Jump box questions about charge and storage

[Elkins45]

How often do you need to recharge a jump box that stays in the vehicle?

How many years does one typically last before it’s not able to hold a sufficient charge? I know most of them don’t use conventional lead acid batteries so perhaps their lifespan might be different.

 

[GON]

How often do you need to recharge a jump box that stays in the vehicle?

How many years does one typically last before it’s not able to hold a sufficient charge? I know most of them don’t use conventional lead acid batteries so perhaps their lifespan might be different.

I have a JNC jump box, purchased December 2016. It has been a dream box. Stil going strong. Never seems to need a charge after staying unplugged for months.

 

[Owen Lucas]

I have a 6 year old JNC Clore Automotive 770R. Used it as an insurance adjuster to power up damaged cars with dead or no / destroyed car batteries to get odometer readings.

I kept it plugged into the inverted on my car so it was always charging whenever I was driving.

I didn't charge it for a long time and a code to replace the battery came up on the LED panel. It would not take a charge no matter what. I read about a trick where you have to completely drain the battery flat and leave it out in the cold (fortunately it was winter) so that the charging circuitry could identify it was a replacement battery.

I'm not sure about how or why this actually worked but I connected a 12V 144 style wedge bulb to the leads and let the battery drain overnight. It took a charge the next day and worked just fine when I needed to jump start cars. I keep it permanently plugged in now but honestly, I feel a little uneasy leaving a jump box plugged in now. It's been plugged in for years but IDK if this is safe long term.

 

[thastinger]

Most have an 18 or 20Ah sealed lead acid battery inside the box. I've replaced several of those internal batteries over the years in jumpboxes or the "portable power stations"
I would say 3 years would be a good run for one of those batteries if it lives inside the vehicle. Inside the vehicle is a harsh environment for a battery.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

I try to charge mine every couple months. They are normally still full or just a light top off needed (4 solid lights, 5th blinking)

 

[ripcord]

I've had a lithium one last about 5 or six years. I had to junk it when it started to visibly swell.

Currently, I have a sealed lead acid type one. It works well enough and I can source and replace the battery easily when it dies.

My brother built himself a little jump pack for around the shop out of a wooden box with a handle that fits a small group size battery and has some heavy jumper cables wired to the posts. Works pretty well.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

I recharge mine every oil change, so that means every 8 months or so.

 

[atikovi]

How often do you need to recharge a jump box that stays in the vehicle?

How many years does one typically last before it’s not able to hold a sufficient charge? I know most of them don’t use conventional lead acid batteries so perhaps their lifespan might be different.

You need to specify which type, the small lithium style, or the heavy lead battery style. I have both but use the lead battery much more often and it's left on the charger continuously when not in use. The lithium box I'll charge once or twice a year.

 

[John105]

I have this one, paid $125 (it’s now $110).

It was able to start my Maxima which had no battery. As was a NOCO which project farm said couldn’t.

I think I once tried to charge it after 3 mos and it was full (display shows charge), so I haven’t checked since. Bought it in Feb.

https://a.co/d/6nlghH6

 

[eljefino]

Lithium is happiest at a reduced charge, less than 100%. Of course that detracts from its "jump many cars in a row" capability.

 

[blkwtr]

I've had this JNC for 2 years. After 18 months it would no longer hold a charge. During those 18 months I charged it every 2 months or so and used it less than 6 times. I replaced the battery in May (4 months ago) and it has saved me twice since then.

 

[IndyIan]

We have one of these little guys in the Outback for camping, and so far its started an Odyssey and the Outback from partially dead(very dim interior lights and not even a faint hope of turning the engine over) in the summer. It lives under the passenger seat and once in a while we plug it to the USB port in the car for a couple hours. Also its a 5v usb power supply (charges a medium size iphone about 5 times) and flashlight. I read its not great in the winter but in Kentucky you could probably get away with one this small.

General PDP Template

www.canadiantire.ca

 

[Blueshound]

I gave my son in law a NOCO-70 (fully charged) for Christmas 2021. It has a Lithium Ion battery.

Fourteen months later in July 2023 his alternator died while driving and he used the NOCO clamped on to the battery to restart the vehicle (Rav4) and drive a few miles to the shop. He did not charge it in the meantime, and had forgotten about it altogether but it was still in his trunk.

I have since given them for all my kids' vehicles as well as my wife's and mine.

Edit; That's more than fourteen months lol. I try to charge them every 6 months or so.

 

[y_p_w]

I bought a couple of Schumacher Mini-Mite (12 Ah) jump starters in 2006. One reason I liked it was that it had the AC plug built in although it was recessed. It charged at about 1-2A (not sure) and often I'd just use a 3 prong adapter and a cheap extension cord, although I think the general idea was to use a heavy duty extension cord like you'd use with electric outdoor equipment.

That used a sealed lead acid battery. I suppose it might be possible to replace it, but I remember paying $40 each for them with free shipping from Amazon. Also back when they didn't directly charge sales tax for sales to California, although I theoretically needed to pay a California use tax.

I gave one to my parents but I highly doubt they bothered to charge it although I might have charged a few times when I was there. It wasn't working after about 10 years. I'm not even sure it was ever used to jump start a car. Mine was inconsistently charged over the years, but I believe the recommendation was to fully charge it at least every 3 months and any time after use.

I was still working until about 2018. I'm not sure how many jump starts it's gone through, but it's got to be at least a dozen times. My wife had a habit of leaving the map lights on and there was a problem with the door sensor where the headlight warning didn't work. I recall at least a couple of times where I offered it to a stranger in a parking lot, and at least three times when a coworker mentioned that a car wouldn't start. Once a coworker borrowed it for her husband to use, but then came back to me telling me that it just died again since he didn't drive it more than a couple of miles. I lent my 1.5 A charger and said he should charge it overnight even it wasn't full.

I used it once to just charge my phone when I went camping and didn't want to drain my car battery.

It started getting weak around 2018. So it lived a good life.

 

[paulo57509]

I have a Schumacher Model PS-400-3A. It was my father's. I would guess it's at least 20 years old. My feeling is that it has been abused thru neglect.

I replaced the battery (UB12180; 12-volt, 18-amp) five or six years ago. Replacement battery sourced from Battery Mart.

I leave it in a place in the garage that gets a lot of foot traffic. This compels me to push the button to check the state of charge regularly. I charge it with an outdoor extension cord.

I mainly use it as a 12-volt source when testing/experimenting with projects.

Camaro - Testing HM brake light, retrofit with LED's

 

[ripcord]

Having replaced a couple of sealed lead acid batteries in jump packs, I was surprised the first time when I found a typical wall-wort type adapter inside that was supplying a constant 13.6 volts at less than an amp of current. While this is a safe voltage to leave plugged indefinitely, it is not going to charge much, if at all, in really cold temperatures such as a sub-freezing garage. It would be best to take it inside for charging when cold and it could take multiple days to top off a really discharged pack.