Battery Tender

PilotRPI

PilotRPI

Line Up and Wait
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Jun 21, 2012
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MA - 1B9
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PilotRPI
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1B9 - Mansfield, MA
So the thread on the dead battery got me thinking. I've been wanting to use a battery tender on my plane. It comes with alligator clips, or the connector that you bolt onto the battery leads, which is more secure than the clips. Since I doubt the connector is STC'd, am I allowed to mount that to the battery or must I use the clips?

I have an outlet at my tiedown which would make this very convenient.
 
Thankful to Murgatroyd, most pilots have given up the smoking habit, so that leaves the cigarette lighter with nothing to do. A circular 3mm connector will just fit into the hole that lighter leaves behind, and if connected to the "keep alive" circuit for the clock and other things that draw micro/milliamps, will do a dandy job of allowing a small amps (whatever the keepalive fuse is, 5 amps max) charger to be neatly plugged in and out.

Jim
 
I have one made for a motorcycle. It is attached to the battery, but there is an end secured in the battery compartment that snaps into a counterpart that I plug in. Don't have to get into and out of the battery box to use it.
 
I use the alligator clips on the airplane battery. The battery tenderizer for my truck and the golf cart are hard wired in with the ring terminals.
 
weirdjim said:
Thankful to Murgatroyd, most pilots have given up the smoking habit, so that leaves the cigarette lighter with nothing to do. A circular 3mm connector will just fit into the hole that lighter leaves behind, and if connected to the "keep alive" circuit for the clock and other things that draw micro/milliamps, will do a dandy job of allowing a small amps (whatever the keepalive fuse is, 5 amps max) charger to be neatly plugged in and out.

Jim
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I wonder if connecting the battery tender to anything but directly to the battery would attenuate or otherwise filter the desulfator pulses, if only due to the longer wire run.
 
steingar said:
I have one made for a motorcycle. It is attached to the battery, but there is an end secured in the battery compartment that snaps into a counterpart that I plug in. Don't have to get into and out of the battery box to use it.
Click to expand...

Exactly, if I had to get under the floor of the extended baggage in the rear and open up the batt box everytime, doubt I'd use it as much as I do
 
GeorgeC said:
I wonder if connecting the battery tender to anything but directly to the battery would attenuate or otherwise filter the desulfator pulses, if only due to the longer wire run.
Click to expand...

Battery Tenders don't have desulphating. Battery Minders do. At least that's true for mine.
 
Does anyone using battery tenders/minders use them in the summer? If so, would a really close, nasty lightening strike fry the electronics in the airplane thru the tender?

We always stop using it around mid April since its warm enough by then and the lightening thing freaks us out after our house got hit once and just about everything electrical was "toast".
 
I am wondering about battery minder and a dedicated plug an associate of them sell so that u don't have to open the baggage compartment door, then the door to access the tail and get access to the battery. Anyone has a setup like that and would like to provide a first hand pirep?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
Found these on the Internet.

They run year round, never heard of a battery tender/minder causing issues due to summer wx
 

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Sinistar said:
Does anyone using battery tenders/minders use them in the summer? If so, would a really close, nasty lightening strike fry the electronics in the airplane thru the tender?

We always stop using it around mid April since its warm enough by then and the lightening thing freaks us out after our house got hit once and just about everything electrical was "toast".
Click to expand...
The battery is isolated from the main buss by the master relay. I suppose it is possible that the relay could be energized by the lightning strike. The avionics are further isolated by the avionics master switch (if it's been installed). Of course anything is possible with a lightning strike but I certainly don't worry about it.

I am paranoid about the house and do have a whole house surge suppressor along with surge suppression and ups's on most things other than kitchen appliances.
 
As long as the switch opens ALL connections I guess it should be okay then. But we're still way to paranoid!!!

