How important is having a good charger?

Geo-TH,In · Jan 5, 2017

How important is having a good charger that can desulfate? I'm a believer it's very important. Battery temperature is 29F. Cutting edge battery is 2013. Other battery is much older.

Both batteries were charged / desulfated a month ago and not been used. I don't see a need for trickle chatgerd.

I'll let the pics tell the story.

Dean · Jan 5, 2017

Agreed.

I would not recommend a trickle charger except in specific circumstances and unless one was quite disciplined and had abundant time to connect/disconnect, etc.

Dean

David G · Jan 5, 2017

The JD battery in my garden tractor is 12 years old, charge it good in fall, then first of year, then before use in spring with my 30 year old charger.

Maybe battery life is crap shoot.

dpendzic · Jan 5, 2017

for years I have left the trickle chargers on my dozers threw the whole winter----one set is 15 years old

RayP(MI) · Jan 5, 2017

On the recommendation of my mechanic who runs an auto electric shop in a major city, I use battery maintainers on all batteries that are not in regular use. (Harbor Freight wall wart - 350mw, approx $5.00 on sale.)
Have had very good success keeping batteries alive. Had a pair in a truck that rested for a year and a half. Still testing good on a digital tester. Started truck right up the other day.

They will charge a partially discharged battery. Charging system is down on diesel tractor (long story for another time,) Maintainer does a great job keeping old tired battery up. All battery is used for is starting, as diesel systems all mechanical.

My mechanic has a collection of probably twenty collectable cars. All have those mainters do a great job. Some of the cars don't get run but once ot twice a year.

guido · Jan 5, 2017

Hello dpendzic,

Yea! No Fancy gizmo needed. Maybe people here will believe someone who has hard proove?

Guido.

rusty6 · Jan 5, 2017

No maintainers or trickle chargers used on my farm. Batteries in one tractor and combine sit all winter and I'll give them a short charge in spring if I think of it. Just replaced the tractor batteries at 16 years of age last year. Combine batteries were still good when I parked it this fall at 16 years. I think there are good and poor batteries. Does not matter too much what we do to make them last. If I don't get 7 to 10 years out of a battery I figure is was a mediocre one.

JMOR · Jan 5, 2017

too bad that folks are not careful to differentiate between the two very different charger types; the Trickle and the Float.

John T · Jan 5, 2017

If long battery life,,,,,,,,,,automatic desulfation cycling,,,,,,,,,,,,,avoiding over charging,,,,,,,,,,,,,, temperature compensation are important,,,,,,,,,,,,,and you dont want to have to overly monitor and manually connect and disconnect etc etc etc, in the RV where I have four expensive Trojan T-105 batteries I RECOMMEND A SMART COMPUTER CONTROLED 4 STAGE (Bulk, Absorption, Float, Equalize) BATTERY CHARGER. Ive used Xantrex and Progressive Dynamics Smart 4 Stage Chargers but they aren't cheap !!!!

If you're only talking a few batteries here n there you can get by with a much cheaper much simpler battery charger and perhaps a battery tender type device as required for long term storage.

The bottom line is the better kept charged and desulfation and preventing overcharging the longer battery life, so make your own choice subject to your use and budget.

John T

Geo-TH,In · Jan 5, 2017

John, My batteryminder 12248 has a temperature probe too. I think it has all the features your charger has, the one you use on Golf cart batteries in RV. My charger is 6 years old. It's been replaced with an upgraded model that does everything mine does except they claim it can handle up to 6 batteries in parallel instead of 4. Charger comes with a 5 year warranty. I'm impressed how long my batteries last. I would definitely buy another when this one takes a dump. I have over 20 batteries so the charger gets rotated to different batteries. The more they get desulfated, the time it takes goes form days to hours.

I always wait for all my batteries to cool down before charging, including cordless batteries. Now I have a way to warm my cordless batteries to 60-70 in winter before charging. I put a 9w led bulb inside a cooler, call it a battery warmer. I keep electrical tape and a few other things warm too. No heat in pole barn.

geo

Dean · Jan 5, 2017

Knock yourself out.

