Batteries

[Craig Clayton]

I found this article about battery chargers.CTEK identifies battery charging myths


Written by CE Staff

CTEK a company in the care and maintenance of vehicle batteries identified �he most frequent myths associated with battery charging all types of lead acid batteries.



- å¾¹ne size fits all? A smart charger needs to be fit for purpose so that a product can be used for a wide range of applications.
- 典rickle Charging is 賎ood Enough樗: A trickle charger is 田onsiderable less sophisticated than a smart charger. Trickle charging uses a �op-up charge over time which reduces battery capacity and the ability to retain a charge, whereas smart charging monitors and maintains the battery.
- é„*lternators Keep Batteries Charged? An alternator does not look after the maintenance of the battery which is found in smart chargers.
- 釘atteries Can Last For Many Years? Smart battery chargers can 兎xtend the life of a battery by as much as three times in comparison to unmaintained batteries.


CTEK
CTEK SWEDEN AB - The smartest battery chargers in the world


Craig Clayton

 

[schmism]

I have never done better than 5.

Chris

Ive done better than five in daily driver cars. But never in my truck with all the extra accessories on the truck.

 

[lilranch2001]

I have 5 on my OEM GMC now, and was thinking about replacing it this fall.
I usually go with Diehard replacements, was wondering if there are any better ones, or if Diehards are still good batteries

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I just got to thinking, and I have about 6 years on my truck battery. I last replaced it during my last job, and I've been working here for 5 years. It's probably time to replace it. Some cold morning this winter it will die suddenly.

 

[Ford tractor]

I have one tractor with a factory battery from 1998. Another with a new one last year replacing a 10 year old battery. The 12 year old battery is expected to die this fall. The tractors are in the machine shed with power, so they can be charged and the block heaters run, so even a weak battery will be ok.

But, the work truck got a new set of batteries after 5 years. The diesel get's ornery at -30F with weak batteries. That's one thing you don't want as the pre-heaters and glow plugs can suck over 150 amps alone! And it often has to start miles from the nearest plug in the dead of winter - weak batteries don't make you confident.

 

[homedad]

15 years and still starting strong. My 1995 F-150 with 43,000 miles sits outside every day in Michigan. Obviously I rarely use the truck but it starts very quickly. I think that a properly running engine which doesn't crank very long helps. It's never been on a charger of any kind and often will go a month without being started.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

15 years and still starting strong. My 1995 F-150 with 43,000 miles sits outside every day in Michigan. Obviously I rarely use the truck but it starts very quickly. I think that a properly running engine which doesn't crank very long helps. It's never been on a charger of any kind and often will go a month without being started.

I vote for homedad as the president of the Long Battery Life Club.

What are you doing differently than the rest of us to get that much life out of a battery?

 

[Jay4200]

Last year or early this year there was a topic where guys talked about getting as much as 13-15 years out of their truck batteries. I've searched but can't find it. Anyone know what they were doing to get such long life out of their batteries?

The trick to longevity in a lead-acid battery is to keep it fully charged and maintained at at a higher than 100% charge voltage continuously. Leave your door ajar and kill your battery once, and you've taken a good 2 years off of it's life. Full charge is 12.6V - if you don't use it everyday, use a float voltage maintainer that charges to ~13-13.5V and it'll last pretty much forever.

I just changed out the OEM battery in my '01 Tundra last week. The only reason it died is that the mount rotted off, and the battery bounced around enough to knock off the cell covers, letting the electrolyte either spill out and/or evaporate away. I tried to fill it up with beer, but it didn't work.

JayC

 

[homedad]

I never do anything to it. Unfortunately I had 2 occasions in the last 3 months when I left the headlights on and required a jump so the party may soon be ending.

 

[brokenot]

- 驗*lternators Keep Batteries Charged? An alternator does not look after the maintenance of the battery which is found in smart chargers.
- 驥和tteries Can Last For Many Years? Smart battery chargers can 蜈支tend the life of a battery by as much as three times in comparison to unmaintained batteries.

Marketing mumbo-jumbo.

What's a properly-functioning charging system doing if not "looking after the maintenance" of the battery?

And the second part of the quote is amusing as well. Smart chargers can extend the life of a battery by as much as three times.

So far in this thread, the guy with the 15 year old battery in his F-150, and the list of 10+ year old batteries I posted myself are pretty much in the lead as far as battery longevity goes. And one of the common denominators in those situations and experiences isn't the use of a battery maintainer/smart charger.

Not saying there's anything wrong with such devices, but they aren't necessarily going to guarantee you longer life....unless they're used in an application where the vehicle or equipment sits for extended periods. In those cases a battery maintainer would be a plus, because the factory-installed belt-driven "battery maintainer" isn't able to do the job.

 

[DK35vince]

My last pickup truck battery lasted 10 years.
The original battery in my 2001 tractor is still going strong.
Never had any type of battery maintainer/smart charger on them.

 

[lilranch2001]

Marketing mumbo-jumbo.

What's a properly-functioning charging system doing if not "looking after the maintenance" of the battery?

And the second part of the quote is amusing as well. Smart chargers can extend the life of a battery by as much as three times.

