Best Batt Maintainer

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Originally Posted by dogememe
I'm very happy with my Schumacher SC1319. Affordable, simple, and reliable. I use it to keep three random used car batteries I have at home charged up in case of power outage so I can use my large pure sine wave inverter to power my appliances, networking equipment, etc. I have a cheapo 410W Schumacher inverter I bought at Walmart like 5 years ago and I've used it pretty much daily since across various cars and although I did replace the noisy stock fan with a silent Noctua fan it still works great to this day. So Schumacher makes good products! I honestly laugh at anyone who spends $100+ on a battery maintainer when a unit 1/3 of the price will work the same.


Why not get the SC1279, it's an 8amp charger instead of the 1.5 amp one you have and it's about the same price although the price has gone up. Was around $20 initially, now up to about $35.

https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SC1279-12V-Rapid-Charger/dp/B07DM22XTN
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by dogememe
I'm very happy with my Schumacher SC1319. Affordable, simple, and reliable. I use it to keep three random used car batteries I have at home charged up in case of power outage so I can use my large pure sine wave inverter to power my appliances, networking equipment, etc. I have a cheapo 410W Schumacher inverter I bought at Walmart like 5 years ago and I've used it pretty much daily since across various cars and although I did replace the noisy stock fan with a silent Noctua fan it still works great to this day. So Schumacher makes good products! I honestly laugh at anyone who spends $100+ on a battery maintainer when a unit 1/3 of the price will work the same.


Why not get the SC1279, it's an 8amp charger instead of the 1.5 amp one you have and it's about the same price although the price has gone up. Was around $20 initially, now up to about $35.

https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SC1279-12V-Rapid-Charger/dp/B07DM22XTN



IIRC I paid $18 for mine? And really didn't need anything bigger. If I need to charge a battery quickly l take it to work at the auto parts store.
 
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I have a bunch of the old Yuasa transformer style, 1 failed (all LEDs out) in the last 2 years, it was probably 10 years old.
I have a newer Yuasa transformerless unit connected to my Mustang, so far so good.
I had an older optimate (2005 vintage) fail (all LEDs out), but another about the same vintage still working.
Recently got a great deal on some of the newer Noco's 0.7A to try out.
These are all charger / maintainers < 1.0A
 
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no issues with Deltran Battery Tenders (several and given as gifts)...I did try a pair of battery maintainers from Harbor Freight...one worked fine and the other died in short order...no receipt no replace but they were about $5 as I recall on sale so...I wouldn't use those maintainers...Battery Tenders will exercise the battery so there is that (as do the CTEK I am told)

I've seen the Deltran Battery Tender go on sale for a nice price from time to time at Costco if you have a membership...

Good luck with your choice,

Bill
 
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In recent years I could Schumacher products basically for free. I still use a bunch of Battery Minder charger/maintainer/ desulphators, that have been mentioned several times in this thread.
 
When I go to hook up the maintainer to my parents car while they are enjoying the weather in AZ for 4 months, the past few years I've hooked it up to a timer. I figure it doesn't need to be connected 24/7, so I just turn it on for an hour a day, instead of being on for 4 months solid. Starts every time!!!
In daily use driving it, that's about all of the time it spends charging anyway.
 
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Originally Posted by Traction
I figure it doesn't need to be connected 24/7, so I just turn it on for an hour a day, instead of being on for 4 months solid.


Why try to outsmart it. It was designed to be connected 24/7. That doesn't mean it's charging 24/7. Everytime the timer turns it on, it gets an electrical spike shortening its life, not to mention resetting it's internal memory which cause it to repeatedly perform some undesirable events.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by Traction
I figure it doesn't need to be connected 24/7, so I just turn it on for an hour a day, instead of being on for 4 months solid.


Why try to outsmart it. It was designed to be connected 24/7. That doesn't mean it's charging 24/7. Everytime the timer turns it on, it gets an electrical spike shortening its life, not to mention resetting it's internal memory which cause it to repeatedly perform some undesirable events.

Really? It's a total waste of electrons. I don't even leave my phone charger plugged in when not charging. It's still using energy just being plugged in. You can feel the heat just touching it. I don't think a simple battery minder, won't mind if it's just turned on once a day, and not self-destruct. All of the power supplies have transformers in them constantly using power. We have to save electricity for the wave of electric cars coming down the road.
smile.gif
 
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Originally Posted by Traction
Originally Posted by atikovi
Traction said:
I figure it doesn't need to be connected 24/7, so I just turn it on for an hour a day, instead of being on for 4 months solid.

I don't think a simple battery minder, won't mind if it's just turned on once a day, and not self-destruct. All of the power supplies have transformers in them constantly using power.


Yes all the power supplies have transformers in them constantly using power but you are turning them on and off every day, not something they were designed for. It's great you want to save 2 cents a week electricity but it's at the cost of the service life of the charger.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by Traction
Originally Posted by atikovi
Traction said:
I figure it doesn't need to be connected 24/7, so I just turn it on for an hour a day, instead of being on for 4 months solid.

I don't think a simple battery minder, won't mind if it's just turned on once a day, and not self-destruct. All of the power supplies have transformers in them constantly using power.


Yes all the power supplies have transformers in them constantly using power but you are turning them on and off every day, not something they were designed for. It's great you want to save 2 cents a week electricity but it's at the cost of the service life of the charger.

2 cents times trillions=?
 
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I have been using CTEK MXS5 T&C for nearly 5 years. Over here they have a 5 year warranty.

The product is used on my bikes and car and works reliably.

I thinks most of the main players make good products, price and features would affect my decision; the one important to me are:

- does it have different progam for bikes & cars (lead acid, AGM, GEL)
- does it have low temperature compensation
- does it have desulfation cycle
- and very important if you leave it permanently connecte, does it have a resting period (10 days for CTEK)
 
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by bmwpowere36m3
For more depleted batteries, I plan to get a Clore PL2320.

My PL2320 behaves erratically. I suspect it's broken, and it happened after only the first year of ownership. I honestly cannot recommend it.


How so?

I observed 15.5 v the other night, which is high and not expected/usual...
 
Originally Posted by JHZR2
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by bmwpowere36m3
For more depleted batteries, I plan to get a Clore PL2320.

My PL2320 behaves erratically. I suspect it's broken, and it happened after only the first year of ownership. I honestly cannot recommend it.


How so?

I observed 15.5 v the other night, which is high and not expected/usual...

Yeah, I've seen that, too, although current was pretty low, so I can't imagine it doing much harm.

At times, mine will show that battery is only at about 40% charge, but will refuse to charge it with full 10A current and LEDs flash in some weird pattern. Initially I thought it was just a bad battery, but I've seen it do it on brand new battery as well.
 
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