Trickle Charging the Battery

Guys:

Quick and simple question. When you put a trickle charger on the battery for winter storage should you disconnect the battery from the car or can the cable stay attached?

Thanks !
Andres D.

i have a battery cut off switch near the battery, if the car is sitting for awhile i will trickle charge and cut off battery to rest of vehicle. i also leave the hood open a bit for some air in case of fumes.

As a safety precaution, disconnect the battery....There is a chance of damaging the voltage regulator in the alternator if you hook up the charger incorrectly, or accidently short out the battery....
A small chance of damage to any "solid State" systems on board.

Hope this helps

I've always disconnected at least the ground side of the battery. Been doing this in many vehicles for 40 years. Probably the new sealed batteries and the self-regulating chargers may not require that any more, but why run the risk?

There's a distinction between "trickle charger" and "Maintanence charger".

A trickle charger will start at a higher level, say 4 - 6 amps and then trail off to a trickle (100 milliamps or so) as the battery approaches full charge. These types can, on occasion, over-charge a battery, especially if it is VERY cold where it is in use (like Yellow Knife, NWT, or what it seems like to this Southern guy in central Massachusetts right now!! ;>) Physically, it is about the size of a loaf of bread. I would not use one of these on a car that's left for months at a time.

A Maintanence charger is designed to only provide a few hundred milliamps of charging current AT MOST, and will actually drift in and out of charge state as the battery voltage drifts up and down. These chargers are especially good if you're leaving a car for a long period (I typically leave mine for 4 - 6 months) AND you have a newer car that needs to have the Engine Computer (ECU) energized all of the time, like my wife's Taurus, most newer American cars with Electronic Engine Management, and ANY car designed in Germany or Japan in the past 10 years). Physically, it is usually 1/4 the size of a trickle charger, or about 3" wide, 4-5" long and 2" tall. I have a pigtail permanently connected to the battery with a two-wire connector on it. Plug in the charger at the car, plug it into the wall outlet and walk away for 6 months. When you return, everything starts right up like you never left, AND there's no re-learn time for the ECU.

WalMart/Sears/K-Mart carries them in their automotive department, as well as Autozone/Advanced Auto Parts. If you need a brand name, let me know and I'll run to the garage and see what it is.

Gordon
Freezing his charger off in Massachusetts.

Guys:

Thank you for the guidance. Last thing I want to do is burn down my garage with the Speedster in it. I bought the charger at AutoZone and they said it was a trickle charger. Just to be sure I will attach it every so often to avoid a problem.

Thanks !

Andres D.

Andres;

Maybe consider this to be on the ultra-safe side;

I would use a trickle-charger on the batteries of my sailboat down at the marina - but I plugged the charger into a timer (like for your house lights). I set the timer to activate the charger for 5-6 hours each day.

Super good, no...UBER Gud idea!!

What's the sailboat? I used to sail a lot on a 39 O'Day - what a sweet boat! Last boat I had was a down-sized, 18 foot Beetle Cat that I could solo-sail once my crew deserted me....Perfect for S.E. New England (Buzzard's and Naragansett Bays)

gn

Gordy -

Got my chops on HobieCat catamarans. Had a race-rigged Hobie 14' (adjustable forstay). Then a Hobie 16' (trapeze rig). Man that was a fast boat! I had a 34' Catalina in a slip at Belmont Shores (Long Beach, SoCal). That was a great family boat (slept 6 comfortably).

I sold it a couple of summers ago for an offer I couldn't refuse. I kept the tender (10' hard-bottom Avon/center console steer/10hp Daihatsu) to cruise around Newport Beach Marina.

When I'm not instigating some kind of shenanigans with the grandkids, Ginny and I keep busy Sailing/Driving the Speedy/Bouncing my Range Rover off the rocks/Camping.

Also called "float chargers" they are the size of the small power supplies for cd players. Harbor frieght has them on sale fom time to time for 10.00 or so. I have probably 4 or so around the house and have given them to friends. If you cut the leads you can also just put a cigarette lighter jack on them and turn them into convienient plug in charger if you have a none switched lighter jack in your car or you van hust use the clips an put them on your battery they have worked great for me. Nothing is worse than to have one of those extrodinary gift days in the late winter or early spring, decide to take out one of the cars only to be frustrated by a dead battery. Merry Christmas to all!

I use the Battery Tender" on all of my cars, tractor and motorcycle. As Gordon said, just plug it in and walk away. I have them in 12 and 6 volt configurations. Some of my batteries are 8 & 9 years old and never give me a moments hesitation. Make your life easy and get one of these for each car.

Happy charging,
Dusty and the Electrifying Miss Sharon

Dusty,

I need one, will this work?

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Junior-Volt-Charger/dp/B0000C7FJ7


Thanks,

Marty

I use a few of these.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42292

~WB

I thought I needed to do that on my car; I stored it for over 3 months and I just disconnected the battery. Surprisingly I got it running yesterday fairly quickly and it cranked perfectly. Naturally, it took a while for the gas to fill the carb bowls but it started running textbook perfect.

Marty,
The one you asked about will work OK for a motorcycle or other small battery but I wojld not feel good about it for the car battery. You should stick to their regular charger. They sell for about $50 but you can often find them on eBay for about $35.

Merry Christmas,
Dusty

The Harbor Freight one is on sale now for $5.97

Does the harbor freight battery "maintainer" keep the battery fully csrged?

they work like a charm. Have 2-3 on cars often. Batteries always fresh as daisies in the spring.

Question about Harbor Freight.....
Has their product quality improved or what? I quit them several years ago 'cause of the short life span of anything electric. (or mechanical)

Probably the same, Ernie. Ya still hafta use your sixth sense when buying something there. I usually buy stuff that I need but won't use terribly much. Some of the stuff is OK but not all.

~WB

If you have a $5 battery use a $5 charger. If you have a good battery use a Battery Tender. My experience has shown not others do the job as well. Bit the bullet on cost and it will be cheaper in the long run.

Happy Voltage,
Dusty and the Lovely Miss Sharon