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Battery Tender?
- Thread starter crispin
- Start date
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You can charge the battery in the ski. some people say to D/C the battery cables first, but I don't.
I wouldn't try to start it with the charger on....just in case. Charge the battery first then start it.
DO NOT try to jump it from battery in a RUNNING car.
I wouldn't try to start it with the charger on....just in case. Charge the battery first then start it.
DO NOT try to jump it from battery in a RUNNING car.
purple_people_eater
New Member
its the extra voltage that kills your mpem, a tender only puts out 2-4 volts, your voltage reglator( thats what keeps your batt charged while the engine is running) puts battery voltage up to 13-14 volts. the problem when jumping them comes in when you take the 10-11 volts from your "dead" battery ( yes even tho your battery is "dead" it most likely still has power on it, unless you have a drain on it and it took battery voltage down to 0 volts) and add to it the 13-14.5 volts from a running car or even 12.5 from a fully charged battery and you have 22-24.5 volts, which is to much voltage for a dieod on the mpem cuirct board to handle. it over powers it, causeing it to blow-out and making you either replace the dieod, or get a new mpem.
I have been using a 1.5 amp. battery charger/tender for several years, during winter storage I'll put it on about every 2-3 weeks, I don't leave it on all the time. The fact is if you get 2 years on a battery is good, anything more is gravy. I got 3 years on the last battery.
Lou
Lou
This is somewhat wrong. Yes a running vehicle can overload the system causing an mpem failure but jumping from a standing battery does not increase the voltage. 12v plus 12v in parallel like when you jump start a car ski etc. is still 12 volts. All your doing is doubling the capacity, Not the voltage. Now, If you went 12v positive on one battery to 12v negative on another battery and had a lead on the other postive and negative of both batteries hooked to say an electric motor, Now you have 24 volts going to the motor. Hope this makes sense.
Its better to be asking questions then blowing a MPEM.
Its not just the voltage, but the "spikes" of energy that can happen. This is like a .005% chance, but it could take something out that was already weakened by someone jumping it or something. When you hook a charger up and you get a spark...thats a spike of power.
Now that I'm worried about having issues with customer machines I always unhook the positive wire...just to take any chance something can happen away.
Also...like I preached in the other thread...if you need a charger I suggest the Optimate 4. That one has a processor that waits till its secure before it sends any power to the battery.
Lastly....the trickle chargers from Harbor freight are JUNK!!! Do not use them!!!
Its not just the voltage, but the "spikes" of energy that can happen. This is like a .005% chance, but it could take something out that was already weakened by someone jumping it or something. When you hook a charger up and you get a spark...thats a spike of power.
Now that I'm worried about having issues with customer machines I always unhook the positive wire...just to take any chance something can happen away.
Also...like I preached in the other thread...if you need a charger I suggest the Optimate 4. That one has a processor that waits till its secure before it sends any power to the battery.
Lastly....the trickle chargers from Harbor freight are JUNK!!! Do not use them!!!
OPPS, jumped my ski with a running truck (94 XP). Didn't seem to affect it at all. Is there anything I can test to see if I damaged anything - testing the MPEM seems a bit beyond me. Haven't had a ski in 15 yrs so forgot all about the non-jumping thing. Live you learn I guess but all seems fine. Maybe I lucked out BIG time. And to top it off my truck was running connected to ski for like 20 min cause my kid was having a meltdown that I had to tend to.
Sledder...you prob did damage but not enough to kill it. It will prob die out of nowhere...but that could be years down the road.
People think they just have bad luck when they go out and that they must have been a crappy design...but they dont know that the previous owner did what you did 5 years ago.
People think they just have bad luck when they go out and that they must have been a crappy design...but they dont know that the previous owner did what you did 5 years ago.
bigJake
Well-Known Member
Can you expand on the Harbor Freight ones being junk. (don't charge, undercharge, overcharge, ???)
I have read many threads on them overcharging/wrecking the battery...With batteries almost hitting $100 and being as crappy as they are, it isnt worth skimping on.
Optimate 4...best charger out there.
Optimate 4...best charger out there.
