Will the battery go flat?

[rjben]

Unfortunately I’m not in the position to use my car every day and the most use it will get is at weekends. During the week it will live in a dark powerless lockup a couple of miles away from home. I’ve been reading lots of horror stories on here about flat / dead batteries and was wondering what I could do? Will it save any battery if I don’t arm the alarm?

What about these solar conditioners? I could probably put one on the roof of the garage and run cable in. Do they work?

Cheers,

Rob

[MajorClanger]

rjben said:

Unfortunately I’m not in the position to use my car every day and the most use it will get is at weekends. During the week it will live in a dark powerless lockup a couple of miles away from home. I’ve been reading lots of horror stories on here about flat / dead batteries and was wondering what I could do? Will it save any battery if I don’t arm the alarm? What about these solar conditioners? I could probably put one on the roof of the garage and run cable in. Do they work? Cheers, Rob

'Probably' is the answer. Not arming the alarm may save a little, but generally not thought to draw that much current.... with the added complication of it might void your insurance.

I use a solar conditioner on my Chimaera. Fine in the summer but by winter, when the short days draw in, I have had the battery running too low to start the car. Only solution is either to drive the car or use a mains battery conditioner (e.g. optimate). If you have no power to the lock up then the latter isn't much use.

MC

[kojak69]

Suggest you get a trickle charger from Leven. You can use it direct from the mains, or connect it from the cigar lighter.
Dont use any other charger that is more than 7amps to 'trickle' charge whilst the battery is in the car.

www.leventechnology.co.uk/

[jamster]

I only use mine at the weekend too. No problems so far!!

[rjben]

Cheers for the replies....looks like I'm just going to have to suck it and see!

[SXS]

Or do what I did, and buy yourself an Optima Yellow Top battery....

I've left mine up to 4 weeks without a start or battern conditioner running, and she sparked back into life without a hitch!

Its a gel starter/deep cycle combo battery, charges 40% quicker than lead-acids, and retains charge upto 8 times longer and can re-charge from nothing upto 4 times more than ordinary lead-acids too.

[trooper1212]

SXS said:

Or do what I did, and buy yourself an Optima Yellow Top battery....

Blimey, not cheap are they...

[mike_e]

I only use my Cerb at weekends, and not even then if the weather's bad. It's gone 3 weeks before and still started. So providing your battery is in good nick you shouldn't have any problems.

Obviously batteries don't like being left uncharged and once flat for any length of time they don't recover. Solar powered trickle charger seems your best solution.

Don't be tempted to leave the alarm off to save power, it will most probably invalidate your insurance.

[Big Al.]

Oi!

back to work!

[kojak69]

You shouldn't really have problems after a week, but i'd still get a trickle charger. Good for prolonging the life of the battery, and you'll not be worrying about it when you are on fortnightly holidays.