Trickle Chargers

[er78mph]

Hello and thanks to all!

My trailer will be sitting at storage and dont want my new battery to drain, are trickle chargers easy to install? I was thinking of a solar one on amazon. I am just trying to figure out how to hook up the solar panel without someone stealing it? Thanks!

[boshog]

Veebyes wrote:
A wet cell will typically only lose 10% of charge a month. Leaving it on a trickle charge runs the risk of charger malfunction & boiling off the acid. One trashed battery for no good reason.

That is why you use a float charger (Batterytender or work-a-like). Sulfation will start to occur when a battery’s charge state falls below 80 percent. The sulfate material attaches to the discharged portions of the battery's plates and begins to harden into crystals. The sulfate cannot be converted back into active plate material and slowly the battery's capacity is reduced and eventually the battery is destroyed.

[Veebyes]

Disconnect the battery & forget it, provided there are no worries of it walking away. Farm equipment & construction equipment sit for months unattended, why not RVS? I leave my small boat, 50hp motor, unattended sometimes for a couple of months at a time in water on a mooring away from shore. No parasitic draws but I do have a battery switch. No problems.

If you want to feel better about the battery, take it home & put it on a charger for maybe a hour a month.

A wet cell will typically only lose 10% of charge a month. Leaving it on a trickle charge runs the risk of charger malfunction & boiling off the acid. One trashed battery for no good reason.

[Gjac]

Fully charge your battery before you put it in storage, disconnect the neg cable so you don't have any parasitic loads and your battery will be fine over the winter.

[westend]

gbopp wrote:
If you decide to take the battery home, get a Battery Carrying Strap. It makes is much easier.

I made my own: DIY lifting straps

If anyone would like to duplicate my design and make their own lifters, I will ship you enough nylon webbing strap to make your own. I have a roll of about 100' still in hand.

[prichardson]

A good fully charged battery that is not connected to anything will hold its charge for several months.

[gbopp]

If you decide to take the battery home, get a Battery Carrying Strap. It makes is much easier.

[JoeTampa]

My battery and 2W solar panel ($25 on Amazon) haven't ever been touched at the storage facility. I have the panel screwed on to the top of the propane tank cover. I wouldn't be terribly upset if $25 walked, and they have DVR'ed cameras all over.

[Dennis_M_M]

Yup, bring the battery home and put a basic Battery Tender on it. No need to go with anything fancy.

I used to bring the four batts out of my truck home in the winter and put two of those on the, switching pairs every two or three weeks.

[midnightsadie]

X2a good battery grows legs, and forgets to come back. this happens in gated yards with a watch men on duty.

[2012Coleman]

Take your battery home with you and trickle charge it in your Garage. Batteries tend to sprout legs if left in storage facilities. I'm sure your solar panel would suffer a similar fate.