So far in this thread, the guy with the 15 year old battery in his F-150, and the list of 10+ year old batteries I posted myself are pretty much in the lead as far as battery longevity goes. And one of the common denominators in those situations and experiences isn't the use of a battery maintainer/smart charger.

Not saying there's anything wrong with such devices, but they aren't necessarily going to guarantee you longer life....unless they're used in an application where the vehicle or equipment sits for extended periods. In those cases a battery maintainer would be a plus, because the factory-installed belt-driven "battery maintainer" isn't able to do the job.

If I had to plug in a battery maintainer to double the life of my battery, I would be plugging it in daily.

For the cost of the maintainer, and time and inconvenience it takes, it is not worth it IMO I will just buy a battery every 5 years I guess I would wear out my hood latch before the old battery wore out.

:confused2:

 

[dcyrilc]

I use battery maintainers, but I use them for the very reason brokenot stated. Equipment which sits for long periods of time. I seem to have issues any time a battery sits all winter without the equipment being used. I found that $40 each for battery maintainers was better than replacing batteries every spring. I have 4 of them. Usage varies depending on the equipment. The ones I bought have a cable which attaches to the battery and comes down to a reachable location. When needed, you simply plug in the equipment.

I use them for the following equipment:
1) The vehicle battery on my motorhome.
2) My semi-portable 5.5 KW generator. (this is not used often and sits a lot)
3) My quad, which is only used in the summer.
4) My tractor, when it's put away for winter and not expected to be used again until spring.

I still need to pick one up for my boom truck which typically gets used 2-3 times a year. Brand new battery spring of 2009. Dead last spring (2010), but I didn't need it this year so it still sits with a dead battery.

Not saying there's anything wrong with such devices, but they aren't necessarily going to guarantee you longer life....unless they're used in an application where the vehicle or equipment sits for extended periods. In those cases a battery maintainer would be a plus, because the factory-installed belt-driven "battery maintainer" isn't able to do the job.

 

[Spanky100]

If I had to plug in a battery maintainer to double the life of my battery, I would be plugging it in daily.

For the cost of the maintainer, and time and inconvenience it takes, it is not worth it IMO I will just buy a battery every 5 years I guess I would wear out my hood latch before the old battery wore out.

:confused2:

I use Deltrain Battery Maintainers on the equipment that is not started up at least every 2 weeks weeks and used long enough to completely charge the battery. Examples are Tractor, Lawn Mower, Generator, Boat starting battery and trolling, and Motorcyle. I route the Quick Connect harness from the battery to a easy to access location that does not require opening the hood or removing seat. Many of the newer boats and bikes have an Engine Control Module that draws a few mA when not running. If you do not disconnect the battery during the offseason the battery will discharge and have significant reduced capacity after it is recharged. The other thing to remember is that battery will internally self discharge even when not connected. The benefit for me is that I do not have to disconnect the battery connections each year during the offseason and the batterys last much longer. The cars and trucks we use on a regular basis are not connected to a maintainer. One 800 mA Battery Tender is about $35 IIRC makes my business case if it saves/extends one battery (note I am not factoring the electricity cost to run the maintainer). If I could buy battery blems like Diamond his plan souns good.

Wayne

 

[Ford tractor]

Now if you got a 12v to 120v converter and plugged the maintainer into that...

:laughing:

 

[brin]

Timely thread....I just started My NH - TC -29D this morning and Bush hogged for about 2 hrs. and parked it and finished cutting with a smaller mower for the trim work and then when I went back to start my NH the Ignition light came on but not the pre heat light and all I had was a click...I checked the battery which I replaced in May of 2008 so it is now 2 & 1/2 yrs old and the terminals were all coroded ..so I cleanded them off ..still nothing so I put my charger on it and put it on the fast start setting and this time I got a series of clicks so I am thinking it is the battery...I have the charger sitting on it now and will let it charge and try it again on quick start in a few hours...I only have 390 hrs on it so I hope it is not any saftey switches or other electrical isssues...I am not good at electrical problems at all...

 

[SPYDERLK]

Did you disconnect and clean the connections? Did you check the neg lead ground to the frame? Do you have a voltmeter?
larry

 

[brin]

Did you disconnect and clean the connections? Did you check the neg lead ground to the frame? Do you have a voltmeter?
larry

I cleaned the terminals but I have not checked the ground I will do that...and I don't have or know how to work a volt meter...electrical is just beyond me..I hate that but it is a void in my education and experience...LOL

 

[SPYDERLK]

You can get one for less than $10 [ala $2.99 on sale] at Harbor Freight. Easy to learn to use. A great cheap tool to trouble shoot tractor electrics. A good investment. If you had one members could talk you thru it quickly.
larry

 

[Iplayfarmer]

You can get one for less than $10 [ala $2.99 on sale] at Harbor Freight. Easy to learn to use. A great cheap tool to trouble shoot tractor electrics. A good investment. If you had one members could talk you thru it quickly.
larry

I second Spyder's suggestions. There are some good, quick tests you can do with a cheap multimeter that take a lot of the mystery out of electrical problems. And, like he said, TBN could get you using it in no time.

Bummer about the battery. It seems some vehicle eat through batteries faster than others.