Batteries -- what is the dif?

[unbidden]

No. My garage doesn't have electricity. I know there are solar trickle chargers but I don't have much faith in them.

I use a solar trickle on my generator that is kept in a wooden vented box outside. Eight years now, same battery.

 

[John_Mc]

Has anyone heard of or tried a battery desulfator? My boss gave me a trickle charger/desulfator a while back I am just now trying it on my motorcycle batteries. It is supposed to desulfate or clean the plates of the battery by sending small pulses of electricity through the plates. Claims to extend battery life up to four times. I charged my 18 year old battery let it sit for a few tays, tested it with my voltmeter which read 12.45 volts. I put the charger/desulfator on it I am leaving it on for a month then will test it and put it in the bike and see if I notice any differance. This is the one he gave me. What do you think is it legit or snake oil? This is the one I have.

BatteryMINDer 1510: 12 Volt-1.5 Amp Battery Charger, Battery Maintainer, and Battery Desulfator Designed for Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles, ATV, Boats, RV

They work well, and BatteryMinder is one of the better brands out there. They desulfate continuously and are temperature compensated, so keep your battery properly charged regardless of the ambient temperature. I've got about 5 of them, including an aviation-specific one (aircraft batteries are incredibly expensive, so it pays to take care of them right).

 

[dragoneggs]

They work well, and BatteryMinder is one of the better brands out there. They desulfate continuously and are temperature compensated, so keep your battery properly charged regardless of the ambient temperature. I've got about 5 of them, including an aviation-specific one (aircraft batteries are incredibly expensive, so it pays to take care of them right).

I have 4 or 5 Battery Tenders... been very happy with them. I just found this review/comparison between BT and BM. This guy thinks the Battery Minder is better. I have no experience with them.

BatteryMINDer 151� vs. Battery Tender Plus -

 

[John_Mc]

No desulfation on the Battery Tender models ruled them out for me. They are still good chargers, and if you keep your battery charged all the time you can minimize the formation of sulfation, but you wont get rid of any that has already formed over time.

 

[Peter 315]

I had the Battery Tenders only one left switched over to Battery Minders they have full time desulfation, And you can get the y cord and charge two batteries off one....

 

[ruffdog]

Back in the 80's when I worked for a motorcycle/ATV/snowmobile/jetski dealer, we had many batteries being installed or replaced. Most times we would have 10-20 batteries being charged at any one time. My experience was that Yuasa were good and was the brand that mostly was OEM. The aftermarket brand that seemed to do pretty good was Interstate. Some of the off brands were showing up on the scrap pile more often. I do understand that companies DO change and their quality may go up/down as their priorities change. My Yuasa in the RTV900 was still going good at 12 years when I traded it in.

 

[aczlan]

Back in the 80's when I worked for a motorcycle/ATV/snowmobile/jetski dealer, we had many batteries being installed or replaced. Most times we would have 10-20 batteries being charged at any one time. My experience was that Yuasa were good and was the brand that mostly was OEM. The aftermarket brand that seemed to do pretty good was Interstate. Some of the off brands were showing up on the scrap pile more often. I do understand that companies DO change and their quality may go up/down as their priorities change. My Yuasa in the RTV900 was still going good at 12 years when I traded it in.

If I remember correctly, YUSA was the provider for the OEM battery in our B7500.

Aaron Z

 

[crazyal]

Be careful of the batteries that have a higher CCA in the same size. To get the extra power they have to extend the plates inside the battery. As the battery 'wears' it sheds metal that collects on the bottom of the battery. As this builds up it can short the plates out killing individual cells. Everything I have that uses a motorcycle battery has been converted over to a garden tractor size battery or, in the case of my UTV, a car battery.

 

[Jimmy Joe]

After letting the Battery Minder desulfate my fully charged old battery for a month it brought the voltage up from 12.45 to 12.79 now for the weather to warm up so I can test it in the bike. I put it on my lawnmower battery.

 

[dragoneggs]

After letting the Battery Minder desulfate my fully charged old battery for a month it brought the voltage up from 12.45 to 12.79 now for the weather to warm up so I can test it in the bike. I put it on my lawnmower battery.

With all my Battery Tenders don't really need a Minder but maybe I should get one and rotate it around with my Tenders. Would think an occasional desulfating would be good?

 

[fried1765]

With all my Battery Tenders don't really need a Minder but maybe I should get one and rotate it around with my Tenders. Would think an occasional desulfating would be good?

I have 4 Battery Minders, and 14 Battery Tenders.
What you suggest is what I do.
And.....whenever a Tender fails, I replace it with a Minder.

 

[dragoneggs]

I have 4 Battery Minders, and 14 Battery Tenders.
What you suggest is what I do.
And.....whenever a Tender fails, I replace it with a Minder.

Okay good to hear... will follow your plan.

 

[John_Mc]

With all my Battery Tenders don't really need a Minder but maybe I should get one and rotate it around with my Tenders. Would think an occasional desulfating would be good?

Sulfation generally happens when you leave a battery in a discharged or partially discharged state. The longer you leave it that way, the worse the sulfation. Since batteries self-discharge over time, they will eventually get sulfated if they are left unattended (i.e. not on a battery charger or not regularly used in equipment that recharges the battery). If you keep your batteries fully charged, there is very little chance of sulfation. However, simply recharging a battery will not remove sulfation that has already happened. Your battery tenders are definitely helping avoid sulfation, but putting them on a desulfating charger from time-to-time is also a good idea.

 

[ultrarunner]

With all my Battery Tenders don't really need a Minder but maybe I should get one and rotate it around with my Tenders. Would think an occasional desulfating would be good?

I do this and now have two Minders...

Just wish they made a 6v Minder. Called and was told they did at one time but had to re-engineer to be able to meet new energy use requirements decided from a financial point it didn't make sense at the time...

I have more 6v than 12v

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I do this and now have two Minders...

Just wish they made a 6v Minder. Called and was told they did at one time but had to re-engineer to be able to meet new energy use requirements decided from a financial point it didn't make sense at the time...

I have more 6v than 12v

What about putting two 6V in a series and put your minder on them that way?

SR

 

[ultrarunner]

Yes... it works with a jumper to put them in series.

 

[John_Mc]

Just wish they made a 6v Minder. Called and was told they did at one time but had to re-engineer to be able to meet new energy use requirements decided from a financial point it didn't make sense at the time...

I have more 6v than 12v

NOCO makes some good chargers, and offers a variety of 6V chargers (NOCO Chargers). They are smart chargers and can safely be left on the battery full time. They are temperature compensated and have a desulfation circuit. I still prefer the BatteryMinder chargers, since their desulfation works continuously whenever it is connected to the battery, regardless of whether the battery is actually charging or in "float/maintenance" mode. The NOCO batteries shut off the desulfation once the battery is charged. (This can mean it takes a number of charge cycles to fully desulfate a battery). Still, they are very highly regarded chargers.

I have one of their 2 bank 12 V chargers that I keep in my antique military pickup with a 24V electrical system. (I prefer charging each battery individually, rather than using a single 24 V charger).

 

[dfkrug]

I have 4 Battery Minders, and 14 Battery Tenders.
What you suggest is what I do.
And.....whenever a Tender fails, I replace it with a Minder.

That is a lot of chargers, and a good strategy.

You have had some Tender failures? What about Minder failures? How many years do you get out of each?

 

[ultrarunner]

I have not had one go bad from either brand but only 2 Minders and maybe 16 tenders... several models

 

[dragoneggs]

I've never had a Tender go bad either a couple are 10 years old with pretty much constant use.