Battery Maintainer

[J.Mencalice]

Would a 1.5 amp maintainer be considered as too high to be utilized on a Valkyrie battery over the course of a winter's layup or perhaps a lower (.75 amp) tender is preferable for that much of a long term storage?  Impact on the battery plates and electrolytic fluid?

[Jess from VA]

A battery maintainer should be low amps.

But the key here is to get a maintainer with a brain that reads voltage and cycles on and off from charge to float over time (weeks and months: and for me over 10 years).

Even the lowest power trickle charger, without a brain, and constantly on over time will overcook the battery, and likely cause harmfull vapor (that can burn in an enclosed area), cook out acid on your bike and wiring, and maybe even explode a small bike battery (right near the gas tank), and/or burn down a building.  So don't do that.

Of course any charger should be on a GFCI/breaker/fused circuit, but a low power constant-on trickle charger may do all kinds of damage before ever blowing a house circuit.

I use these 24 X 7 X 365 for over ten years on two bikes when they are not being ridden or on trips, and my batteries last a long time.  When I roll in, I switch the petcock off and plug the tender in.  In addition to all GFCI plug ins (to a breaker box), each charger is on a pigtail hooked to the bike (and other) batteries, and each pigtail also has a 7.5 -amp fuse in it.  I did lose one Tender years ago (stopped working, with no damage to anything) but it was an old one that came with one of the bikes.  So I replaced it.  But, my bikes are in a shed in the backyard, and not in an attached garage which might give me pause for house fire concern.  

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S

There are a number of different brands of smart trickle chargers.  https://smartercharger.com/

[Serk]

Britman will likely have a thing or two to say about battery tenders.....  Heed his advice IMHO...

[Jess from VA]

I believe he was using pure trickle charger with no shut off-cycling on it.

[baldo]

I've been using the 'Battery Tender' brand for years with no problems. I have to assume they'd fall into the good category....

[Oss]

i have a very smart charger that also desulfates and has brought back battery I thought was a gonner

But as I respect Paul and also Detn8ers experiences I do not leave the bike plugged in overnight or when i am away from the house.

The one i have tells you also if a cell is bad or polarity is off and the status of charge in the battery
It will also charge Odyssey batteries

Think its called battery minder

[sandy]

Jess posted a CTEK site. I've had  CTEK 3300 for years with no problems. I don't find that model on the site but this would be the new equivalent.

https://smartercharger.com/collections/vehicle/products/ctek-us-0-8

[carolinarider09]

Recent discussion on a Goldwing forum

https://gl1800riders.com/forums/4-general-mc-message-board/457329-battery-tender.html

[cookiedough]

My opinion,  but if on a smart charger that shuts off/on all the time if leaving plugged in all winter long, the lower amps is best 1.0 amps or under.   I have a constant shumacher 1.0 volt plug in that never shuts off unless unplugged/unhooked and have forgotten several times leaving plugged in for 24 hours or more on a cycle battery and NO real damage done still registered 13.9 volts testing on a 20 volt reading right when took clips off and then back down to normal in 3-4 hours or less when checked it next around 12.5 volts or so.  Not sure though if left a 1.0 amp on all the time charging for say 1 week might do some damage to the cycle battery is my guess, not sure?

I recently bought at Menards black friday another one being this time a smart charger by schumacher (same brand) that has the ability to cycle on/off as needed, but is a 1.5 amp one which is not the best would've preferred .75 to 1.0 amp at most for a smart charger, but at 10 bucks is good enough black friday deal.

I do NOT leave my batteries in WI cold winters in the cycle even if on a smart charger that cycles on/off,  just do not trust them from either burning up or doing damage to the electrical system or battery if they go bad or even burn down the house/garage etc. when away plugged in all the time.  I take batteries OUT of my cycles takes only 1-2 minutes tops is all easy to do if going to sit for 1 month or more like over 3-4 months of cold winters and plug them in on my 1.0 or 1.5 amp battery charger for 5-8 hours and test with my voltmeter readout then store in my basement which is guessing 60 degrees or so on a carpeted car floor mat not on the colder concrete basement floor.   been doing this for 30 years no issues and most batteries last 5-6 years usually.

[MarkT]

If it's in your garage with a power door, get a screw-in plug adapter for the door light and run extension cord to the low-powered charger.  So your garage door light will power it for 5 minutes every time you open the door.  If not there, run the (long) wire to wherever your bike is.  Alternatively, get a light timer from Ace Hardware and set it to run for (say) 10 minutes a day.

[..]

I believe he was using pure trickle charger with no shut off-cycling on it.

 :'(

Yep. I plugged in one of these and left my house.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-2-10-50-Amp-Fully-Automatic-Starter-Charger/21642128

DON'T DO IT!!!

[..]

Now I use this one

http://products.batterytender.com/Dion/Battery-Tender-Junior-12V-0-75A.html

[..]

I had a battery tender in my  bike room at the back of my garage.

I was in a rush and parked the ST1300 in the regular garage. Pulled the battery charger off the shelf and plugged bike in.

Left house and fire happened.

Insurance fire investigator found the positive terminal of the bike battery.

