Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Now I do believe that the voltage reading when it's not charging should be accurate.
Just to clarify (I'm sure you agree and meant this): Open-circuit voltage, with the surface charge removed.
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: Chris142
I always charge a new one. I have some for sale at work. I put them on a charger once a month or so.
How do you do it? I've just placed the clamps straight on the terminals, but then I checked my charger's manual for the recommended procedure. It recommended using a ground cable as an extension to avoid making the connection (and possibly sparking) right at the battery. When I connect it to the ground (my usual point is at a grounding wire on my wife's Civic) for normal in-vehicle charging I can see it spark.
At the time of initial hookup there's no H2, so the risk of explosion from sparks is zero; that is, unless the engine was literally just shut down and the alternator voltage resulted in excessive voltages (overcharging), in which case you have other problems.
Unless you're charging at higher amperage (not necessary for maintenance charges), H2 generation is minimal. Even so, I've never seen a spark emitted from a smart charger.
I really wish my smart charger came with ring connector-to-plug-in-type connection, like what's available for the BatteryMinder. I understand that the small cabling is too low of gage to handle the smart-charger's max amperage, and they can't rely on the consumer to be smart enough to read the manual and NOT melt the cable by choosing too high of an amperage setting. I get it. I still would like to hookup without have to hookup alligator clips. 1st world problems, I know...