Battery trickle charger?

[michaelluscher]

Here is the one currently on sale on costco.com for $40 with free shipping. 5 amp unit, surprisingly, it is also IP65 water resistant like the Duracell and Battery Tender. Wasn't mentioned in the online listing. 5 year warranty is nice, as is Costco's generous return policies.

I haven't seen Type S branded stuff in person for at least 20 years
I've got a NOS clip on vent can holder from the period

 

[RitcheyRch]

No idea, but here is their website with quite a bit of information, but buy it from Costco.com

TYPE S 5A Battery Charger and Maintainer

The TYPE S 5A Battery Charger and Maintainer will keep your stored vehicle's battery charged and maintained. Charge standard lead-acid, GEL, AGM, and lithium-ion (LiFePO4) batteries at 6V or 12V. Easily keep vehicles such as classic cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, UTVs, and more charged...

typesauto.com

You could also ask their customer service, there is a link at the bottom of the page

Thanks and cannot beat the price. Looks like will buy two. One for my truck and one for my Honda generator. Really dont need a 5A maintainer for the generator but is about the same price as a Battery Tender Jr and Noco Genius 1

 

[Oldyellr]

Thanks and cannot beat the price. Looks like will buy two. One for my truck and one for my Honda generator. Really dont need a 5A maintainer for the generator but is about the same price as a Battery Tender Jr and Noco Genius 1

I bought 2 of these from Amazon, halfthet price. Work great.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B071G68GTD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[loneryder]

I searched but didn't seem to find a direct answer.

Looking at getting a battery tender to hook up to my 2019 Silverado. It gets used but on short trips and not much for long drives and sites days on end some times. With all the electronics on these vehicles now, is it possible to hook up a tender without damage to the electronics? Also direct to the battery I would think would be better correct?

So if it is something I can do, recommendations on what would be a good tender to get?

Modern battery tenders are different and better than the old trickle chargers. They are electronically controlled to keep the battery topped up. They don't do any charging unless needed. I've used Schaumachers from Walmart for many years.

 

[f355spider]

I bought 2 of these from Amazon, halfthet price. Work great.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B071G68GTD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Those look good, but are just a tender function, which it totally fine, and great price.
The Type S offering has a ton of other features, which may or may not benefit the user.
Water resistant, 5 amp charger, 1 amp maintainer, and 300ma maintenance mode with either setting once charged, can also charge Lithium-ion (incl. LiFePO4), alternates displaying voltage and amperage of charge, also displays battery state of charge in percentage 25/50/75/100.

Negatives with both options....no temperature compensation. I found the Type S maintenance voltage a little low...around 13.2 to 13.3vt. I believe for AGM it should be around 13.6 + or - at 70F with temperature compensation...going higher when colder, and lower when warmer battery.

I believe someone posted that the MotoPower does hold the maintenance voltage at 13.6? If so, that is a plus.

 

[02zx9r rev2]

Modern battery tenders are different and better than the old trickle chargers. They are electronically controlled to keep the battery topped up. They don't do any charging unless needed. I've used Schaumachers from Walmart for many years.

Same.

 

[Oldyellr]

Those look good, but are just a tender function, which it totally fine, and great price.
The Type S offering has a ton of other features, which may or may not benefit the user.
Water resistant, 5 amp charger, 1 amp maintainer, and 300ma maintenance mode with either setting once charged, can also charge Lithium-ion (incl. LiFePO4), alternates displaying voltage and amperage of charge, also displays battery state of charge in percentage 25/50/75/100.

Negatives with both options....no temperature compensation. I found the Type S maintenance voltage a little low...around 13.2 to 13.3vt. I believe for AGM it should be around 13.6 + or - at 70F with temperature compensation...going higher when colder, and lower when warmer battery.

I believe someone posted that the MotoPower does hold the maintenance voltage at 13.6? If so, that is a plus.

Well, you either have a battery tender or a useful charger. You won't see both combined with full features like fast 15 amp fast charge and 100 amp engine start. My regular chargers have those features and a even a 2 amp trickle charge setting, but that's not a battery tender function and needs to be monitored. That's great for getting me going in the dead of winter with a weak battery. But for my lawn equipment and collector car, I use proper battery tenders. $25 each is cheaper than $100 -$200 for a new battery that dies from sitting.

 

[RitcheyRch]

I'm trying to determine the best battery maintainer for my truck and Honda generator that has a small motorcycle battery. Was leaning towards the Battery Tender 4.5amp from Costco but not sure if that is too much amperage for a small motorcycle battery.

 

[Oldyellr]

At 4.5 amps that is a Charger/Maintainer. Fine if you don't have a charger, although a bit underpowered to charge a flat battery in less than an hour. But if you already have a decent charger, you don't need 4.5 amps. A maintainer with a max output an amp or less is sufficient and cheaper.

 

[f355spider]

Well, you either have a battery tender or a useful charger. You won't see both combined with full features like fast 15 amp fast charge and 100 amp engine start. My regular chargers have those features and a even a 2 amp trickle charge setting, but that's not a battery tender function and needs to be monitored. That's great for getting me going in the dead of winter with a weak battery. But for my lawn equipment and collector car, I use proper battery tenders. $25 each is cheaper than $100 -$200 for a new battery that dies from sitting.

You realize this thread is titled "battery trickle charger" and is discussion battery maintainers, not chargers?