Showed me what looked like little arc welds hits on the terminal inside the battery.

Told me that the battery could have failed at any time but the battery charger pushed it the amount needed for catastrophe.

[scooperhsd]

I've used a battery tender for most of the last 10 years and it did wonders on making the battery last at least double on my motorcycles. Plug it in, and let it maintain it while I'm not riding.

[cookiedough]

I believe he was using pure trickle charger with no shut off-cycling on it.

 :'(

Yep. I plugged in one of these and left my house.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-2-10-50-Amp-Fully-Automatic-Starter-Charger/21642128

DON'T DO IT!!!

why, what happened?  Did you accidentally have it on 10 or 50 amp services vs. 2 amp when leaving the home for a day or whatever?

I once ran a 10 amp charger on all the time left on overnight on a cycle battery and fried it was bubbling and crackling inside had on guessing 24 hours straight, not good, but did not explode, etc. but did fry the battery and was very warm.   My theory was to try amping it up quickly since was near the end but forgot to unplug in 1 hour or so.

[..]

I believe he was using pure trickle charger with no shut off-cycling on it.

 :'(

Yep. I plugged in one of these and left my house.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-2-10-50-Amp-Fully-Automatic-Starter-Charger/21642128

DON'T DO IT!!!

why, what happened?  Did you accidentally have it on 10 or 50 amp services vs. 2 amp when leaving the home for a day or whatever?

Dunno. I plugged it in and left the house. I was in a hurry to get to girlfriends house. 

[cookiedough]

I had a battery tender in my  bike room at the back of my garage.

I was in a rush and parked the ST1300 in the regular garage. Pulled the battery charger off the shelf and plugged bike in.

Left house and fire happened.

Insurance fire investigator found the positive terminal of the bike battery.

Showed me what looked like little arc welds hits on the terminal inside the battery.

Told me that the battery could have failed at any time but the battery charger pushed it the amount needed for catastrophe.

agree, could happen to anyone.  If I do not forget which seems to be more and more lately on things,  I do not like running any appliance (besides TV's, phone, alarm clock, etc.) plugged in overnight.  I have dozens of times in past 20+ years forgot to unplug something like the battery tender on cycle batteries after say 10 hours and left run overnight and into even the next day some 24-30 hours before remembering duh,  unplug it you dummy.  So far, no fires.

[t-man403]

I have three different tenders.......all work well.

Gotta say the CTEC was worked hard on an old Die Hard battery that sat for probably 20 years. It brought it back to life!!

[J.Mencalice]

I have three different tenders.......all work well.

Gotta say the CTEC was worked hard on an old Die Hard battery that sat for probably 20 years. It brought it back to life!!

Your strong opinion for the CTEK is interesting; so it must be set up to reverse sulfation?  How much time did that battery (motorcycle?) take to be resurrected from the grave? (Die Not is what that was...)

[t-man403]

It was a car battery that took about a week to recover and the CTEC was very warm while doing so.
All 3 go into a maintenance mode after the charge is complete.

[MarkT]

I've never seen or heard of a battery that long neglected, be salvaged.  But then I've never tried either.  I'm inclined to just replace them as the replacement cost is less than my inconvenience cost of a breakdown in West Undershirt Idaho.  Now a garden tractor battery, I'll salvage that.  Not the Kubota however; don't want to F with it when I need to plow the drive now. (I have it wired for easy plug-in of my chargers anyway, same for the bikes. Same plugs power my WarmNSafe gloves & jackets)  I'll periodically plug in my Ray-O-Vac 6amp automatic analog charger if a vehicle hasn't been run for say a month.  Just until the charge meter drops to zero amps. I have a powerful NAPA cart charger fully manual, set the power and the time.  You use tables of various battery sizes with a volt reading to get the correct time & power to set.  It's capable of desulfating any vehicle size lead-acid battery if it's salvagable.  Generally it takes more pwer than normal to desulfate a battery and automatics can't do it.  Unless they have an automatic desulfate setting.

[cookiedough]

Would a 1.5 amp maintainer be considered as too high to be utilized on a Valkyrie battery over the course of a winter's layup or perhaps a lower (.75 amp) tender is preferable for that much of a long term storage?  Impact on the battery plates and electrolytic fluid?

lower amps is better if being plugged in all the time as a maintainer.  I did however buy like said a 1.5 amp maintainer by shumacher that can leave plugged in if wanted to but I choose NOT to leave plugged in all winter long and is easy enough to go out in the garage and plug in if wanted to for 6-8 hours one weekend running it until shows fully charged then do that every 3-4 weeks or so all winter long.  My opinion is why leave something plugged in if only going to run once or twice a week (or less for in home use stuff) just unplug it easy enough and plug it back in.

[t-man403]

I've never seen or heard of a battery that long neglected, be salvaged.  But then I've never tried either.  

I had never tried either so that's why I did it. Had know idea what would happen and it's not like I needed the battery immediately ...... did it just for the heck of it.
Now, having said that, the battery was no good for regular use as it would die in a day or two without the charger left on. It easily started the car though right after bringing it up to speed. I was very surprised it came back as good as it did!