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Battery Maintainer?
- Thread starter PGHMAN
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kicker
Well-Known Member
I bought the Optimate 4 to maintain mine. It also will revive old or almost dead batteries as well but it is more money I think $80. Now there is alot of guys on this forum that use the Battery Tender for maintenance and I have not heard one bad thing about them. I have heard they are great for the intended use that you will be using it for.
68ragtop
Well-Known Member
Really not familiar with their chargers/maintainers. I have several shumacher 1.5A maintainers. They will charge at 1.5 amps until the voltage hits 14ish, then they go into float mode & just monitor the voltage & when it drops below 12.6, it charges again. I bought those about 8 years ago. Then I bought a couple more, & realized they didn't have float mode, so they never stopped supplying higher voltage. Boiled the batteries to death in about 1-2 months. I wasn't happy.....
I stored a friends car last year & he has the battery tender junior, compact & worked well in my opinion. They also make charging banks that can maintain 4 or more batteries at once.
I have a Bank Style setup. I do four batteries at a time. It puts an actual load on the battery rather than just a float mode. I can't tell you if that is better or even makes a difference. I can only say I have used it three years and every battery is still goo to go.
68ragtop
Well-Known Member
I envy you! I was looking up the specs of that beauty & drooling over it. A bit spendy, but so are new batteries. I currently have 5 PWC batteries, my steer bike battery & my lawn tractor battery sitting on the shelf. I should probably invest in one of those. Its odd though, the more banks they have the higher the price per bank. I would think it would get less expensive.
Do you have this one, Or another brand?
http://batterytender.com/4-bank-international-charger-usa-western-hemisphere.html
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I don't recall what I paid but do recall it wasn't cheap. I read up on them and decided I wanted it. I also own 2 other traditional chargers that can go up to 50 amps. But only use them for quick charges on vehicles in the event I need them.
The cars I drive now have disconnect relays installed. If the battery gets to 11.3 volts the relay opens the line and basically disconnect the battery. I have not jumped or charged a battery since putting them in.
Dr Honda
Well-Known Member
I have a couple battery tender Jr.'s. They are the only one's I've owned that actually work. BUT, I do not leave them hooked up all winter. If you do... you still run the chance of boiling out all the electrolyte. I hook it up for a couple days... let them charge... and pull it. During the winter, I will check the charge about once a month.
Luv2Camp
Active Member
There are two things I will NEVER buy from Harbor Freight. Cordless drills and battery chargers! I bought one of the trickle charges two years ago for my camper battery. After about a month, the voltage output went to almost 20 volts. Just about smoked my battery. Threw that in the trash. I use the battery tender junior on my ski...
Spimothy Leary
Well-Known Member
agree with all the posts.., we've covered this b4.
Battery Jr for most application's is ideal, reliable, dependable, and reasonably priced.
Optimate for someone that runs across the occasional "dead soldier" that might be revived. the additional $60 I paid for the optimate paid for itself in 24 hours by reviving a dead battery, that was being saved just as a core.
Its nice for us florida riders, we rarely if ever have to charge anything, since we ride regular. I don't think i've used my charger since maybe July when I bought a used ski that had an older battery, charged it once, then decided to just replace it to be safe. The charger had been sitting on a shelf for 6 months before that, so I've only used it once in the past year.
I don't like the idea of using a HF charger, its dirt cheap, but with the tender jr's only $25 ish.. IMO there's no reason to compromise.
Battery Jr for most application's is ideal, reliable, dependable, and reasonably priced.
Optimate for someone that runs across the occasional "dead soldier" that might be revived. the additional $60 I paid for the optimate paid for itself in 24 hours by reviving a dead battery, that was being saved just as a core.
Its nice for us florida riders, we rarely if ever have to charge anything, since we ride regular. I don't think i've used my charger since maybe July when I bought a used ski that had an older battery, charged it once, then decided to just replace it to be safe. The charger had been sitting on a shelf for 6 months before that, so I've only used it once in the past year.
I don't like the idea of using a HF charger, its dirt cheap, but with the tender jr's only $25 ish.. IMO there's no reason to compromise.
Spimothy Leary
Well-Known Member
I have no reason to believe that would be a good idea.
I'd suggest one charger per battery, i've never been in such a hurry that I needed to experiment with two batteries with one charger, I just charged one overnight, then charged the other.
my northern relatives just pull them during the winter, charge and put on a shelf, then charge in the spring, one at a time.
I'd suggest one charger per battery, i've never been in such a hurry that I needed to experiment with two batteries with one charger, I just charged one overnight, then charged the other.
my northern relatives just pull them during the winter, charge and put on a shelf, then charge in the spring, one at a time.
Luv2Camp
Active Member
IDoSeaDoo
Well-Known Member
well, the reason I ask is I have a deep cycle battery in my boat to run the audio system. At some point, I figured it might come in handy if I wire a switched link to connect both batteries. So I can just throw that switch some day start my boat if my starting battery dies for w/e reason (someone forgets to turn bilge pump off or w/e while camping). Anyway, I was wondering if I can just hook up one battery to the tender and keep them both happy all winter.
Spimothy Leary
Well-Known Member
that 4 bank charger cost more than 5 single chargers.. never made any sense to me.
Spimothy Leary
Well-Known Member
IDoSeaDoo
Well-Known Member
I'm sure the power strip makes up for the extra cost
Luv2Camp
Active Member
I'm sure the power strip makes up for the extra cost
I have not looked at the watt draw but would have to think that the single unit with multiple outputs would draw significant less wattage than 4 of them hooked up to separate chargers..
Prior to getting my Bank Charger i did it like this.. One charger and as many as three batteries. Normally just two though...
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USAF_Pride
Member
The HF one just needs a part replaced inside (potentiometer vs fixed resistor). I can't find the link right now, but I did it on mine and I have had no issues after 2 years. FYI, you void the warranty by "fixing" them.
jhjesse
Well-Known Member
Below is what I use. They come with a mounting bracket. I epoxied the bracket in the front of the hull and mounted the charger to the bracket. Ran leads to the battery with quick disconnects when not in use. All I have to do is plug it in and I am set.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/schumacher-15-a-battery-charger-12v
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/schumacher-15-a-battery-charger-12v
68ragtop
Well-Known Member
How long have you left this charger plugged in?
These are the two model schumacher chargers I used. The first one, works fantastic, the second one is a complete battery destroyer. Its not defective, I bought two of them & hooked them to cars in long term storage. Destroyed both batteries.
$35 chargers ruined $65 batteries. I was not happy.
I would never trust another shumacher charger unless it says "float mode" on it. IMO they owe me two new batteries for labeling their charges with maintainer, when it should just ay charger on them.
They look identical, & both say maintainer on them. The one with float mode, works awesome, the one without never drops below 14V & cooks batteries to their grave. I still have them, But only use them for a charge & painted them so I don't mistake them for the ones that actually work.
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jhjesse
Well-Known Member
I have never left the charger on for extended periods of time, so I don't know if the ones I have will "cook" a battery. I know when the battery is fully charged the charger will cycle on and off from time to time until I disconnect the charger and hook the battery back up. Never had a problem, but as I stated earlier I never leave the charger on for long periods of time. My guess would be 36hrs is the longest I have left a battery charging.
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