DooWacka
Active Member
The Harbor Freight battery "maintainers" have worked fine for me for the last five years. I have been using 6 on various boats and PWC, and they work fine. The problem is that they are not really "chargers" in that you have to start with a fully charged battery, then they can maintain the battery fine over the winter. They have such a weak output that they can't really cause a problem if you leave them connected for months, so they act like a more expensive "smart" charger in that respect. Contrary to what the "fine print" says, they work fine on AGM batteries also. I researched the AGM issue online which made me comfortable about using them on my AGM batteries, and they have been working fine for years now.
http://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-battery-float-charger-42292.html?ccdenc=eyJjb2RlIjoiNjY0MDIzNzQiLCJza3UiOiI0MjI5MiIsImlzIjoiNS45OSIsInByb2R1Y3RfaWQi%0D%0AOiIxMTQxIn0%3D%0D%0A&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=4311a&utm_source=1002
http://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-battery-float-charger-42292.html?ccdenc=eyJjb2RlIjoiNjY0MDIzNzQiLCJza3UiOiI0MjI5MiIsImlzIjoiNS45OSIsInByb2R1Y3RfaWQi%0D%0AOiIxMTQxIn0%3D%0D%0A&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=4311a&utm_source=1002
Rabid
Active Member
I bought the Oddesey Battery from West Coast Battery . It comes with a 2 year warranty and is around 106 bucks including shipping. I highly recommend it..plenty of power and can crank over the engine for a good while when the engine gets water logged...Dont ask
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc625.htm
YB16-CLB replacement
625 cranking amps for 5 seconds
545 cranking amps for 10 seconds
480 cranking amps for 20 seconds
Short circuit current over 1800A
27 minute reserve capacity with 25amp load
Length 6.7"
Width 3.90"
Height 6.89"
Weight 13.2 lbs
Odyssey design:
2 year full warranty
Rugged Drycell sealed design
Military grade
Vibration resistant
60% more starting power
Deep discharge reserve power
2 year storage life
8-12 year design life
The charger I use is a battery Minder from Northern Tools it has a maintanence mode where it
http://reviews.northerntool.com/039...3-amp-12-volt-model-12117-reviews/reviews.htm
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc625.htm
YB16-CLB replacement
625 cranking amps for 5 seconds
545 cranking amps for 10 seconds
480 cranking amps for 20 seconds
Short circuit current over 1800A
27 minute reserve capacity with 25amp load
Length 6.7"
Width 3.90"
Height 6.89"
Weight 13.2 lbs
Odyssey design:
2 year full warranty
Rugged Drycell sealed design
Military grade
Vibration resistant
60% more starting power
Deep discharge reserve power
2 year storage life
8-12 year design life
The charger I use is a battery Minder from Northern Tools it has a maintanence mode where it
http://reviews.northerntool.com/039...3-amp-12-volt-model-12117-reviews/reviews.htm
Any way to test if I've damaged it??? Would this be a simple diode swap OR a new MPEM if it indeed dies out.
Oddessey are good batteries..although I have had horrible luck with them. I have heard people getting 6+ years out of them. I take excellent care of mine and only got 2 out of the two I have bought...gotten more out of the $25 ebay batteries I bought 3 years back.
The huge reason I dont like the oddesseys is b/c they are smaller than the tray. You MUST make some sort of filler if you beat on your skis at all. This might be one reason I only got a few years out of mine.
A couple years ago after I had shattered 2 batteries and about 6 holders I got smart and replaced the rubber strap with a snowboard binding strap. Since then I have had ZERO issues, and it is adjustable for the shorter sealed batteries so I dont have to use that crappy plastic lifter plate.
The huge reason I dont like the oddesseys is b/c they are smaller than the tray. You MUST make some sort of filler if you beat on your skis at all. This might be one reason I only got a few years out of mine.
A couple years ago after I had shattered 2 batteries and about 6 holders I got smart and replaced the rubber strap with a snowboard binding strap. Since then I have had ZERO issues, and it is adjustable for the shorter sealed batteries so I dont have to use that crappy plastic lifter plate.
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