Battery maintainer/Trickle Charger-Your Favorite?

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Schumacker has gone down hill. the last two I've bought haven't lasted more than 2 years.

Battery Tender reviews seem to reflect the same. they get a lot of 5 star reviews for folks who review them new. But then you'll see several 1-star reviews from folks that bother to write in long after to report the failure.

I'm not sure if anyone builds good, reliable, around the clock, year-after-year maintainers. OLD schumacker units I had from the 80s never, ever quit. new stuff, seems short-lived.
 
Originally Posted By: Ryan
Which Battery Tender have you been using? Was it the Plus or Jr? I have seen a lot of reviews of the Tender Jr. [censored] out after a while. I haven't really heard that about the Tender Plus though.


Over the years I've used both types.I think 3 years was the most life I ever got out of one...
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
I have 4 BatteryMinders all still working fine. They probably have the best technology for maintaining and desufating batteries but their charger models are expensive. The 2012 model has high and low temp compensation which few seem to have.


I agree.I just bought my 4th Batteryminder last week to add to the fleet.Harbor Freight had a special for $24.99.Can't beat that.
 
I had a ctek. Like it very much.
Then, the mode change spoiled, stuck at the last "recon" mode.
Then, the whole thing died.
I was disappointed.

Now, I just use cheap adjustable power supply.
 
Originally Posted By: kb27
I had a ctek. Like it very much.
Then, the mode change spoiled, stuck at the last "recon" mode.
Then, the whole thing died.
I was disappointed.

Now, I just use cheap adjustable power supply.


That why I think the optimate wins the small charger "rumble"

- no buttons to press-

Just clamp it on it auto chemistry and amperage detects.

UD
 
The Ideal maintainer would be applied to a battery 100% fully charged already, not asked to recharge it from some unknown state of charge to full.

The Ideal maintainer would compensate for battery temperature, requiring a sensor on the battery, not ambient temperature where the maintainer is located/plugged into a wall outlet.

The Ideal maintainer would have an AGM or flooded/wet setting as most flooded batteries, at 77F, list a 13.2 float voltage. Most AGM batteries list 13.6 to 13.8v float voltage.

Any charging source is seeking to bring a battery to a certain voltage. When applied to a depleted battery, they make all the amperage they can until this voltage is attained, at which point the amperage needed to maintain this voltage declines.

The amperage needed to hold a new battery at 13.2v is different than that required by an aged battery to hold 13.2v, so voltage regulation is better than hoping an allotted amperage maintains an acceptable voltage on any particular battery.

Trickle chargers might apply to any charger of 2 amps or less. Some trickle chargers will never seek voltages over 13.6v. Some batteries cannot be fully charged, no matter how long 13.6v is held. They might need 14.4 volts, they might need it to be held for 4 hours, or 8 hours, before 100% charge is attained. If abused, they might even need 16 volts.


So you can believe all the product marketing you want, have as much faith in any product as you want, and even make claims of just fine, as loud as you want, BUT

With lead acid batteries returning to 100% charged ASAP is ideal. Most chargers are well less than ideal at achieving this benchmark.
Maintaining a battery at full requires a certain voltage and that voltage is temperature dependent.

So without the ability to ensure the battery is 100% charged (do you have a hydrometer, if not, you are guessing) and without knowing who made your battery and what their recommended float voltage is, you can't hope to meet it, and achieve ideal.

The Ideal float voltage listed by battery manufacturers, is for a battery temperature of 77F or in some cases 80F.

Say battery A at 80F, ideal float voltage is 13.2v
At 70F battery temp, ideal float voltage is 13.368
At 60F====================================== 13.536
At 50F---------------------------------------13.704
at 40F---------------------------------------13.872
at 30f---------------------------------------14.04

So Ideal, is not really so subjective, as I don't see any models which account for battery temperature.

Good enough? Well go crazy yell 'just fine' at the top of you lungs from the hillside if it gives you the warm and fuzzies. Perhaps it will help one to believe it, since it requires tools to actually prove it.

I float my battery according to actual battery temperature with an adjustable voltage power supply, which is capable of supplying upto 40 amps.
Which of course is one kick burro charging source for a deeply cycled battery too.

