Battery Manager

[salty]

I have a car that i rarely drive in the winter and it has a slow battery drain somewhere, summer is not a problem for what ever reason.



I bought one of these on sale from Can. Tire for $25. I installed it under the hood on a timer for half hour a day. Works great.





Motomaster Eliminator Intelligent Battery Charger, 2A





- Built-in intelligent microprocessor makes charging faster, easier and safer



-Ideal for charging small batteries and maintaining car and truck batteries



-Fully automatic, multi-stage charging provides a faster, more thorough battery charge



-Suitable for all types of 12V lead-acid batteries, including gel cell and AGM



-Automatically switches from full charge to maintenance mode to maintain batteries during prolonged periods of storage without overcharging or damaging the battery



-Choose from 3 connection options - standard clamps, ring terminal connectors or 12V accessory plug



-Built in mounting tabs for optional permanent installation



-LED indicators provide charge status and reverse polarity

[dennn]

Frankly, I think the battery tender or the typical trickle charger is extremely overpriced. There are battery chargers out there that serve as a trickle charger, battery warmer (same concept as battery tender), amp booster, and rapid charger for around $80.

[Accumulator]

Frankly, I think the battery tender or the typical trickle charger is extremely overpriced. There are battery chargers out there that serve as a trickle charger, battery warmer (same concept as battery tender), amp booster, and rapid charger for around $80.

How much are the Battery Tenders these days? I got mine soooo long ago I have no idea what I paid for `em.

[IkeRay]

Frankly, I think the battery tender or the typical trickle charger is extremely overpriced. There are battery chargers out there that serve as a trickle charger, battery warmer (same concept as battery tender), amp booster, and rapid charger for around $80.

:faint:



I got my trickle charger at Harbor Freight, it sits on a car that is rarely driven (I`m talking once a month at times). I`ve never had a hot battery (over charged), I`ve never had a dead battery, its been on there for 6-8 months now. I want to say it was $9.99 on sale, it was $15 at the most.

[sirota]

This is a message I posted to an aviation site I participate in. Timely to this thread.



My neighbor had a beautiful hangar that, along with a turbine Comp 10, two Glassairs, and a ton of tools and equipment, was destroyed by a fire a few weeks ago. Everything was a total loss. The cause still hasn’t been determined but the first question the fire investigator asked was whether any battery chargers were in use (there weren’t). The investigator said the number one cause of hangar fires are battery chargers left unattended. Apparently they often fail in such a way that they go to full charge, melt the battery, and cause a fire.



I immediately went to my hangar and unplugged the two Battery Tenders I had continuously hooked up. I’m not saying anything bad about Battery Tenders but based on what the investigator said I’m not going to use any type of charger unless I’m in the hangar during their use.

[Accumulator]

..I’m not going to use any type of charger unless I’m in the hangar during their use.

Welcome to Autopia!



I sure won`t criticize somebody for erring on the side of caution regarding such stuff. And I suspect that you`re not walking through the hangar every day so notice anything amiss.



I`ll admit I usually only take minimal precautions (hood/trunk open), but I do keep an eye on things and I wouldn`t, say...leave such a setup unminded for days on end.



On the older (non computer-controlled everyting) vehicles, I just pull the batteries out for the storage season, but I`m not gonna do that on something like the S8 where it`d take a dealership visit to reinitialize so many things.

[Dan]

I immediately went to my hangar and unplugged the two Battery Tenders I had continuously hooked up. I’m not saying anything bad about Battery Tenders but based on what the investigator said I’m not going to use any type of charger unless I’m in the hangar during their use.

I`m taking this with a grain of salt, since we don`t know who this investigator was, or anything about the data which his has compiled. However it will suffice to say I am confident in mine as many an uninterpretable power supply uses the exact same technology, and who doesn`t have one inside their house these days. I don`t think using an intelligent charger and leaving it alone on battery in good condition is an issue.

[imported_MBenz]

I went ahead and picked up a handful of the battery tender jr`s. They are compact and cover all my needs. For $19 I can`t complain. So far so good. :xyxthumbs

[salty]

Fully charge the battery then put the charger on a timer.

[Dan]

Fully charge the battery then put the charger on a timer.

Then get a halon system for the timer.:lol

[pumafeet10]

could anyone tell me where the Battery Tender is made? Anyone who owns one could you check for me ?



Thanks for the help



David

[Accumulator]

could anyone tell me where the Battery Tender is made? Anyone who owns one could you check for me ?



Thanks for the help



David

Mine don`t have any "Made in..." markings, but the tag on the powercord lists a US address.

[BobD]

No experience with those but I have been using Battery Tender chargers on the bikes and cars for more than.... I guess 15 or so years now.



Battery Tender - Home of the Battery Tender Jr. - Batterytender.com



Here is the Battery Tender model I have for sale at Summit Racing for $59



Battery Tender 021-0128 - Deltran Battery Tender Plus Systems - Overview - SummitRacing.com





For $39 you can get the Battery Tender Jr. Works the same, will just take longer to charge. The Battery Tender charges at 1.25 amps while the Battery Tender Jr charges at .75 amps.



Battery Tender 021-0123 - Deltran Battery Tender Junior Systems - Overview - SummitRacing.com

Agreed. Battery Tenders are great products. I use one all winter long on my bike.

[Mr. Vapor]

Guys,



I have this one:

Amazon.com: Black & Decker BM2B Smart Battery Charger 2 Amp Automatic Float Mode Battery Maintainer: Automotive





I`m new to this whole concept, is it safe to leave plugged in all the time? I don`t want to A) ruin my battery start a fire.



Just looking for simple peace of mind here.

[Accumulator]

Mr. Vapor- I`d hate to go out on a limb and say "sure, no problem!" but yeah, the whole idea behind "smart chargers" is that they can be left connected without any issues. That`s what makes them "smart".