battery care

DannyE

Member
Hi, I'm looking for a charger charger to maintain my batteries, I've been taking them out of equipment and putting them in the house, looking for help? I see trickle chargers, battery tender, battery minder, what's the difference, what to use, tired of tot'n them around. It's -14 now and have to get two more in the house. Thanks in advance ! ! Dan
 
Why are you bringing them in? unhook the ground cable and leave them. they are better off stored cold and if there any good they wont freeze. If they are going to sit a long time maybe put a charger on them after a couple of months.
 
Dannye, as it appears you're already aware, its hard on a battery to sit for an extended period in a low charge state. While cold weather isn't such a problem so long as a battery is charged, if they are discharged that's when freezing can become a problem.

As far as Battery Tenders and Maintainers and Trickle Chargers and brands and types and sizes are concerned, there was a long discussion some time back that covered that topic ad nauseum. There are tons of OPINIONS (some professional some lay) about the size and amps and rating and brands and makes n models and how many batteries can be coupled to a particular charger etc etc etc READ AND DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND PAY YOUR MONEY AND MAKE YOUR CHOICE LOL

That being said, I would probably at least remove one battery cable to prevent any discharges,,,,,,,,,make sure they do not sit long periods since they self discharge even if new and perfect and were initially charged just fine,,,,,,,,,if they become discharged DO NOT LET THEM BE EXPOSED TO FREEZING,,,,,,,,study the tenders and maintainers and make an informed decision based on the specs and consider all the opinions offered here, take or leave them at your peril lol I have seen one person swear by and recommend a certain brand, size or type, while another claims they are junk, and I'm sure not going to call either a liar, I enjoy all opinions and stories and preferences, they may be right they may be dead wrong, but all are entitled to their opinions and experiences in my view.

Best wishes

John T
 
I dunno. I have had bad luck just leaving a "fully charged," "perfectly good" battery out in the cold, even disconnected. About 50/50, the battery is dead come spring.

The Schumacher 1 Amp battery maintainers sold for $20-$25 at Walmart and Tractor Supply are what I use for the most part, and they do a good job keeping my batteries in good condition over the winter.
 
I have been using the Harbor Freight maintainers for about 5 years on my 1466 IH, 930 Case, w-6 IH and on my 700 cc Suzuki 4 wheeler. They always start right up in spring. Use it on them in summer too if they are going to sit for extended period. They are relatively cheap, and if one ever does quit, won't cost much to replace.
 
Danny,I read the comments and everyone is entitled to their opinion. You asked a question and I can answer by telling you what I do. There are battery chargers out there called smart chargers. These will run until the battery is fully charged and then they shut off,however I am not a fan of leaving any charger on in case it heats up and starts a fire. I charge my batteries and set them on a bench in my shop,it is a wooden bench. I have never lost a battery that was brought in and fully charged(my shop is not heated but its warmer in there than outside or in the machinery shed. I was always told not to put a battery on the ground or on a concrete floor as it will lose its charge (Don't know if its true,never done it) Charging a battery in a vehicle or piece of equipment is certainly better than no charge , as batteries can freeze and crack when ther aren't charged. I will continue to do what I do since I have never lost a battery that way. I have lost batteries that I left in an old farm truck,I believed they were charged but were dead by spring. Any charger that will charge batteries is good to own and keep your batteries up. Do whatever you like,I'm just saying what I do and I don't lose batteries that way
 
I sort of do what Michael does.
I have a few different brand of chargers/tenders/minders ? but I don't trust them as the time I did leave it hooked up it seemed to want to boil the water out of the battery and not really shut off.
Now I use the one with the green light that tells you it's done. I hook it up and after that light comes on I unhook it. I don't know if that is right or not ? it is to shut off but does not seem to ? and I don't know if it is even going into the desulfate mode ?
 
I've got over 20 maintainers. All rated 1.5 amps and can be hard-wired if wanted. Over the years I've tried five different brands. Best bang for the buck seems to be the Schumacher Speedy Charge at Walmart for $18. I've been using them for four years now -365 days a year. Some are hooked to dual-battery diesel trucks which is technically too much for a 1.5 amp maintainer but none have failed. Hard to beat for $18 at Walmart and they work on 6 volt and 12 volt systems. They come with alligator-clip cables and hard-wire cables. Your choice how you want the hook-up. Batteries are getting too expensive to let sit and discharge, and degrade. If you own stuff that does not get run often -a maintainer save greatly extend the life of your batteries.
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I have 8 of the $18 Schumacher maintainers. I leave them on year around. I check the heat and the water occasionally and use water as needed. They do quit working sometimes, but are cheap to replace. The batteries, 7-6 volt and 1-12 volt, last longer.
 
I have both, the $20 1.5 amp and the $6 wall wart style Harbor Freight maintainer. They both have seemed to keep the battery from dying or freezing for many years. The wall wart style only has a hook up indicater light. Wish it had a light indicating if it's working like the $20 maintainer does.
 
Schumjacher changed the design of them last year and the newer ones weigh much less then the old ones. Don't know if that makes them better or worse but so far no failures.
 
While not replete with all the functions of a tender, I make use of the solar chargers at harbor freight as a maintainer. I've never had an unhappy issue and our generator and formerly a sports car were always ready to start. It perhaps should go without saying--after purchase your cost to operate is nil.
 

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