But it has no marketing department to plaster it with buttons and flashing green lights and other graphics and flowery documentation proving superiority to soothe the human soul.

It is just overwhelmingly competent at its task, which I am sure a good percentage of readers here, can appreciate.

But it is not automatic, which freaks out most people in this day and age where any thought or effort required in any task, is to be looked down upon and derided.
 
I own several brands and they all seem to work the same
Even a harbor freight 5.00 junker gets the job done just as good
as my big green brand name model..

I always put a volt meter on my batterys,even after the green light comes on
to make sure its reading 13+ volts . As you can tell some folks like to
over think it .
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight
The Ideal maintainer would be applied to a battery 100% fully charged already, not asked to recharge it from some unknown state of charge to full.

The Ideal maintainer would compensate for battery temperature, requiring a sensor on the battery, not ambient temperature where the maintainer is located/plugged into a wall outlet.

The Ideal maintainer would have an AGM or flooded/wet setting as most flooded batteries, at 77F, list a 13.2 float voltage. Most AGM batteries list 13.6 to 13.8v float voltage.

Any charging source is seeking to bring a battery to a certain voltage. When applied to a depleted battery, they make all the amperage they can until this voltage is attained, at which point the amperage needed to maintain this voltage declines.

The amperage needed to hold a new battery at 13.2v is different than that required by an aged battery to hold 13.2v, so voltage regulation is better than hoping an allotted amperage maintains an acceptable voltage on any particular battery.

Trickle chargers might apply to any charger of 2 amps or less. Some trickle chargers will never seek voltages over 13.6v. Some batteries cannot be fully charged, no matter how long 13.6v is held. They might need 14.4 volts, they might need it to be held for 4 hours, or 8 hours, before 100% charge is attained. If abused, they might even need 16 volts.


So you can believe all the product marketing you want, have as much faith in any product as you want, and even make claims of just fine, as loud as you want, BUT

With lead acid batteries returning to 100% charged ASAP is ideal. Most chargers are well less than ideal at achieving this benchmark.
Maintaining a battery at full requires a certain voltage and that voltage is temperature dependent.

So without the ability to ensure the battery is 100% charged (do you have a hydrometer, if not, you are guessing) and without knowing who made your battery and what their recommended float voltage is, you can't hope to meet it, and achieve ideal.

The Ideal float voltage listed by battery manufacturers, is for a battery temperature of 77F or in some cases 80F.

Say battery A at 80F, ideal float voltage is 13.2v
At 70F battery temp, ideal float voltage is 13.368
At 60F====================================== 13.536
At 50F---------------------------------------13.704
at 40F---------------------------------------13.872
at 30f---------------------------------------14.04

So Ideal, is not really so subjective, as I don't see any models which account for battery temperature.

Good enough? Well go crazy yell 'just fine' at the top of you lungs from the hillside if it gives you the warm and fuzzies. Perhaps it will help one to believe it, since it requires tools to actually prove it.

I float my battery according to actual battery temperature with an adjustable voltage power supply, which is capable of supplying upto 40 amps.
Which of course is one kick burro charging source for a deeply cycled battery too.

But it has no marketing department to plaster it with buttons and flashing green lights and other graphics and flowery documentation proving superiority to soothe the human soul.

It is just overwhelmingly competent at its task, which I am sure a good percentage of readers here, can appreciate.

But it is not automatic, which freaks out most people in this day and age where any thought or effort required in any task, is to be looked down upon and derided.


You aren't describing a "maintainer or trickle charger."

Look again on the temp sensing - The Ctek 2500 has a temp probe built into its positive clamp and its a 25 amp charger/maintainer reconditioner, and the smaller ctek7002 and optimate 6 are designed to be placed onto of the battery being charged and use an ambient heat sensor - not as good as a probe or clamp for sure

My Outback Inverter/charger allows one to tailor its charge profile exactly to the batteries you put in it. Max voltage, temp, absorb limit / time at temp, and time at float voltage, when to refloat etc - all automatically.

But it isn't a maintainer/ trickle charger.

I believe it is superior to a completely manual process you describe as it isn't subject to human error outside of incorrect programming.

I do not deride or look down upon completely manual charging - at all. Most guys don't know batteries. I know I replace 50-100 a year for them.

