House Battery Maintenance

[Retired_VSP]

I just purchased two 12 volt conventional bouse batteries. (Duracell Ultra 1 year warranty) What can I do get the most out of these batteries. I leave the mh parked at Hilton Head for about 3 months during the winter unattended. I keep the water levels checked and frequently charge them most of the rest of the year. I had one year conventional Interstate before that lasted less than 3 years. Disappointed.

I need advise on routine maintenance. I've read the web advise and that is somewhat helpful but I would like to read some of your experiences. I had a tendency to overfill with my last batteries. I read where deep cycles should last 4-7 years. Wow! Thanks for any advise.

And which batteryminder is appropriate for the 12 volt deep cycle lead acid battery. Thanks.

[Retired_VSP]

DFord wrote:

Retired VSP wrote:
I'm looking at the Battery Tender Jr. to keep my 2 twelve volt lead acid topped off. They set parallel. Can u comment on that particular one?

I'm not sure what else I could add. My choice has always been the BatteryMinder line because it pulses the battery to ensure sulfation doesn't ruin the battery. I don't remember seeing anything about the Battery Tender information making such a claim.

I keep one on my riding mower year around with great results. I know the battery is good when I open the shed and see it flashing - means the battery is fully charged and it's switched to float/maintenance mode.

I keep one on the chassis battery for my MH after I found out it would lose it's charge when plugged in. Only the alternator put something back in it. The inverter only keeps the house battery bank charged.

When I head out of town the day after Christmas, the batteries for my cars are all connected to BatteryMinders and are ready to go when I get back 3 months later. When I left them in the cars, they wouldn't even light the dome lights when I got back - even with a cheapo Harbor Freight solar panel plugged into the cigarette lighter - but they did get enough sun to warp the heck out of them.

Thanks again.....I've been finding mixed reviews about the Battery Tender Jr which I have already ordered. I'm going to try it on my coach batteries this winter. Many say it will "maintain" the charge on both batteries. That's what I want. Anything that will prolong the life of the batteries. The Interstates I had lasted under 3 years. Tired of that.

[DFord]

Retired VSP wrote:
I'm looking at the Battery Tender Jr. to keep my 2 twelve volt lead acid topped off. They set parallel. Can u comment on that particular one?

I'm not sure what else I could add. My choice has always been the BatteryMinder line because it pulses the battery to ensure sulfation doesn't ruin the battery. I don't remember seeing anything about the Battery Tender information making such a claim.

I keep one on my riding mower year around with great results. I know the battery is good when I open the shed and see it flashing - means the battery is fully charged and it's switched to float/maintenance mode.

I keep one on the chassis battery for my MH after I found out it would lose it's charge when plugged in. Only the alternator put something back in it. The inverter only keeps the house battery bank charged.

When I head out of town the day after Christmas, the batteries for my cars are all connected to BatteryMinders and are ready to go when I get back 3 months later. When I left them in the cars, they wouldn't even light the dome lights when I got back - even with a cheapo Harbor Freight solar panel plugged into the cigarette lighter - but they did get enough sun to warp the heck out of them.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Connected it will work just fine. A winterlong soaking will fully cure the plates. Same as shorter time of a couple of deep cycle recharges.

The little maintainers do a good job. The saving grace is they do not have to guess how to fully recharge a depleted battery.

[Sam_Spade]

Retired VSP wrote:

I'm looking at the Battery Tender Jr. to keep my 2 twelve volt lead acid topped off. They set parallel. Can u comment on that particular one?

The Junior model was not really intended to be used on a BIG battery......much less two of them. Probably not a really good choice.

[BFL13]

I have seen what LY reported above, where the first deep cycle is not as "good" as the next one, following a period of floating.

IMO this turns on the issue of destratification. Just floating does not help with that. Some chargers with a float stage do a shot of higher voltage every so often to address that issue.

If you do not float, and just recharge every time the batt self- discharges to 12.4v, as some blurbs recommend, that would also do some destratification as long as you recharge at a high enough voltage. I don't think 12.4 is low enough to really do much there.

You are also supposed to do a proper deep cycle every so often and follow that with an equalize overcharge every couple of months according to some guides for deep cycle batteries.

So in the context of this thread's discussion, it could all turn on how long "all winter" is in months.

[Retired_VSP]

DFord wrote:
The BatteryMinder I referenced IS TEMPERATURE COMPENSATED AND MEANT TO BE LEFT ON ALL THE TIME DURING PERIODS OF NON-USE.

AND! It's on sale right for only $25 now at Northern Tools!


Features + Benefits

• Full-time battery monitoring automatically tests battery continually, supplying only the current needed to maintain battery at full charge
• 8-stage unit charges and maintains from 1 to 4 batteries at a time (12V batteries parallel-connected or two 6V batteries series-connected. NOTE: Never connect 2 or more batteries together in parallel before fully charging each and checking their condition. Failure to fully charge each battery and check their condition can result in a serious safety hazard)
• Does not overcharge, regardless of time connected
• High-frequency pulses safely remove sulfate from battery's plates that prevent the batteries from holding a full charge
• No need to add water to maintenance-type batteries during long, non-use storage
• Stops boil-out and ends water loss
• Smart chip technology ensures safe, long-term performance
• Automatic reset prevents damage to charger when unit is connected to faulty battery
• 10ft. output cord
• Blinks when charged
• Made to ISO 9002 Quality Certified Standards
• Comes complete with Quick connect/disconnect battery clips (Note: BatteryMINDer Plus will not cause battery drain if connected to the battery without connection to AC power 1mA max.)
• Not for use with aircraft batteries
• This model features Temperature Compensation which decreases voltage in hot weather (battery does not overcharge) and increases voltage in cold weather (battery will stay fully charged)
• This model will not work on a battery less than 6.0 Volts
  

I'm looking at the Battery Tender Jr. to keep my 2 twelve volt lead acid topped off. They set parallel. Can u comment on that particular one?

