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6 V batteries going dry on trickle charge?

5

55 50 Ron

Well-known Member
A place where I volunteer has several old tractors with 6 Volt systems with generators that have the batteries removed and placed on trickle chargers during several winter months. These batteries are AC Delco and had dried up this past winter. I haven't checked specs on the trickle chargers and I don't remember their brand right now. I'll have to check those specs, but in the meantime has anyone else experienced trickle chargers drying out batteries. It just happened on 6 V batteries which seems strange to me. We had 12 V batteries on trickle chargers during the same time and they all came out good although the 12s are not AC Delco. Maybe we got a bad batch of AC Delco 6 Vs?

I'm well aware that you can boil batteries dry on big chargers, but I thought the main purpose of trickle chargers is to prevent "boil away"and maintain a trickle current to maintain full charge. Or maybe we have some defective trickle chargers?
 
just remove the batteries store them in a good place they do not need to have a trickle charge you do not see trickle chargers on new ones setting on shelves in stores
 
I would check the voltage on the trickle chargers, are you sure they're for 6 V batteries? I really doubt it's defective batteries, maybe one, but not all! I boiled a motorcycle battery dry one time and I just went and got some acid and refilled it and it was OK, worth a try! I do not believe in leaving chargers on batteries when they're sitting. Store them in a cool place and maybe charge them after 3-4 months. I leave most of my equipment sit for 4 months in the winter with no chargers and they are fine. Now, storing them in 110 degree heat in Arizona is a different story!
 
You need to know the voltage that these "trickle" chargers are holding those batteries at. I have seen so many refer to a slow charger as a trickle charger and they are totally different. A slow charger is usually 4 or 6 amp which over extended periods of time could over charge a battery. A trickle charger is less than one amp and more than likely about a 1/4 amp charge. Back in the day we would have several new batteries on the shelf all hooked to one trickle charger to keep them full charge. That trickle charger had up to six or more seperate leads out of one charger.

Now days they call them float chargers and are just one charger for one battery. If you have capped cells and you look in the cell the electrolite should not be bubbling at all on a trickle or float charger no matter how long it is hooked up to charger.
 
Unless it is a fully automatic charger that cuts itself off when the battery is up, no, it can not be left on long term. Even then if there is any parasitic drain, it can be boiled dry given long enough time.

A healthy battery that is disconnected from any potential drain should not need to be on a charger unless you're talking about extended periods of time, 6 months or longer.
 
I would chime in with Steve. You need a maintainer. They charge and then shut off. I just ordered a nice small one Today from Ebay. I have had very good luck with thier full size charger so I am going to try this little one. Has 6 and 12 volt cycles. Will let you know after I get it. I have high hopes for this little unit.
cvphoto36475.jpg
 
I left the battery on our portable backup generator on a Schumacher battery maintainer, and after several years it boiled dry. My guess is your trickle chargers are a bit high on six volts.
 
I have a trickle charger I got at walmarts. I made sure it said it would shut off when fully charged. I have it on my 6v jubilee. works great. I use them all the time but make sure they all shut off when voltage is correct.
 
I watch the battery on my generator. It's the size of a small battery. It too will slowly go dry. My Charger has an auto shutoff.
 
> I watch the battery on my generator. It's the size of a small battery. It too will slowly go dry. My Charger has an auto shutoff.

The battery on our backup generator is a bit bigger than a lawn mower battery. Even after refilling it, it was never right again and I had to replace it. Now I rotate the charger between it and our RV generator, which has uses a motorcycle battery. And I have another charger in my shop that I rotate between four machines.
 

So am I to assume from this conversation that a trickle charger is different from a "tender" or "maintainer"? People here are always raving about how wonderful those are. Are we talking two different animals here or just different names for the same one?
 
I use maintainers but found they must be temperature compensated. I have dried out several 12 volt batteries on non-temperature maintainers. I called the company. They had sold some early non-temperature maintainers. I tossed them all. Paul
 
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