Battery tender

ca.detailchick

ca.detailchick

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Why is a battery tender better than a battery charger and what is the difference? Thanks!

I carry a battery charger for the occational battery that goes dead .
 
Battery tender/minder senses when the battery has been drained and automatically turns itself on. It usually remains connected to the vehicle on which it has been installed though it can be moved between vehicles. It also charges at a very slow rate (2 amps or less) which is the best way to charge the battery assuming one has the time. It of course has to be plugged in just like the regular charger but can be left plugged in and unattended for extended periods. The battery charger on the other hand is user activated (in most cases) and typically has a few charge settings i.e. 2 to 10 amps and may have a boost hit to help jump start. This is a pretty broad explanation.
 
detailchick said:
Why is a battery tender better than a battery charger and what is the difference? Thanks!
Click to expand...

To add to Gearhead's post, a Battery Tender is more of a maintenance item for stored vehicles or those driven infrequently. I keep my bikes on a Tender in the winter as well as whenever I'm not riding them. Keeping the batteries charged prevents internal sulfation that shortens battery life. I've had Tender-maintained batteries last 6 - 7 years which is an eternity for small motorcycle batteries. I only replaced them because I don't like unpleasant surprises and they aren't going to last forever.

Battery Tenders aren't necessarily "better" than a charger.. just different tools for different uses.

TL
 
Thankyou Gearhead and TL! :)

My charger has been a life saver a few times now .

So if I had a battery tender would it be a good/wise idea to just hook one up on every car while I work on the interior and not have to deal with a dead battery every so often? Like a preventative?

Or could that be a problem for some batterys ?
 
I had to get a battery tender..sitting over the winter time killed the battery. It would charge up but will self-discharge quickly so you could not let it sit for that long.
 
detailchick said:
So if I had a battery tender would it be a good/wise idea to just hook one up on every car while I work on the interior and not have to deal with a dead battery every so often? Like a preventative?

Or could that be a problem for some batterys ?
Click to expand...

No problem for batteries, one of the features of the Tender is it's a slow charge. Actually easier on the battery.

Tenders were designed with long term use in mind. As such they're set up to be connected and left. They have an SAE connector that plugs into a pigtail designed to be left on the bike, lawn mower, whatever. They do come with a pigtail with clamps... the full size BT has a bit of a short connector... any time I used it on my truck I had to sit the BT on top of the radiator with the hood open. May not be an issue with a car. My BT Jr. has a longer connecting cord, probably due to it being designed to plug right into an outlet.

I suppose if you know you're dealing with a vehicle that you've had previous problems a BT would be a good idea. Possibly also a safeguard against unexpected problems. Be aware BTs changed a number of years ago in order for compatibility with Glass Mat batteries. The current offering is a Battery Tender Plus. If it doesn't say "Plus" it's real old stock and I'd avoid it.

TL
 
I connect the terminals to the battery and use the quick connect. It takes about ten minutes to connect the terminals to the battery but it's a much better and easier way to plug in the tender.

Just a FYI - I have actually jumped in the vehicle and driven off while it was still plugged in. it's not a good idea but each time I did it the quick disconnect released without any damage.

I used to have problems when the vehicles sat for a while...now with the battery tender the battery stays good and I never worry about any of the vehicles starting that have a tender.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
TLMitchell said:
No problem for batteries, one of the features of the Tender is it's a slow charge. Actually easier on the battery.

Tenders were designed with long term use in mind. As such they're set up to be connected and left. They have an SAE connector that plugs into a pigtail designed to be left on the bike, lawn mower, whatever. They do come with a pigtail with clamps... the full size BT has a bit of a short connector... any time I used it on my truck I had to sit the BT on top of the radiator with the hood open. May not be an issue with a car. My BT Jr. has a longer connecting cord, probably due to it being designed to plug right into an outlet.

I suppose if you know you're dealing with a vehicle that you've had previous problems a BT would be a good idea. Possibly also a safeguard against unexpected problems. Be aware BTs changed a number of years ago in order for compatibility with Glass Mat batteries. The current offering is a Battery Tender Plus. If it doesn't say "Plus" it's real old stock and I'd avoid it.

TL
Click to expand...
Thanks TL

Ive used my battery charger on slow charge with problem cars before so Im guessing I really dont need the tender but thought I would check it out and ask about it.

Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me !:)
 
Merlin said:
I connect the terminals to the battery and use the quick connect. It takes about ten minutes to connect the terminals to the battery but it's a much better and easier way to plug in the tender.

Just a FYI - I have actually jumped in the vehicle and driven off while it was still plugged in. it's not a good idea but each time I did it the quick disconnect released without any damage.

I used to have problems when the vehicles sat for a while...now with the battery tender the battery stays good and I never worry about any of the vehicles starting that have a tender.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Yeah I almost did the same thing when a customer didnt tell me the vehicle was hooked up and I was ready to drive it out of the garage and happened to notice the extention cord hooked into something in the bottom part of the car.That must have been a battery tender LOL

I said to myself"ok im not touching anything or moving this car antwhere"!:D
 
detailchick said:
Thanks TL

Ive used my battery charger on slow charge with problem cars before so Im guessing I really dont need the tender but thought I would check it out and ask about it.

Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me !:)
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I'm not %100 sure but I don't believe a battery charger (even on slow charge) and the Battery Tender are the same type of technology.

I have found that using a Battery Tender will maintain a charge and also extends the life of your battery.

A Battery Tender is cheap compared to the cost of a battery and the piece of mind knowing it's gonna start.
 
Merlin said:
I'm not %100 sure but I don't believe a battery charger (even on slow charge) and the Battery Tender are the same type of technology.

I have found that using a Battery Tender will maintain a charge and also extends the life of your battery.

A Battery Tender is cheap compared to the cost of a battery and the piece of mind knowing it's gonna start.
Click to expand...
If someone here can tell me its better to use a tender on cars/rather then a charger I will buy one .

Its not a problem I deal with often , maybe once a year....... it would only be for customers cars.
 
There is no right or wrong here and "The Best" in this scenario is simply personal preference. For what you have described I would just use a regular charger. You could set it on a bit higher amperage mode (up to 10 amps) for the time it takes to do most interiors and the battery would in effect be in the same state of charge as when you began. I view the battery minder as more of a long term solution and probably would use one tender per dedicated vehicle. Understand this is just the way I see things and you could go either way.
 
I guess if it were me I'd pick up one of those little CTEK units that can be used for both charging AND maintenance all in one unit....
 
GearHead_1 said:
There is no right or wrong here and "The Best" in this scenario is simply personal preference. For what you have described I would just use a regular charger. You could set it on a bit higher amperage mode (up to 10 amps) for the time it takes to do most interiors and the battery would in effect be in the same state of charge as when you began. I view the battery minder as more of a long term solution and probably would use one tender per dedicated vehicle. Understand this is just the way I see things and you could go either way.
Click to expand...
Thanks Gearhead !:)
 
I keep a battery tender on my Trans Am since I don't drive it much. It's a CTEK and it was fairly inexpensive and it even charged my battery a couple times after I forgot to plug it in. If you look on Amazon they have them on sale from time to time
 
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