[DFord]

The BatteryMinder I referenced IS TEMPERATURE COMPENSATED AND MEANT TO BE LEFT ON ALL THE TIME DURING PERIODS OF NON-USE.

AND! It's on sale right for only $25 now at Northern Tools!


Features + Benefits

• Full-time battery monitoring automatically tests battery continually, supplying only the current needed to maintain battery at full charge
• 8-stage unit charges and maintains from 1 to 4 batteries at a time (12V batteries parallel-connected or two 6V batteries series-connected. NOTE: Never connect 2 or more batteries together in parallel before fully charging each and checking their condition. Failure to fully charge each battery and check their condition can result in a serious safety hazard)
• Does not overcharge, regardless of time connected
• High-frequency pulses safely remove sulfate from battery's plates that prevent the batteries from holding a full charge
• No need to add water to maintenance-type batteries during long, non-use storage
• Stops boil-out and ends water loss
• Smart chip technology ensures safe, long-term performance
• Automatic reset prevents damage to charger when unit is connected to faulty battery
• 10ft. output cord
• Blinks when charged
• Made to ISO 9002 Quality Certified Standards
• Comes complete with Quick connect/disconnect battery clips (Note: BatteryMINDer Plus will not cause battery drain if connected to the battery without connection to AC power 1mA max.)
• Not for use with aircraft batteries
• This model features Temperature Compensation which decreases voltage in hot weather (battery does not overcharge) and increases voltage in cold weather (battery will stay fully charged)
• This model will not work on a battery less than 6.0 Volts
  

[landyacht318]

Not specific to the battery tender/minder brand names, but many people have left battery maintainers on, thinking all would be well come spring time, to find the circuit powering them had tripped, or the wart fallen from the wall, and the device had drained the battery to dead dead unrecoverably dead, slowly. Others find that there is no electrolyte left as the voltage was too high for the battery temperature.

The lack of temperature compensation on almost every marketed maintainer, is a red flag to me especially when there are wide temperature extremes.



Ideal float voltages vary with battery and battery temperature and these devices can range from holding the battery anywhere from 13.2 to 13.9v, even among the same brand name/model. The cheapo HF maintainers were reported to have this very wide voltage range.

I'd much prefer to fully charge/slightly overcharge and completely disconnect, possibly recharge monthly.

If i used any maintainer I would need to know what what voltage it is deciding to hold the already fully charged battery at, and whether it responds to ambient temperatures or not, we know few have battery temp sensors.
I say already truly fully charged as many will think plug the maintainer into a less than fully charged battery and see an Ok float voltage, but once the maintainer actually gets the battery nearer full charge days weeks later, the voltage is likely too high for the temperature.

Some people still act like a maintainer is a battery charger, where many batteries will never have their specific gravity maximized no matter how long they are left at float or slightly higher voltage.

When I have floated batteries for a long period in mild ambients, they do not seem to perform well the first discharge in the voltage retention department. Seems a deeper discharge and a full recharge wakes them back up after their floating slumber.

If the battery is to be cold, then batteries self discharge much less at lower temperatures, making me lean more towards a true full charge and complete disconnection of battery from all loads and charing sources, rather than praying nothing goes wrong with the maintainer and the circuit feeding it.

Older batteries self discharge at higher rates, and especially when they have impurities added when being watered. The recessed caps almost seem to invite debris any time the caps are opened, and taking precautions and wiping out the corners with Q tips is no guarantee.

[rrupert]

DFord wrote:
The BatteryMinder float charger is meant to be left on the battery ALL THE TIME! That's what it's designed for! It constantly pulses the battery to ensure sulfation doesn't occur. Read up on them, you'll be surprised! I get 5 years or more out of my riding lawnmower 1 year batteries with no problems using one that's left connected to the battery any time the mower isn't in use - summer and winter.

They never boil any of the water out of the batteries. It sounds like Rupert isn't knowledgeable about "Float" chargers. They don't taper down when the battery's full, they stop charging and monitor the battery till it needs another boost.

I guess I didn't fully explain, what I meant was that you don't have to stay connected all the time but it is good to periodically connect the charger to bring the battery up to full charge. I have been using a Battery Tender for many years and it stays connected all winter.

[Retired_VSP]

Y-Guy wrote:
Moved from Dinghy Towing to Tech Issues

Thank you...I thought I selected general topics....not sure how that happened.

[Y-Guy]

Moved from Dinghy Towing to Tech Issues

[DFord]

The BatteryMinder float charger is meant to be left on the battery ALL THE TIME! That's what it's designed for! It constantly pulses the battery to ensure sulfation doesn't occur. Read up on them, you'll be surprised! I get 5 years or more out of my riding lawnmower 1 year batteries with no problems using one that's left connected to the battery any time the mower isn't in use - summer and winter.

They never boil any of the water out of the batteries. It sounds like Rupert isn't knowledgeable about "Float" chargers. They don't taper down when the battery's full, they stop charging and monitor the battery till it needs another boost.

[Sam_Spade]

rrupert wrote:

You don't have to keep the charger going continuously, just plugin for a day or two every month.

That is assuming that you don't have any significant parasitic loads....AND that they aren't old enough to have a significant self-discharge rate.

If you have a good, well designed maintenance charger, there is no reason to NOT leave it connected 24/7......if you have access to shore power.

[Retired_VSP]

Thanks everyone...good advice for sure.....