Part of my household income depends on batteries to make its living (like my wife is a pet groomer with a sprinter van) so I spend the money for something comprehensive like a fully programmable unit with a temp probe so I don't have to babysit the process daily.


UD
 
I considered the Ctek 2500, but with the temp probe, one could not hardwire it without voiding warranty.

The Outback is way outside my price range, but those charge control features are highly desirable I'd love one which like my solar controller allows me to program absorption voltage and its duration.

I do not trust any 'smart' charger to do what it claims. Cycling a battery deeply often, requires a true 100% recharge to get good battery longevity, and most smart chargers are lucky to hit 92% before flashing that soothing green light.
Battery capacity quickly walks downward when a battery only gets 92% charged cycle after cycle.

I often stuff considerable more AH into a battery with my power supply after a smart charger has declared it fully charged and dropped to float.

My manual approach to battery charging is certainly not for everybody, but most everybody has no idea the requirements of a lead acid battery, and still believe that an alternator is some magical physics defying instant battery charger, and that the sticker on a battery somehow relates to its longevity underhood.

The worst constructed cheapest starting battery kept fully charged will outlast the best battery chronically undercharged, so any tales of longevity should be attributed to a vehicle's voltage regulator doing a good job, rather than the factory which made the battery, and the sticker on it.

Keeping a battery from discharging slowly is important, and any charging source applied is better than no charging source, but Ideal and acceptable are at opposite ends of the field.

Being a wintertime thread about batteries, temperature compensation is important, and voltage needs to be much higher on a charging source in cold temperatures to keep the battery fully charged, and many of the products listed in this thread will not do a good job at 30f.
 
In terms of a temperature compensating battery maintainer, I use this one:

http://www.cloreautomotive.com/sku.php?id=516

Which also has a 7-stage cycle that it runs when you leave it on the battery in a maintainer capacity (which I've done on the Charger).

Now, it doesn't do some huge 40A charge, but for this purpose (maintaining an already charged battery in a storage situation) it doesn't need to.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
In terms of a temperature compensating battery maintainer, I use this one:

http://www.cloreautomotive.com/sku.php?id=516

Which also has a 7-stage cycle that it runs when you leave it on the battery in a maintainer capacity (which I've done on the Charger).

Now, it doesn't do some huge 40A charge, but for this purpose (maintaining an already charged battery in a storage situation) it doesn't need to.
Where did you buy that one?
 
Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
In terms of a temperature compensating battery maintainer, I use this one:

http://www.cloreautomotive.com/sku.php?id=516

Which also has a 7-stage cycle that it runs when you leave it on the battery in a maintainer capacity (which I've done on the Charger).

Now, it doesn't do some huge 40A charge, but for this purpose (maintaining an already charged battery in a storage situation) it doesn't need to.
Where did you buy that one?


I ordered it from the American Amazon site.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
In terms of a temperature compensating battery maintainer, I use this one:

http://www.cloreautomotive.com/sku.php?id=516

Which also has a 7-stage cycle that it runs when you leave it on the battery in a maintainer capacity (which I've done on the Charger).

Now, it doesn't do some huge 40A charge, but for this purpose (maintaining an already charged battery in a storage situation) it doesn't need to.
Where did you buy that one?


I ordered it from the American Amazon site.
Ok cool, I will have to check it out.
 
You are quite welcome
smile.gif
 
One problem with some battery chargers, like my Schumacher SE8, is if it's a full-auto 6V AND 12V charger, it will not charge a fully dead battery (recovery).
I found that if you bring the voltage up high enough on a manual charge (7V-9V), then it will charge to full capacity (~13V). Must be something to do with the 6V auto stop feature?

Anyways, I've had my Schumacher SE8 (8Amp/2Amp) charger for a while now, just had to use it again recently on my 2009 Elantra. Still has the factory Group 121R battery I hope to get a couple more years out of. I sometimes wonder if I should invest in a better manual/auto type charger, but this one has lasted me a while and is made in Mexico and beats some Chinese junk out there.
 
I had a Battery Tender Jr that worked well for years until I found a Battery Tender Plus for $5 at a KMart that was closing.

Plus works just as well. Better? Probably but not noticeably so.
 
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