Charging a car battery....

[E38Ross]

Now, I've just ordered one of these

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00499DTWO/ref=...

though when i ordered it not 6 hours ago i got it for <£30 on amazon

anywho, a picture above, shows it charging the battery with the battery still attached and connected up to the car, as i always understood it, you should disconnect the battery first, is this still the case? i know this is some fancy charger but not sure....?

any thoughts?

[DaveEssex]

I have used a "Smart Charger" now for 6 years, and there has been absolutely no evidence of deterioration as a result of leaving the battery in situ and fully connected.

[judas]

If it's a trickle charger/battery conditioner just hook it up in situ. I keep the bikes and a couple of the cars hooked up like this when they're not being used - no problems so far in 10+ years Even managed to resurrect the 750 battery from completely drained, though it took nearly a week.

[HereBeMonsters]

Yeah, I've always left them connected, seem fine!

[woof]

I've got few of them - totally worth it.
My old 930 is tucked up in the garage for most of the year and has a Battery Mate on it and I think the Bosch battery is probably 10 years old and still 100%

Recently had problems with a Red Top battery on the Corvette and decided to hook that up to one as well but since it's outdoors got one of these

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000CITKCE/ref=...

Very happy with this one as well.

[E38Ross]

DaveEssex said:

I have used a "Smart Charger" now for 6 years, and there has been absolutely no evidence of deterioration as a result of leaving the battery in situ and fully connected.

so when the smart charger is connected to the mains, you have the +ve lead going to the +ve terminal, and the -ve going to the -ve terminal, NOT attached elsewhere on the chassis, right?

i have 2 options if i leave the battery in situ.....

1 - leave a mains extension lead running from the garage into the boot where i'll leave the charger and hook it up in there (would most likely mean leaving the boot slightly ajar....is this an issue?

2 - hook up the charger under the bonnet to the charging terminals (as if jump starting it)...

either way, the charger won't be indoors so i'm thinking the boot is the best bet.

Judas - what did you do with the 750? leave the boot slightly open? i believe the boot lights go off by themselves after a while.

[woof]

Checkout the link to the Deltran Battery Tender Waterproof 800 that i posted below.
You can also buy an extension lead for it. Better than running it off an extension cable

[DaveEssex]

You're on the right track.
Bonnet open and connected terminal to terminal as per your proposal.
You can get a little more sophisticated, if you desire, by wiring in the trickle charger and fixing it in place in the most convenient position in the car and use a plug-in lead to a matching terminal wired into the battery.

[judas]

E38Ross said:

Judas - what did you do with the 750? leave the boot slightly open? i believe the boot lights go off by themselves after a while.

I just close the boot - the cable on my Optimate is thin enough not to be a problem.

[E38Ross]

woof said:

Checkout the link to the Deltran Battery Tender Waterproof 800 that i posted below.
You can also buy an extension lead for it. Better than running it off an extension cable

thanks, but i can't seem to find the link for the extension cable

thanks again

[E38Ross]

judas said:

If it's a trickle charger/battery conditioner just hook it up in situ. I keep the bikes and a couple of the cars hooked up like this when they're not being used - no problems so far in 10+ years Even managed to resurrect the 750 battery from completely drained, though it took nearly a week.

edit - just remembered there was a pic of your car with a cable coming out of the boot - so did you have the charger in the boot hooked up to an extension lead heading to a plug in the garage?

thanks

there's also the ability to change the charging current, 0.8A, 2A, 4A, 8A or 16A with the default being 2A.....if the car is connected is it OK to keep it at 2A? if i use 0.8A it'll take a while....it's mainly just to keep it topped up, so hopefully shouldn't take too long.

Edited by E38Ross on Monday 21st January 16:24

[judas]

E38Ross said:

judas said:

If it's a trickle charger/battery conditioner just hook it up in situ. I keep the bikes and a couple of the cars hooked up like this when they're not being used - no problems so far in 10+ years Even managed to resurrect the 750 battery from completely drained, though it took nearly a week.

edit - just remembered there was a pic of your car with a cable coming out of the boot - so did you have the charger in the boot hooked up to an extension lead heading to a plug in the garage?

thanks

The charger is in the garage with an extension lead on the cable going to the battery.

E38Ross said:

there's also the ability to change the charging current, 0.8A, 2A, 4A, 8A or 16A with the default being 2A.....if the car is connected is it OK to keep it at 2A? if i use 0.8A it'll take a while....it's mainly just to keep it topped up, so hopefully shouldn't take too long.

No idea on that one - the Optimate sorts that all out automatically (I assume).

[E38Ross]

judas said:

The charger is in the garage with an extension lead on the cable going to the battery.

so that's a cable which eventually becomes 2 crocodile clips, right? where can i get one of 'em

cheers

Edited by E38Ross on Monday 21st January 16:45

[judas]

E38Ross said:

judas said:

The charger is in the garage with an extension lead on the cable going to the battery.

so that's a cable which eventually becomes 2 crocodile clips, right? where can i get one of 'em

cheers

Edited by E38Ross on Monday 21st January 16:45

Ah, at that point the extension was a mains lead and the charger was in the boot

Extension cables can be bought from loads of places

[woof]

E38Ross said:

woof said:

Checkout the link to the Deltran Battery Tender Waterproof 800 that i posted below.
You can also buy an extension lead for it. Better than running it off an extension cable

thanks, but i can't seem to find the link for the extension cable

thanks again

no problem
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0055MR95C/ref=... - ext

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0055MR95C/ref=... - unit

You can always double up on the extension if needed.
Great unit.

[E38Ross]

thanks chaps, the trouble is i've already bought the charger, and both of the extension leads posted appear to be specific extension leads for the optimate and the deltran....?

what's wrong with a normal extension lead anyway...? just curious. thanks again for the help chaps. really appreciated.

[Gixer]

Both my bikes are on Optimates as is one of my Vettes. The other one is on a Halfords trickle charger, all with no probs. On the Z06 with the battery in the boot, I connect under the bonnet at the 'jump' connections and drop the cable out through the bottom of the engine bay. That way everything can be shut as normal without worrying about damaging cables.

I also leave something on the drivers seat just to make sure I don't jump in and drive it off without unplugging it. I've never done it but know of a couple that have. Sounds stupid but it only takes someone or something to disrupt your routine.

[Arbathnot]

As an matter of interest (nerd mode on) does anyone know the mains current drawn on average from say a CTEK unit left on 24/7? Battery in good order the only drain being a clock.

[judas]

E38Ross said:

thanks chaps, the trouble is i've already bought the charger, and both of the extension leads posted appear to be specific extension leads for the optimate and the deltran....?

what's wrong with a normal extension lead anyway...? just curious. thanks again for the help chaps. really appreciated.

Nothing really. The optimate extension cable is thinner than a mains cable, so less interference with the boot seals. Plus I'm more comfortable not having the charger sat on top of the fuel tank just in case...

[E38Ross]

judas said:

Nothing really. The optimate extension cable is thinner than a mains cable, so less interference with the boot seals. Plus I'm more comfortable not having the charger sat on top of the fuel tank just in case...

I'll see what it's like with a normal plug, I'm concerned about the self-close might get confused I might just remove the battery one evening and charge it overnight.

Does anyone ever bother to regularly (ish) charge their car battery on a daily driver? The charger gives a % of charge so will be interesting to see what it reads.