Quote:
Originally Posted by Attacking Mid
I've never run across this concept. Do you have any links to support this? I often use my 0.8 amp CTEK trickle charger to maintain/top-off my batteries. This would indicate I'm actually harming them. Just curious.
AM.
|
I may have the links somewhere but I wouldnt have a clue which ones have what covers that.
But let me rephrase what I said to say that if you leave a battery long term and I mean years without any use with a low amp charger it isnt strong enough to keep the battery from going bad. This mainly effects 0 draw conditions like shelf storage.
None of the ctek chargers I purchased lived long enough to qualify for long term personally.
At the same time none of the norco chargers I bought work anymore either but in their defense those were charging a solar setup as a cloudy day backup deal. Also one of the norco's was hit by lightning. I would say Ive had bad luck with them more than quality control issues for the most part. One arrived dead out of the box but was replaced via warranty.
Battery tender brand chargers dont seem to hold up that well lately either for me or other people I know. I have used them for years on things with a lifespan of 3 years average but of the 4 I bought within the last couple of years only one still works. The reviews I noticed on amazon seem to backup the idea that the quality has declined.
Most of cheaper trickle chargers I buy go on farm equipment that sits when outside seasonal usage and some sit for years on end.
A decent solar charger is another good option to consider if it has at least 2 amps max charge capacity. The reason they work well has to do with varying charge rates. The ones you stick on the dash dont put out enough to do anything most of the time but there some large sunshade models that do put out enough.
I'll look through my old stuff and see if I can find the study on the effects of constant low charge on batteries.
I sound like battery nut but it came about from laziness more than anything. To many batteries to have to change if I didnt keep them up and when the prices started climbing it got ridiculous cost wise.
The house solar setup was the final eye opener on it all. Everyone talks cost of panels, chargers etc. Thats nothing compared to the cost of batteries used for solar. The maintenance alone to keep them from running dry can be a real pain.