Battery Minder Recommendation..........

[loneryder]

Originally Posted By: SonicMustang
Originally Posted By: loneryder
Go to WalMart where they are $20. Been using them for years on motorcycles, mowers and cars.


$20 battery float chargers aren't worth $1.99. Deltrans and CTEKs actually work as advertised.

The new ones have the circuitry that montiors the battery condition. I am using them on 2 agm batteries at present. Made by Schaumacher who makes a lot of them on the market. If you feel better paying $50 for the same thing with another label, go for it.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Do you expect your MIL to hook it up every time she parks the vehicle?

With my offered solution, it's not much different than a block heater, plus the battery charger makes a monumental difference in the cold.

I'd never go back.

 

[MCompact]

I have an Optimate 3 I've used for years on my bike and my ZTR mowers- also on my cars,though they rarely need one.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: loneryder
Originally Posted By: SonicMustang
Originally Posted By: loneryder
Go to WalMart where they are $20. Been using them for years on motorcycles, mowers and cars.


$20 battery float chargers aren't worth $1.99. Deltrans and CTEKs actually work as advertised.

The new ones have the circuitry that montiors the battery condition. I am using them on 2 agm batteries at present. Made by Schaumacher who makes a lot of them on the market. If you feel better paying $50 for the same thing with another label, go for it.


The cheap schumachers are not temperature compensated. If some are, its news to me and then there is more appropriate basis to what youve said. But AFAIK, and including the ones that I own from them, they are not. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of batteries and electrochemistry knows that battery voltages are temperature dependent, and the appropriate float voltage for lead acid varies with the type (flooded vs agm) and the temperature.

So dont just blow off the recommendation of SonicMustang, there is indeed reality to it.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Do you expect your MIL to hook it up every time she parks the vehicle?


With the ring terminal attachment that comes in the box, its quite easy to make a harness that goes to either the battery or some other constant hot and ground spot and sticks out from the hood.

Further, if OP's MIL is familiar with block heaters, the SAE plug is even easier.

Finally, My wife knows perfectly well how to do it on her car, though her use profile does not require it... But she can and will gladly attach the charger. Why imply that the OP's MIL is not capable or does not want to? Do we know that as fact?

OP, Battery Minder 2012 is my reocmmendation. The Deltran is also good as the standard one (with the shaped metal case) also works good as it has temperature compensation. The thing I dont like about it as much though is that the thermistor is in the box with the power electronics, so may not be as accurate.

The 2012 is a good stand alone unit though slightly more expensive. They did come out with a lower current wall wart type with an external thermistor (can put it remote to at least be outdoors vs indoors, etc) which is around $50.

 

[raytseng]

One thing to watch out for is that you ensure the batteryminder cannot be knocked off the outlet or accidentally disconnected. When connected to the car battery but not the wall, it will slowly drain the car's battery and kill it that way.


Unless you really aren't driving the car for several months, You maybe better off just hooking up the batteryminder for a day or two every month, rather then really leaving it really hooked up all the time.

 

[linksep]

http://www.batteryminders.com/12-volt-maintenance-charger-desfulator-1500

I have 4 of them, my dad has two, my uncle has about 12...(all the prior generation ones). They work amazingly well! You don't have to pop the hood if you hook up the ring terminals and just use the little quick connector. I hook car up when I get home from work if the overnight temp is forecast to be well below 0F. I have the actual brick hooked up to an extension cord and in a place where I will see the blinking LED in the morning as a reminder to unplug before I leave for work.

 

[kb27]

Originally Posted By: Benito
I have the CTEK 4.3. Does the job. Nice quality unit.

I don't think it's desulphation capabilities are much more than marketing. But it does have a recondition mode that people have said works better than the competition.

Check out this member's posts on the subject, especially if you're interested in constant desulphation. The CTEK units only desulphate if they suspect something seriously wrong with the battery. That stage has never lit up for me.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/userposts/id/54824


I had a ctek. If you set it to recond mode, it will put out 15.8V.
That's the desulphation mode, I supposed.

Ctek had since died. Now I use dc power supply set to 15.8v to desulphate batteries that have poor specific gravity. It works. But I've to check using a hydrometer.

 

[Vikas]

If the car usage is random, then one has to hook it up every time the car is parked. Does she need occasional jump start? If not, I see no issue at all! Even if she needs occasional jump start, NoCo nano jump stater might be the ticket.

But I an extremely lazy SOB and don't do a thing unless I have to do it Having to change battery every 3 year would make me take zero corrective action.