Regarding the connector. The end of the minder that goes to the battery comes out of the bulkhead that the battery is behind. During the winter we just close the baggage door on the wire from the charger and wrap that location in a dryer sheet so no critters try to climb up the wire and into the plane. It would be cool if there was a watertight port for this just like the jump start port up front!
 
Sinistar said:
As long as the switch opens ALL connections I guess it should be okay then. But we're still way to paranoid!!!

Regarding the connector. The end of the minder that goes to the battery comes out of the bulkhead that the battery is behind. During the winter we just close the baggage door on the wire from the charger and wrap that location in a dryer sheet so no critters try to climb up the wire and into the plane. It would be cool if there was a watertight port for this just like the jump start port up front!
Click to expand...
There is usually at least one live wire to the clock and of course the master switch has one side hot so it can energize the master relay. All other avionics should be isolated by at least the master relay.

Of course there is nothing wrong with being cautious with it.

Interesting comment on an external connection. I could probably use the jump start port if I left the master on, the avionics master off and pulled the turn coordinator breaker. Might try it some day just for grins.
 
Sinistar said:
As long as the switch opens ALL connections I guess it should be okay then. But we're still way to paranoid!!!

Regarding the connector. The end of the minder that goes to the battery comes out of the bulkhead that the battery is behind. During the winter we just close the baggage door on the wire from the charger and wrap that location in a dryer sheet so no critters try to climb up the wire and into the plane. It would be cool if there was a watertight port for this just like the jump start port up front!
Click to expand...

I'm not someone whose super paranoid about fires, but I'd keep dryer sheets away from anything which might somehow spark.

 
James331 said:
I'm not someone whose super paranoid about fires, but I'd keep dryer sheets away from anything which might somehow spark.

Click to expand...

You mean inside a metal drum filled with very hot air and other flammable items with metal fasteners? I've seen more than a few dryer fires in my short time as a firefighter.
 
flyingron said:
You mean inside a metal drum filled with very hot air and other flammable items with metal fasteners? I've seen more than a few dryer fires in my short time as a firefighter.
Click to expand...

I don't think ether of us we're talking about using these inside a dryer ron
 
I had a battery tender fry a couple of cells in my Gill 35. A decent quality. processor controlled tender at that.

If you're airplane is going to be sitting - don't leave it unattended with a charger - no fire risk there. Drive out the day before and hook up a charger, go have lunch, come back and voila. All set.
 
I plug my plane into my tender after each flight. Never had a problem. I have some time this summer and I'm going to install a rubber grommet in my tail tunnel cover to pass the wire through. I'll use one of those that is closed up when there is nothing through it.
 
comanchepilot said:
I had a battery tender fry a couple of cells in my Gill 35. A decent quality. processor controlled tender at that.

If you're airplane is going to be sitting - don't leave it unattended with a charger - no fire risk there. Drive out the day before and hook up a charger, go have lunch, come back and voila. All set.
Click to expand...

Just a note, BatteryTender is a brand name. In your case, it sounds like you're using it as a generic description for anything that might charge and/or maintain a battery. Since you say, "a decent quality processor controlled one".

Almost all of them are that, these days, but made for different battery types and chemistry. Some aren't well suited to aircraft batteries. Almost NONE should have ever been able to source enough current to "fry" two cells in a flooded lead-acid battery.

It sounds like yours was a charger capable of higher current than necessary to maintain a lead acid, and it got stuck in the charge cycle, AND it was oversized enough to have a pretty beefy current rating.
 
James331 said:
Dryer sheets wrapped around electrical connections may not be the best idea.
Click to expand...

didn't sound like it was wrapped around the connection to me.

"During the winter we just close the baggage door on the wire from the charger and wrap that location in a dryer sheet so no critters try to climb up the wire and into the plane."
 
The location where the connection between the charger and battery lead is, that's how I read it.

