Subject: [TR] Battery charging

From: DAVID MASSEY <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2020 14:48:42 +0000 (UTC)

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 There have been a lot of blanket statements regarding chargers and battery=
 charging.=C2=A0 Unfortunately, life is never as simple as we wish it to be=
.=C2=A0 And most of that can be attributed to the wide variety of styles of=
 chargers.=C2=A0 One of the things I do in my professional life is evaluate=
 chargers and they do vary widely.=C2=A0=20

First off, any reasonably priced charger cannot harm a battery very quickly=
.=C2=A0 Using a charger intermittently is the best practice.=C2=A0 A lead-a=
cid battery will self-discharge at a rate as high as 10% per month so using=
 a charger for a few hours each month is all that is required to keep up wi=
th a dormant battery.=C2=A0 If you want a set-and-forget charging regimen b=
uy a plug-in charger and set it up to run the charger for an hour a day. or=
 15 minutes.=C2=A0 Or get a timer with week-to-week programming capabilitie=
s and set it up to run an hour a week.=C2=A0 Depending on the charger, of c=
ourse.

The class of so-called trickle chargers vary the most.=C2=A0 Some are inten=
ded to keep a charged battery charged.=C2=A0 If you hook these up to a disc=
harged battery they will burn up.=C2=A0 Some will regulate to 14 volts othe=
rs to 13.5 volts.=C2=A0 Some are designed not to draw any current back out =
of the battery when AC is not applied, others will drain the battery at a l=
ow rate if not plugged in.=C2=A0 These range from cheap to really cheap.
Smart chargers cost more but are worth the price.=C2=A0 Smart chargers will=
 automatically detect when a battery is charged and switch to a "float" mod=
e.=C2=A0 Most have indicators to let you know when this happens.=C2=A0 Howe=
ver, not all smart chargers are the same.=C2=A0 Most can be left connected =
to the battery full time and will not draw current from the battery when no=
 AC is applied.=C2=A0 Many of these will just start charging when power is =
switched on so using this type of charger with a timer will be fine.=C2=A0 =
But there are some that require user set-up each time power is applied.=C2=
=A0 These will not work with a timer but will be fine if you manually conne=
ct and charge your batteries.=C2=A0 I have a couple of these and they requi=
re that the user select the battery chemistry each time it is plugged in.=
=C2=A0 Great charger otherwise.
These chargers are designed to remain connected and powered up indefinitely=
 and I've seen this done many times with no adverse effects.=C2=A0 However,=
 doing so on a battery in a car that is down for the winter is unnecessary =
and a waste of electricity.=C2=A0 It is better connect it once a month or s=
o and top-up the battery and leave it be.=C2=A0=20

And it will give you peace of mind.
=20
Dave=20

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<div style="color:black;font: 12pt Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<div> <font size="3">There have been a lot of blanket statements regarding chargers and battery charging.&nbsp; Unfortunately, life is never as simple as we wish it to be.&nbsp; And most of that can be attributed to the wide variety of styles of chargers.&nbsp; One of the things I do in my professional life is evaluate chargers and they do vary widely.&nbsp; <br>
</font></div>

<div><font size="3"><br>
</font></div>

<div><font size="3">First off, any reasonably priced charger cannot harm a battery very quickly.&nbsp; Using a charger intermittently is the best practice.&nbsp; A lead-acid battery will self-discharge at a rate as high as 10% per month so using a charger for a few hours each month is all that is required to keep up with a dormant battery.&nbsp; If you want a set-and-forget charging regimen buy a plug-in charger and set it up to run the charger for an hour a day. or 15 minutes.&nbsp; Or get a timer with week-to-week programming capabilities and set it up to run an hour a week.&nbsp; Depending on the charger, of course.<br>
</font></div>

<div><font size="3"><br>
</font></div>

<div><font size="3">The class of so-called trickle chargers vary the most.&nbsp; Some are intended to keep a charged battery charged.&nbsp; If you hook these up to a discharged battery they will burn up.&nbsp; Some will regulate to 14 volts others to 13.5 volts.&nbsp; Some are designed not </font><font size="3"><font size="3">to </font>draw any current back out of the battery when AC is not applied, others will drain the battery at a low rate if not plugged in.&nbsp; These range from cheap to really cheap.</font></div>

<div><font size="3"><br>
</font></div>

<div><font size="3">Smart chargers cost more but are worth the price.&nbsp; Smart chargers will automatically detect when a battery is charged and switch to a "float" mode.&nbsp; Most have indicators to let you know when this happens.&nbsp; However, not all smart chargers are the same.&nbsp; Most can be left connected to the battery full time and will not draw current from the battery when no AC is applied.&nbsp; Many of these will just start charging when power is switched on so using this type of charger with a timer will be fine.&nbsp; But there are some that require user set-up each time power is applied.&nbsp; These will not work with a timer but will be fine if you manually connect and charge your batteries.&nbsp; I have a couple of these and they require that the user select the battery chemistry each time it is plugged in.&nbsp; Great charger otherwise.</font></div>

<div><font size="3"><br>
</font></div>

<div><font size="3">These chargers are designed to remain connected and powered up indefinitely and I've seen this done many times with no adverse effects.&nbsp; However, doing so on a battery in a car that is down for the winter is unnecessary and a waste of electricity.&nbsp; It is better connect it once a month or so and top-up the battery and leave it be.&nbsp; <br>
</font></div>

<div><font size="3"><br>
</font></div>

<div><font size="3">And it will give you peace of mind.</font><br>
</div>

<div> <br>
</div>

<div style="clear:both"><font size="4">Dave </font><br>
<br>
</div>
</div>

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** [email-masked] **

Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/triumphs  http://www.team.net/archive

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From: Jeff Scarbrough <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2020 12:30:09 -0500

On Sat, Dec 26, 2020 at 9:49 AM DAVID MASSEY <[email-masked]> wrote:
>
> The class of so-called trickle chargers vary the most.  Some are intended to keep a charged battery charged.  If you hook these up to a discharged battery they will burn up.  Some will regulate to 14 volts others to 13.5 volts.  Some are designed not to draw any current back out of the battery when AC is not applied, others will drain the battery at a low rate if not plugged in.

You've just reminded me of the significance of the red LED on my HF
trickle charger which indcates proper polarity, even when unplugged.
I guess I'm off through the frigid weather to unhook the thing from
the battery.
** [email-masked] **

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From: Chris Simo <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2020 19:34:20 -0500

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Update: I bought a new, old school battery charger, no fancy circuits.  Two
of the 3 batteries declared dead by the "automatic" charger have been
revived and appear to be functioning well.

Safety first. I try never to leave them unattended. After hearing about the
fire, i also always on a timer in case I forget.

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<div dir=3D"auto"><div data-smartmail=3D"gmail_signature">Update: I bought =
a new, old school battery charger, no fancy circuits.=C2=A0 Two of the 3 ba=
tteries declared dead by the &quot;automatic&quot; charger have been revive=
d and appear to be functioning well.</div><div data-smartmail=3D"gmail_sign=
ature" dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div data-smartmail=3D"gmail_signature" dir=
=3D"auto">Safety first. I try never to leave them unattended. After hearing=
 about the fire, i also always on a timer in case I forget.=C2=A0</div></di=
v>

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