[Shop-talk] Battery charger/tender...again

[Steven Trovato]

Scott,

I have several of the battery minders and I have 
had no problems at all.  A lot of people have 
used these things with success.  As far as 
operator error goes, there is not a whole lot to 
analyze.  I connect it to the battery first, and 
then plug it in.  So, the only thing left is the 
power coming in.  I would make sure the outlet is 
wired properly, that the neutral and hot are 
where they are supposed to be.  They can be wired 
wrong sometimes.  I don't know how that would 
effect a battery minder device, but I would check 
it anyway.  Is the wall voltage reasonable?  I 
could see how low or high incoming voltage could 
be a problem.  Is your power noisy or 
erratic?  Maybe try running the battery minder 
through a surge suppressor.  Are you having any 
issues with any other electronics in your 
house?  I would think any incoming power problem 
would effect other devices in your house as 
well.  I am grasping at straws here.  The main 
input I have is I don't think your answer lies in 
finding a different brand or type of battery 
minder device. I think the problem has to be 
something to do with the way the device is used 
or the conditions it is exposed to.

I just looked up the warranty on the battery 
minder 
here:  http://www.batteryminders.com/warranty/. 
It is saying 5 years as of October 2016.  I don't 
know what it was before that.  First step seems 
to be calling the number to speak to their 
technician.  I would give that a try.  Maybe they 
will fix it.  Maybe they will have an explanation 
for why it is not their fault.  Either way, it may be a productive outcome.

-Steve

At 05:01 PM 1/24/2017, Scott Hall wrote:
>So we do this every so often, but:
>
>I'm on my x-th Battery Tendr/Mindr. I've bought 
>the big ones, the small ones, the Tendr, the 
>Mindr, for cars and for motorcycles.
>
>I'm posting because I bought a new battery for 
>the bike, put it on the new charger...and I 
>never got to use it. The battery was fried after a few months.
>
>Now the CTS-V needs a new battery. It's got an 
>undersized battery anyway. I'll but another 
>one--again, but this time I'd like to hook it to 
>a tender that'll at least get me a few years out of the thing.
>
>It's possible it's operator error, I don't know. 
>I hook them up and plug them in and...they die.
>
>I wouldn't mind spending on a good unit, and I 
>don't need it to be small or 
>microchip-controlled (in fact, I'd prefer if it 
>weren't, maybe--I can always just hook a charger 
>up to an old-fashioned timer and let it run an 
>hour a day or something), and ideally it'd 
>actually be able to jump a low battery while 
>it's in the car, too. But if I can inly have a 
>small unit that maintains an otherwise good battery, fine.Â
>
>Someone recommend to me a decent battery tender 
>that actually works. Or tell me what I'm screwing up when I use the things.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Scott