Battery Charger

Greg Bockelman

Greg Bockelman

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Greg Bockelman
What kind of charger should I get to keep a battery topped off? Where do I get such charger?
 
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Battery tender dot com

All Battery Tender battery chargers are designed to fully charge and maintain a wide range of styles of lead acid batteries in ways that avoid the potential damaging effects that can be caused by most trickle chargers. All Battery Tender battery chargers have the five following characteristics:
  • Fully Automatic: At the end of the regular charger cycle, every Battery Tender battery charger automatically switches its output voltage to a safe, storage or float level that eliminates the need to constantly check on the conditions of the battery.
  • Full Output Power at Low AC Line Conditions: Battery Tender battery chargers will deliver full output power with input AC line voltages as low as 90 VAC. (Excluding chargers with output current of 2 amps or less).
  • Zero to Minimal Current Draw from Batteries: When the AC power is disconnected, most Battery Tender battery chargers draw zero current from the battery. A few of the higher power models draw less than 1 milliamp from the battery.
  • Compact, Lightweight Construction: At any given power level, Battery Tender battery chargers offer some of the highest charging power density in the industry.
  • Visual Indication of Charge State: Every Battery Tender battery charger has some combination of colored lights to indicate the progress of charging.
Battery Tender battery chargers offer a variety of power levels: 7.5, 15, 70, 300 & 600 watts, maximum charge currents: 0.75, 1.25, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 15 & 20 amps, and nominal battery voltages: 6, 12, 24, 36 & 48 volts. Various charging algorithms are available to acommodate the wide range of lead acid battery styles: Flooded, Sealed, VRLA, GEL & AGM. Check with the factory for the combination of power, current, voltage and battery style that best meets your needs. Battery Tender battery chargers are equipped with a variety of safety and interconnect options, not available on all models. Safety options include: spark free operation, reverse polarity protection and continuous short circuit protection. Interconnection options include: alligator clips, fused ring terminals and quick disconnect DC output cable harness. A variety of AC input power options is available.
 
Greg,

Get one with a desulphator, especially if you're not flying it a lot. I have a desulphator, but I find that if I've flying >200 hours a year that it's hardly necessary. When I'm flying under 100, it keeps the battery in top shape.

The one I have is from this company: http://www.pulsetech.com/

What Mike suggested (that Bruce uses) is similar.

bill
 
Allow me to add to the "get the desulphating charger" crowd; I got (at Dr. Chien's suggestion) this one:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_197012_197012

I use it with my old Caddy in the garage, and I can tell you that (per its documentation), it will not only maintain a battery and prevent sulphation, it even rehabilitates a battery which has become sulphated. My Eldo's battery was badly sulphated, with internal resistance so bad that, even with a full charge, it could barely start the car.

After a couple of weeks on the battery charger / maintainer, it spins that 500 cubic inch V8 like the plugs were out!

Doc Chien says that he replaces his Seneca's batteries on age, rather than upon failure, because they just don't fail when you use the maintainer, and I believe that makes some real sense.
 
I just received the one Spike(and Dr. Bruce) referenced from Northern Tools.

HR
 
mikea said:
Bruce swears by the BatteryMINDer charger/desulfator.

http://www.vdcelectronics.com/products.htm

You can find them in plenty of places online, including Aircraft Spruce:
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=BatteryMinder&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:eek:fficial&sa=N&tab=wf

I have one.
Click to expand...
I have 5- the scooter, three cars, the aircraft, and the spare Concorde AXC35 which is eight years old and still passes the 85% discharge test, retired on age.
 
wsuffa said:
Greg,

Get one with a desulphator, especially if you're not flying it a lot. I have a desulphator, but I find that if I've flying >200 hours a year that it's hardly necessary. When I'm flying under 100, it keeps the battery in top shape.

The one I have is from this company: http://www.pulsetech.com/

What Mike suggested (that Bruce uses) is similar.
Click to expand...

I agree except that even with regular use, occasional use (like every six months or so) of a desulphator is worthwhile. The only downside is that the BatteryMinder and similar products will not charge a battery very quickly if you need that capability. A fully discharged battery could take a couple days to recharge completely using that device.
 
Greg, I use a BatteryTender Plus on my G25. I had it on my battery for the past two years. It will keep you from going out and having to replace your battery every year or two.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
What kind of charger should I get to keep a battery topped off? Where do I get such charger?
Click to expand...

Wally World used to sell a yellow 2/10/50 amp one with a desulfinator cycle built in. I think I paid $79 for it. The desulfinator will increase your battery life remarkably.
 
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