Perhaps it was my misunderstanding
 
Sorry for any confusion. The connection between the wall unit and the end coming off the battery is well inside the baggage area. We then close the baggage door over the wire (from the wall plug side) with a dryer sheet wrapped around it. The baggage door is fit is rather loose on the bottom so the wire does not get pinched/cut.

Dryer sheets working as a pest deterrent is kinda weird. I had used mothballs and a few other things over the years (motorcycles, lawn tractors, snowmobiles, car, my folks cabin) and they worked. Heard about dryer sheets and switched and for over 20yrs no problems either. Still doesn't actually prove they work. But no rodents and that is for late fall thru full winter and into mid spring storage in Minnesota. I do know the two times I've stored something with out some deterrent, the mice got in there good...thankfully not an airplane. Wow, they love air boxes into carbs.
 
I don't use them long term, more for when I playing with the avionics. I attach it to the GPU plug, only trick is you need to energize the relay with a battery because most chargers are too smart if they don't sense a battery they don't work.
 
The Concorde battery guy says only use a real Battery MINDer, everything else in their opinion is junk...
 
weirdjim said:
Thankful to Murgatroyd, most pilots have given up the smoking habit, so that leaves the cigarette lighter with nothing to do. A circular 3mm connector will just fit into the hole that lighter leaves behind, and if connected to the "keep alive" circuit for the clock and other things that draw micro/milliamps, will do a dandy job of allowing a small amps (whatever the keepalive fuse is, 5 amps max) charger to be neatly plugged in and out.

Jim
Click to expand...

I don't drive my Excursion often enough to keep the battery fully charged. The alarm system, stereo standby memory and clock circuitry place a small but measurable parasitic current on the system. Having to open the hood to connect the battery tender was time consuming.

I rigged up a connector that uses a male cigarette lighter adapter with short leads terminated with the manufacturer's male two pin quick connect plug. This connects to the female two pin QC of the the battery tender.

With this rig I can quickly and conveniently connect the battery tender to charge through the lighter socket. The tender has a 2 amp max current so the topping charge is completed rather quickly. It's easy to wind up the 16/2+G extension cord, unplug the tender, and toss into the console before getting underway.
 
teejayevans said:
I don't use them long term, more for when I playing with the avionics. I attach it to the GPU plug, only trick is you need to energize the relay with a battery because most chargers are too smart if they don't sense a battery they don't work.
Click to expand...
How do you do this procedure?
 
3393RP said:
I rigged up a connector that uses a male cigarette lighter adapter with short leads terminated with the manufacturer's male two pin quick connect plug. This connects to the female two pin QC of the the battery tender.
Click to expand...
I'll assume you aren't using the actual BatteryTender(TM) brand. They come with a pigtail that has the battery rings and a connector, in the box. No need to make anything. :)
 
Actually it is. I used their harness, cut off the rings and attached a male cigarette lighter plug.
 
The only maintenance charger that I've seen recommended by aircraft battery manufacturers is the BatteryMINDer brand, and specifically the temperature-compensating one that is designed (and exorbitantly priced) for aviation use.

I use a much less expensive BatteryMINDer model, which takes the form of a wall wart with interchangeable alligator clips and ring terminals at the other end. I keep it connected continuously in the winter months (it gets cold here), but only sporadically in the summer. My last G35 lasted 10 years using this method before I decided that I was pushing my luck and proactively replaced it.


JKG
 
GlennAB1 said:
I'm pretty sure the Wal-Mart procured BatteryMINDEer killed my 2 year old motorcycle battery. I'm going on about 5 years with my Schumacker maintainer.
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Conversely a batteryminder has resuscitated a battery that a schumacker could not. YMWV, contents will settle, objects in the mirror are merely a reflection, close cover before going on strike, turn left only when you won't get t-boned.
 
Heat is what kills batteries. Cold preserves them.

Know your battery type and use a charger that's appropriate for the battery. Or get an Odyssey battery and put the maintainer in a box on a shelf.
 
If you fly more than once a month I don't think it will do you any good.
 
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