You have stated your case before and I disagree. YOU may consider 15 amps superior for charging, because you are apparently in a hurry. I also have a charger with 2, 15 and 100 amp settings. But I have used it a total of perhaps 6 times in 15 years. Mostly for the boost setting at 100 amps to bail out a friend or two. I rarely have ever had a completely discharged battery and even if I did, recharging the battery at a lower amperage is the preferred method in order minimize damage and prolong life. I own both "battery maintainers" (2 amp usually) and "battery maintainer/chargers" (4 amp to 8 amp) So be it 4 amps, 5 amps or 8 amps, that is better than hitting it with 15 or 20 amps and why I rarely use my larger battery charger. I have seen battery manufacturer instructions state to recharge at the lowest rate you can reasonably get away with.

From Optima Batteries website on battery charging:
"Low and slow is best. A low-amp charger (one to 12 amps) is generally the best choice for charging any lead-acid battery. It's quicker to charge at higher amperage, but it also can generate a lot of heat, which reduces the life of a battery, just like the heat of summer."

 

[f355spider]

I'm trying to determine the best battery maintainer for my truck and Honda generator that has a small motorcycle battery. Was leaning towards the Battery Tender 4.5amp from Costco but not sure if that is too much amperage for a small motorcycle battery.

Check with Battery Tender, but it should be fine, they all trim down to very low amperage as the battery reaches full charge, so it will not overcharge. I just looked on the Battery Tender website and their 4 amp is the highest amperage unit I see them recommend specifically for motorcycle use. Most manufacturers recommend a unit rated at 2 amps or less for motorcycles and tractors. But if the charging profile is working as it should, then it should be no problem with smaller batteries.

The 4.5 amp Battery Tender appears to be made specifically for Costco and is not listed on their website:

Battery Chargers

Battery Tender® battery chargers charge and maintain your vehicle's battery leading to a four times longer battery life.

www.batterytender.com

https://www.costco.com/battery-tender%c2%ae-4.5-amp-battery-charger-%2526-maintainer.product.100987415.html

 

[f355spider]

At 4.5 amps that is a Charger/Maintainer. Fine if you don't have a charger, although a bit underpowered to charge a flat battery in less than an hour. But if you already have a decent charger, you don't need 4.5 amps. A maintainer with a max output an amp or less is sufficient and cheaper.

You are so focused on recharging dead batteries you ignored his question. He specifically asked if the Battery Tender brand at 4.5amps is the "best battery maintainer" for both his truck and a Honda generator with a small motorcycle battery its uses to start it.

 

[SubLGT]

..... I have seen battery manufacturer instructions state to recharge at the lowest rate you can reasonably get away with.
From Optima Batteries website on battery charging:
"Low and slow is best. A low-amp charger (one to 12 amps) is generally the best choice for charging any lead-acid battery. It's quicker to charge at higher amperage, but it also can generate a lot of heat, which reduces the life of a battery, just like the heat of summer."

OTOH, Odyssey recommends high current charging:

For optimum charging, the current output should at least 40% of the battery’s C10 rating. This means a battery that has a 10-hour rating of 100 amp hours should be charged with 40 amps. Charge current should never be less than 10% of the battery’s C10 rating.

https://www.odysseybattery.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/odyssey-battery-technical-manual.pdf

 

[f355spider]

OTOH, Odyssey recommends high current charging:

https://www.odysseybattery.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/odyssey-battery-technical-manual.pdf

Yup. Odyssey also has a specific higher voltage recommendation to reach full charge I believe, even for maintainers used on Odyssey (Odyssey has a list of recommended chargers and maintainers on their website). I have a Battery Minder charger/maintainer, and it has a specific cycle for Odyssey (and a few other AGM brands). They say to use the standard flooded setting for other brands of AGM batteries. From what I could tell, it just takes the battery to a higher charging voltage point (when on the Odyssey setting) before it drops to the maintenance mode.

 

[RitcheyRch]

You are so focused on recharging dead batteries you ignored his question. He specifically asked if the Battery Tender brand at 4.5amps is the "best battery maintainer" for both his truck and a Honda generator with a small motorcycle battery its uses to start it.

I read in the generator owners manual that being the battery is 8ah they dont recommend a charger greater that 900 milliamps. Therefore, I purchased the Battery Tender Jr maintainer that is 800 milliamps

 

[SubLGT]

Odyssey also has their float charging recommendations:

Chargers that are designed for maintaining a full SOC are often called “float” or “trickle” chargers and generally supply current in the 0.5 amp to 1.5 amp range. These chargers might also be called maintenance chargers and are often used to maintain batteries that are used in seasonal applications such as boats or RVs. These chargers are not suitable for recharging ODYSSEY AGM2 batteries that have been deeply discharged. However, they are suitable for maintaining batteries at a full state of charge, provided the float voltage setting is appropriate. The recommended float voltage for ODYSSEY AGM2 batteries is 13.6 volts for a 12-volt battery 77°F (25°C).

Proper charging of all AGM2 batteries requires temperature compensation of the charge voltage. This is especially true in float applications where the batteries are on-charge constantly. The temperature compensation coefficient is approximately ±18 mV per °C variation from 25°C per 12-volt battery. Temperature and charge voltage are inversely related. Therefore, charge voltage must be reduced as temperatures increase and charge voltage must be increased as temperatures decrease. Regardless of temperature, the minimum charge voltage is 13.2 volts as lower voltages will damage the battery grids and shorten life.