Battery maintenance

[Trader]

Seen lots of discussion about a "battery tender"...and it is obvious they are the electrical plug type.

 

So...I assume these are not just a charger?

 

I have heard of putting batteries on a 2 amps charger , on a timer, so it only comes on 1 hour a day.

 

I purchased some cheap solar battery tenders from Canadian Tire.

These are supposed to put out up to 1.8 watts/125 mA under ideal conditions.

 

But...they won't be any good in my garage over the winter!

 

SO....the question is What is a battery tender?

Can I hook up multiple batteries to a single Charger/tender?

With all the toys and equipment I have 8-10 batteries!

[slick97spirit]

Go to Wally world, to their battery dept. and get their tender. I have 3 of them and they work great and are reasonably priced.

 

They will not charge a dead battery. The way they are designed is to maintain a charged battery.

 

Using one will lengthen the life of the battery also. You can only hook one battery to one tender.

[Dave3]

I've used a Yuasa tender for 15 years and have had a good life from my batteries. You really don't need more than 1 unit. When a battery shows charged just put it on another battery.

[MiCarl]

Battery Tender is a particular brand of automatic float charger. They're at the higher end of the price scale. I've got a couple Die Hard maintainers and an off brand which all work fine.

 

You can get maintainers that do multiple batteries but they are pricey. The maintainer really only needs to be on a couple days/month so you can save a lot of money by moving one around.

 

In my case the lawn tractor has it's own that is left on all winter because it's out in the barn where I rarely go in winter. The scoot, boat batteries etc. are more accessible and they share one that gets moved around.

 

Don't forget to top off the water if you have flooded batteries.

[hunter 1500]

Or just charge it about every 45 days for a couple of hours or until it is fully charged.

[Trader]

so could you put a series of 6-8 batteries togther with jumpers, with a 2 amp charger and put the (+) terminal at one end and the (-) at the other, on a timer for one-2 hrs a day?

 

Would that even work?

[Yammer Dan]

Might work. Harbor Freight has a Float Charger on sale not for about 8 bucks. Works Great.

[MiCarl]

Might work. Harbor Freight has a Float Charger on sale not for about 8 bucks. Works Great.

 

The problem with the Harbor Freight charger is the wire and clips are very light weight. I'd worry I'd break them.

[GeorgeS]

For Motorcycle, Lead/Acid type standard batteries.

 

Make sure the fluid if above the plates !!

 

Charge at 2 AMP rate, with a Battery Charger, for about 6 to 10 hours.

 

Check the voltage, the next day, should be about 12.1 to 12.2 volts, No Load.

 

Then use a Trickle charger, to maintain the charge, during Storage Periods !

 

If you have a lead Acid, SEALED TYPE, and the fluid is Below the top of plates, most likley its on its last leg. ( I know, these, say, that adding water is not necessary, )

However, that , Ain't always true !!!

[flb_78]

I have one of these.

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-SpeedCharge-Battery-Maintainer-and-Charger/13005742

 

I've used it to charge 2 semi truck 1000CCA batteries from dead. I just linked the 2 batteries together with a couple of 14ga wire and let it do it's magic. It took 3 days until they were fully charged, but it did work.

[Yammer Dan]

The problem with the Harbor Freight charger is the wire and clips are very light weight. I'd worry I'd break them.

 

 

 

I do try to handle them carefully but I have one that has seen a lot of use and a couple on the shelf still in box from 5 buck sale.

[LilBeaver]

I have one of these.

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-SpeedCharge-Battery-Maintainer-and-Charger/13005742

 

I've used it to charge 2 semi truck 1000CCA batteries from dead. I just linked the 2 batteries together with a couple of 14ga wire and let it do it's magic. It took 3 days until they were fully charged, but it did work.

 

INCONCEIVABLE!

[friesman]

I bought a Schumacher brand Float charger from Princess Auto for about 28 bucks last year, it works real well for me.

 

Brian

Edited September 29, 2010 by friesman

[flb_78]

INCONCEIVABLE!

 

yes, considering that the batteries had no genitalia, they could not conceive.

[Marcarl]

I live in a funny part of the country I guess. I just park my scoot, lawnmower or what ever when I'm done with, and in the spring I go to start it up and use it again. Normally everything starts and runs just fine, except this spring, the battery on my lawn mower was dead and wouldn't take a charge, so I replaced it with a new one, starts just fine now,,, been about 8 years since I bought that machine, and it was used then. Few years ago I needed my Sears (Roper) tractor to blow the snow off my drive,,, darn the battery was dead and there was no hydro to charge it up,,,, so I did a last ditch thing,,, chucked in 2 aspirins into each cell, waited about 10 minutes and fired it up. I thought,,, well now I'll need a new battery soon,,,, that was 9 years ago, just changed it this year.

Last year I put my spare bike battery on a tender, I checked to make sure that the plates were covered and when I checked it in the spring,,,, it was dry and finished.

SO I DO NOTHING.

Oh well, there are other things strange about me, but that's another story.

[BradT]

Oh well, there are other things strange about me, but that's another story.

 

No, that is many stories

 

Brad