Battery Tender

[yanktar]

I kept having battery tenders boil my batteries and I SEEMED to have better luck with the Sears brand.

But my bike at the beach just did the same thing--first time in over a dozen years and it came down to one clear problem:

If you have ANYTHING running off the battery, like an alarm system or bike finder, anything that's pulling power from the battery while the Battery Tender is running, it may well kill the battery.

So what I did with the beach bike is set up a connection to a wall outlet to power the device and have it disconnected from the battery. I can reconnect when I need it, or run it off its own internal disposable batteries.

BTW, I REALLY like the weather-proof version of the Battery Tenders, in the sealed case. I keep my big boat battery (car size) charged up with one!

 

[Coyote Chris]

I shall look more into this O III. The bike itself, of course, is a constant voltage charger. Ride it for one hour or ten, and whatever the regulator is set for is the voltage that is presented to the battery. The actual current going into the battery in the battery's frame of reference is dependent only on parameters of the battery itself. I maintained remote mountain top police communicaitons stations for years. The backup battery banks had very sophisticated chargers that floated the batteries and occasionally "Equalized" them. There is no reason a computer controled trickle charger would not work if designed properly.

 

[roger dodger]

Because I used to be afraid of 'boiling a battery dry' (DAMHIK) I put the Tender on once a month, leave it until 'fully charged', and move it to another bike. Usually takes a day per bike, and rest until the next month.

 

[Coyote Chris]

Because I used to be afraid of 'boiling a battery dry' (DAMHIK) I put the Tender on once a month, leave it until 'fully charged', and move it to another bike. Usually takes a day per bike, and rest until the next month.

There is nothing wrong with topping a Lead Acid Battery off once a month. I have a calander in my work room in the basement that about the first of every winter month reminds me to top off the Concours C10 battery and run my Honda 2000 w Generator under load for a half hour....

 

[ionbeam]

Because I used to be afraid of 'boiling a battery dry' (DAMHIK) I put the Tender on once a month, leave it until 'fully charged', and move it to another bike. Usually takes a day per bike, and rest until the next month.

There is nothing wrong with topping a Lead Acid Battery off once a month. I have a calander in my work room in the basement that about the first of every winter month reminds me to top off the Concours C10 battery and run my Honda 2000 w Generator under load for a half hour....

When you are filling your PbSO4 battery and your sealed AGM battery

you should confirm that your hygrometer reads a specific gravity of 1.265 when the battery is fully charged. Let the battery stand a few minutes after filling with distilled water before taking the specific gravity measurement. If the specific gravity falls below 1.225 or voltage measures less than 12.4 a smart charger may start a desulfation routine.

A sealed battery will still lose water over their life, especially if it has been discharged and rapidly charged again and this will cause the battery to fail. A sealed battery will often have a more electrolyte above the plates to allow some water boil-off. Some 'sealed' batteries can have the cell covers popped off so it can be refilled, extending the battery life.

 

[art miller]

Because I used to be afraid of 'boiling a battery dry' (DAMHIK) I put the Tender on once a month, leave it until 'fully charged', and move it to another bike. Usually takes a day per bike, and rest until the next month.

There is nothing wrong with topping a Lead Acid Battery off once a month. I have a calander in my work room in the basement that about the first of every winter month reminds me to top off the Concours C10 battery and run my Honda 2000 w Generator under load for a half hour....

When you are filling your PbSO4 battery and your sealed AGM battery

you should confirm that your hygrometer reads a specific gravity of 1.265 when the battery is fully charged. Let the battery stand a few minutes after filling with distilled water before taking the specific gravity measurement. If the specific gravity falls below 1.225 or voltage measures less than 12.4 a smart charger may start a desulfation routine.

A sealed battery will still lose water over their life, especially if it has been discharged and rapidly charged again and this will cause the battery to fail. A sealed battery will often have a more electrolyte above the plates to allow some water boil-off. Some 'sealed' batteries can have the cell covers popped off so it can be refilled, extending the battery life.

Ionbeam, Your final comment is a good one. Many of the batteries today are said to be maintenance free but the cell covers are easily pried off. I have been refilling cells on this type battery for years. On my last Toyota Highlander(2003)the original battery held up until late 2014.