gjgalligan
Member
If the vehicle is gonna be setting outside there are small 12v solar panels that will keep your battery in good charge.
Battery Charger
- Thread starter Narragansett
- Start date
drayks
Member
For long term lead/acid battery storage, have battery in fully charged state, remove from vehicle, clean outside of battery with water to remove any acid residues, and place in FREEZER. When going to reconnect in vehicle, allow time for battery to adjust to ambient temperature. Reconnect and voila-fully charged undamaged battery ready to go. This is NOT a joke!
I don't daily drive therefore everything I do drive and ride is on a BT. Just make sure the BT has large enough or higher output.
Jon651
Member
I use maintenance (a.k.a. - "trickle") chargers on my lawn mower, both scooters, my camper, and my '68 el Camino and have learned a lot over the years. Even with a trickle charger I've managed to boil a battery or two dry during the off season, especially with the cheap ones (think Harbor Freight). My first lesson was "Don't buy cheap chargers"! The last lesson I learned was to ensure any charger was "temperature compensating", as my garage and shop can get extremely hot even of a cool day here in sunny Central Florida.
Hope this helps!
I use the cheapest ones I can find on cars, trucks, rvs, boats, atvs, lawn mowers and clay target machines. In Wisconsin we have a long off season for toys. and trickle chargers make for a better spring start up.
I have 26 battery tenders...all in use. Ok..only 24 in use currently..
. If you want your batteries to last for many moons on things you don't use often,it's the only way to keep them alive.
. If you want your batteries to last for many moons on things you don't use often,it's the only way to keep them alive.gjgalligan
Member
My whole life I have always heard that cold is a major killer of batteries.
Can you provide empirical evidence of your claim?
drayks
Member
80 degrees F is optimum vehicle battery output ability temperature. Cold reduces output ability because of slower chemical reactions. 0 degrees F battery output is between 1/4 and 1/2 of optimal. The purpose of putting battery in freezer for storage is to essentially stop internal chemical activity i.e. storage self-discharge. Leaving the battery connected to vehicle constantly drains in the mAMP range caused by parasitic loads, i.e. all those computers. Not unusual to see 30mAMP drain. Trickle chargers do have their place, but cold storage is best if available. Michigan master mechanic since 1976.
I have one on my 17500 watt gererator 24/7, 365.. It's Florida don't 'cha know.
.. been using them for 30 years..
.. been using them for 30 years..
bigggbbruce
Member
My diesel truck has 2 Red Top Optima, had a pair go dead in a 2 week period once.
The new ones are on a trickle charge if I'm not using it regularly. Battery static 12.85 volts, 4 years and going.
The new ones are on a trickle charge if I'm not using it regularly. Battery static 12.85 volts, 4 years and going.
GypsmJim
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Battery Tenders and Trickle Chargers "can" eventually boil the battery and lose fluid. Maybe a "good" one is OK, but not for me. Besides, leaving electrical things unattended makes me uneasy.
I have a classic car that's driven 100 miles a year, plus 2 tractors and 3 boats. The small batteries go in the basement for the Winter, and the large ones in 2 of the boats and the old car are left in because they are easily accessible in the garage.
My regimen is to check them all monthly. If they are below ~80% charge I put them on a Smart Charger. If above 80 I check again next month. Usually, my charge-ups are between 2 and 3 months.
My Classic is 45 years old. The last time I had to replace that battery it was 24 years old. Not normal for me, but I guess my procedure ain't too bad. My boat batteries usually last about 8 years.
Personally, I think a good battery could easily go 3-4 months and charge right back up after driving the car for awhile.
I have a classic car that's driven 100 miles a year, plus 2 tractors and 3 boats. The small batteries go in the basement for the Winter, and the large ones in 2 of the boats and the old car are left in because they are easily accessible in the garage.
My regimen is to check them all monthly. If they are below ~80% charge I put them on a Smart Charger. If above 80 I check again next month. Usually, my charge-ups are between 2 and 3 months.
My Classic is 45 years old. The last time I had to replace that battery it was 24 years old. Not normal for me, but I guess my procedure ain't too bad. My boat batteries usually last about 8 years.
Personally, I think a good battery could easily go 3-4 months and charge right back up after driving the car for awhile.
Same here, although not on my truck, which gets used regularly, unless it gets really cold (which here means getting towards single digits F.) Have them on most of the time on my small Kubota tractor, Takeuchi excavator and old Onan diesel genny. I have heard that they can damage a battery, but I have had no problems. The genny battery has been plugged in for about 10 years now.
BloodyThumb
Member
The pictured CTEK is the EXACT charger with Husqvarna branding on it that came from the mfg with my Husqvarna lawn tractor 6 years ago. They even put a plug on the dash to plug it in instead of using a pigtail. I am still on the original battery.
Not the exact same but GM sells them for vettes with the vette logo on it. With a GM price.
BloodyThumb
Member
…more like a CORVETTE price, I’m betting! 
AManWearingAHat
Member
My boat batteries overwinter on tenders and they work great!
DWalt
Member
There are solar trickle chargers that plug into a cigarette lighter socket. Seems like a good idea for those who drive infrequently.
Bozz10mm
US Veteran
I have solar panels that connect directly to the battery via clamps. They have fairly long wire cables so you can mount them in direct sunlight. They do a very good job of keeping my vehicle batteries and the mower battery charged during long periods of non-use. They are available on Amazon for $40-$50.
We used 13.2 VDC to float lead acid batteries on boats.
Some ferro resonant chargers float at 13.4 VDC, and it's best to check them weekly or more often.
We would install a timer circuit, on those boats, and test to see how many hours are best.
Some boats, like large SeaRays, place the batteries, where it's not easy to check all of them.
Six group 31s, outboard of each engine, a pain for sure.
Some ferro resonant chargers float at 13.4 VDC, and it's best to check them weekly or more often.
We would install a timer circuit, on those boats, and test to see how many hours are best.
Some boats, like large SeaRays, place the batteries, where it's not easy to check all of them.
Six group 31s, outboard of each engine, a pain for sure.
Plus 1 on the solar chargers. I have to park my Xterra 6 miles away all winter and use a tracked vehicle to get to it. Mine plugs into the 12-volt plug on the dash that is active all the time. There is a second plug in the console that is NOT active unless the key is in the on position. So, check on that. You could also run a wire with alligator clips directly to the battery. The 4-amp panel sits on the dash facing south and works perfectly, even with a snow-covered windshield. A larger truck, say diesel with two batteries, would probably require a 6-8 amp charger. My vehicle turns over with authority even after being left in -35° F overnight temps for two weeks at a time. Never a failure in 10 years, although there was one battery replacement during that time.
