Who's using what for a battery tender over the winter months ? Need recommendations for a good one. On my lawn tractor & wood chipper I'm using those Battery Butler thingies. Are they any good for Optima batteries ?
I use the Deltran Battery Tenders on all my cars that aren't daily driven. 2 OT, one with an Optima, the stock Model A and the '34 pickup. All with good luck.
I use a Car Quest CBC 1005 it's a 1.5 amp fully automatic. I used one to bring a optima back to life that was left for dead.
Why do you think you need a tender? I simply disconnect fully charged batteries, both wet cell and AGM, over the winter, or prolonged storage. In the spring, I'll recharge if the voltage is low, then reconnect and use. My batteries have always lasted 8-10 years or longer. I just don't like the idea of something running off 110 vac being connected to a battery full time and left unattended, BTMO.
Battery tender/ batt tender jr are my favorites. Especially when you can run the pigtail away from the battery to somewhere easy to access and just plug into it.
Normally I would go out every 3 or 4 days and fire the banger up. Let it run for about 15 minutes and shut it off. But then winter set in. The temp in my garage right now is a whopping 0 degrees. In the past I've had a battery freeze solid and split open in my garage. By keeping a trickle charge on the battery, I believe it prevents the battery from freezing. For V8 Bob, all of the circuits in my garage are on ground fault breakers. I'm really not worried about anything electrical frying my coupe or garage.
I've been using a Battery Tender Jr for about 4 years now and love it! Also had one go bad that was about 4 years old and Oreilly replaced it under the 5 yr. warranty with NO hassle! My current battery is approaching 5 yrs old and I truly attribute it surviving the winters to the BT, Jr. Joe
Deltran Battery tenders work well. However they will not work on dead batteries. Must have 3 volts for them to bring battery back to life. From Deltran directly. Don't ask how I found out. Have them on OT sports car and boat batteries.
I have had a couple of Battery Tenders for at least 15-years, one of them a 6v, the other three are 12v. I keep every car hooked up when not in use, all year long. I've never had any problems with them. Great battery life and each car is always ready to go.
I guess I am on the other foot. While working in Italy I would be away for 6 months at a time. My Roadster and Fairlane would fire right up when I got home. BUT These are simple units, No fancy electronics but both have CD players that are wired to 12v hot but seem to have very little draw. 6 of 1 1/2 dozen to the other I guess.
I have/use 2 battery Tenders and 4 CTEC units for a number of years now. As far as I can tell one brand works as well as the other. I have 2 batteries that are 6 years old and still work as advertised. Because I work away from home for extended periods of time, my batteries are on charge for up to 8 months of the year.
I have used Sears units for several years........I have at least half a dozen, use them year 'round on infrequent use cars, tractor, scooters, etc. Absolutely a believer in them (the 'tender concept' not necessarily Sears) Ray
Running an engine every 3-4 days for 15 minutes really does more harm than good. Adding water and/or not fully charging can/will allow a battery to freeze. Most of my batteries are in an unheated building and I've never had one freeze, even with -20 F temps. My circuits are also ground-faulted, but that doesn't prevent an electrical fire; it simply keeps you from frying.
That depends on if they are GFCI outlets, or GFCI breakers. I find that my battery stays well charged by driving every few days.
Driving would be the ideal solution. But bias ply tires and snow / ice covered rutted gravel roads don't mix very well. My coupe is on jack stands until after spring thaw. I have GFCI outlets, but the main breakers are in the basement of my house. I have GFCI breakers to protect the long wire runs between the panel and the nearest GFCI outlet as added insurance against mice chewing wires.
I've never used a battery tender as I don't like to leave anything plugged in especially in the shop when I'm not around. Whats the problem of hooking up a battery charger if you need to? Never had a battery go bad over the winter.
I use three Deltrans in my garage. One of the "tenders" quit. It was less than 10 years old, and the company sent a brand new one to me. I paid postage one way. An older one is still kickin', and was purchased in '97 for a motorcyle. I have had no trouble otherwise, and I can start any one of my rides whenever I choose. All my batteries are OPTIMA brand.
I use a Deltran battery tender, and feel that it helped the life of the Oprima in my convertible. I installed that battery in 2002, and replaced it he beginning of last summer.
Battery Tender, Sears, brands all seem to work good as maintainers. On AGM's, I hook them up to a fully charged lead acid battery, in parallel, and let them sit for months. Having more than one battery on a maintainer has worked fine.
I had a conversation about battery tenders today.Was asked if anyone made a solar powered one.? I thought sure, till I looked for one.NO, Yes? Cant find one if they do.
Deltran tender for 3 of my cars right now. I used to go through a battery every couple years because I would forget to charge it and once they go dead they aren't much good. Went through a couple Optima's in less than 5 years until I started using a Deltran unit. Now they are always up to starting something and I never worry about them.
Here ya go B.A. King. there's all kinds of them. https://www.google.com/webhp?tab=mw&ei=SjKjVMucB6OjyAO6qoHIBg&ved=0CAQQqS4oAQ#q=solar battery tenders on ebay&tbm=shop I even have one in my storage shed that has never been hooked up. Check RV supply places. Many RV's come equipped with a solar battery charger to maintain batteries when the RV is in storage. (They don't work too good when covered with a foot or more snow)
I have purchased five from johnny law 15 bucks apiece. red light shows there on green light shows when charging.love em even got free shipping
I rotate a tender around battery to battery whenever I think about it. Rather than leave it on one battery.
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