but that 1Ah is fully charged and will read good. The capacity tester uses Peukert's exponent and/or other methods to calculate from a quick discharge what will happen when current is drawn over a period of time.