Dean

Galen Houk · Jan 5, 2017

I am no expert but I think you probably don't need a maintainer if you don't have a drain or you disconnect the battery over winter. If you have any drain your battery can discharge and freeze. My 2002 Corvette will slowly drain the battery w/o a maintainer.

Traditional Farmer · Jan 5, 2017

I bought an electrical sign on a trailer set up a couple years back,has a small diesel engine with an alternator on it.The sign doesn't work but the charging system is
1st rate put a battery in it and let it run for an hr or so and it'll be charged up perfectly.It also came with a full tank of fuel looks to be about 50 gals,have charged countless batteries and the tank might be down 1/3.

guido · Jan 5, 2017

Hello Geo-TH,In,

A lead acid battery with full rated capacity, will provide ONLY 85% of its capacity at that temperature. Your 350 CCA rated battery is shown by your meter to be at almost 100% capacity? Hard to believe, at that temperature it should be about 297 amps. or at 85%, and test at 350 at 80 degrees F. At that reading and temperature, the battery would be 350+ 52.5 amps which is more then 400 CCA, increased capacity @ 80 degrees F.?
I don't know what else to say, except that I am not convinced. Take your OLD carbon pile tester and do tbe same test do it with temperature compensation. At 32 degrees F for example you load test that battery @ 1/2 of its 85% capacity or 150 amps. I will wait for your result and post, although I know what the answer already. Maybe I'm wrong!

Guido.

JMOR · Jan 5, 2017

(quoted from post at 16:03:45 01/05/17) Hello Geo-TH,In,

A lead acid battery with full rated capacity, will provide ONLY 85% of its capacity at that temperature. Your 350 CCA rated battery is shown by your meter to be at almost 100% capacity? Hard to believe, at that temperature it should be about 297 amps. or at 85%, and test at 350 at 80 degrees F. At that reading and temperature, the battery would be 350+ 52.5 amps which is more then 400 CCA, increased capacity @ 80 degrees F.?
I don't know what else to say, except that I am not convinced. Take your OLD carbon pile tester and do tbe same test do it with temperature compensation. At 32 degrees F for example you load test that battery @ 1/2 of its 85% capacity or 150 amps. I will wait for your result and post, although I know what the answer already. Maybe I'm wrong!

Guido.

e didn't specify the duration for which his battery could maintain that reading & without that, no conclusion can be properly drawn.

guido · Jan 5, 2017

Hello Galen Houk,

Yes you Do need a maintainer if you want the battery ready when you are. Totally disconnected and isolated from any load, lead acid batteries will self discharge aboug 1% a month. If the top is also is shorting out then it will lose even more charge,

Guido.

Geo-TH,In · Jan 5, 2017

Jessie what are you talking about, maintain?? The two batteries shown were
last on the charger a month ago.

If you are talking about my tester, google the tester. It's not a load tester,
it's a battery conductivity tester that actually measures CCA. I don't think
some people have an idea what a conductivity tester is. All new car dealers,
any auto parts stores that sell batteries use conductivity testers. I got rid
of my resistive load tester after I bought this tester. Gave my load tester
away. Most load testers can't handle a 1200 cca battery, this tester will tell
you if it's good. Even tells you if it has a bad cell. It's very reliable. Tester doens't drain battery like a load tester

geo

sotxbill · Jan 5, 2017

ALSO remember.. anything with a computer, ecu, clock or other type circuits will run down a battery quicker when in storage. How far back to get a car or truck with out a ecu, computer, clock or other sucking device. Even the radio will suck current if it has a clock built in. Newer tractors.. have ecu's that will suck current, radios, clocks etc. Newer riding lawnmowers with hour meters can even draw minimal current. Not to mention leaky diodes in the charging circuits, battery leakage from surface contaminants.

so like it or not... batteryminders will keep it forever ready.. will not over charge, boil off electrolytics, and de-sulphate.

Geo-TH,In · Jan 6, 2017

Guido, Napa uses these fancy gizmos to prove the battery they sold is defective. I've gotten FREE replacement battery if they go bad when less than a year old.

Everyone uses them that sells batteries. More reliable than measuring voltage or using a load tester. Best test is test of time.

What do you have to measure CCA?
George

How important is having a good charger?

Geo-TH,In

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Dean

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David G

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dpendzic

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Geo-TH,In

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