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Author Topic: Battery Maintainers  (Read 300 times)

N4SRN

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Battery Maintainers
« on: July 29, 2020, 02:01:30 PM »

I see Battery Maintainers available for <$25 to >$100. For a 12V/36AHr Go-Box AGM battery, what is sufficient?

Bret/N4SRN
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Bret/N4SRN
Bedford, NH  USA

AA4PB

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2020, 02:30:05 PM »

I have a little 2A model that I keep on my John Deere lawn tractor. Before using it I would have to replace the battery every spring after sitting in the shed all winter. With it, I get about 3 years out of a battery.
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Bob  AA4PB
Garrisonville, VA

W9IQ

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2020, 02:49:56 PM »

I use 8 to 12 watt solar cells. I bolt them right to the slanted top on the battery case. A very nice fit. They will keep the battery charged even with sunlight through a window. I also have a some permanently outside.

I usually find them for under $15. I probably have 6 or more installed in various locations.

- Glenn W9IQ
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- Glenn W9IQ

God runs electromagnetics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the wave theory and the devil runs it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Quantum theory.

K6AER

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2020, 04:03:39 PM »

I have a 25 watt solar unit that keeps my pair of group 31 batteries on my F-350 fully charged.
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W9IQ

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2020, 04:30:56 PM »

I also have a remote shed with a 225 watt panel and charge controller where I have a 12 volt bus for lighting and charging. It works very nicely.

For the ranch, I have a 250 watt panel with controller, battery, water pump and fence charger on a pallet that I can drop anywhere it is needed.

The point is that solar has become so cost effective that it competes nicely with other energy sources if you don't need a lot of storage.

- Glenn W9IQ
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- Glenn W9IQ

God runs electromagnetics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the wave theory and the devil runs it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Quantum theory.

AD0AR

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2020, 04:36:28 PM »

I find the Battery Minder brand to be superb than others when it comes to AGM/ lead acid batteries.  They have an algorithm that keeps the plates desulphated and in top shape without any excessive gassing and overcharging.
  I presently have some Optima M31 batteries from 2006 that are in use on backup power that when tested with the digital load tester, still show 100% after sitting for 24 hours off the charger. 
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K6AER

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2020, 06:27:22 PM »

You can buy a 300-watt solar panel from Canadian Solar for about $185 each. Sixty amp, MPPT charge controllers are going for under $80 ea and 150 AH marine wet cell 12 volt batteries can be had for under $95.00 at NAPA.

Smaller 100 watt panels are going for under $75 delivered to Home Depot for pickup.

3000 watt, 240 volt split phase inverters are still over $800. It will take time.
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KT4WO

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2020, 03:07:47 AM »

RE: "I presently have some Optima M31 batteries from 2006 that are in use on backup power that when tested with the digital load tester, still show 100% after sitting for 24 hours off the charger."

NO WAY!!  Not 100%  You need a new load tester. A lead-acid battery degrades
with time(if it has acid in it!)(Even the BEST brands)  Now will it still work after 14 years...sure. I have some that are ~10 years old and "still work" but are NOT even close to 100%. Even if they are never used they will degrade. Just is not possible.
 
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N4SRN

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2020, 04:06:42 AM »

Battery Minder and Battery Tender seems to be the popular brands. I have an OptimaDigital 1200 to use for reviving and charging batteries in general but was looking for something sufficient to plug into mains and keep my battery healthy and charged in between weeklyWinlink Wednesday Checkins run by our Southern NH ARES section.

If I don’t need the high-end features and capabilities, is one better than the other to bring from partial discharge to full and stored? I have a low-voltage cutoff installed at 11.8V - just above the radio’s low voltage limit of 11.7V (Kenwood TM-D70G).
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Bret/N4SRN
Bedford, NH  USA

AD0AR

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2020, 05:05:53 AM »

RE: "I presently have some Optima M31 batteries from 2006 that are in use on backup power that when tested with the digital load tester, still show 100% after sitting for 24 hours off the charger."

NO WAY!!  Not 100%  You need a new load tester. A lead-acid battery degrades
with time(if it has acid in it!)(Even the BEST brands)  Now will it still work after 14 years...sure. I have some that are ~10 years old and "still work" but are NOT even close to 100%. Even if they are never used they will degrade. Just is not possible.

The load tester actually tested them new at 1200 CCA and they are now down to 900CCA as the manufacturer rates them at 900CCA they are still 100% according to spec.
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KT4WO

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #10 on: July 30, 2020, 08:11:19 AM »

RE: "at 900CCA they are still 100%"
 That may be the case...but as we are a ham radio forum I ass-sumed
we are talking "Amp-hours"  While it may crank your car, will
it run your radio for 24hrs?
I don't know if/or what your battery is rated for in amp-hours, I do maintain
 it is not 100% in Ah after 14 years.
A simple test jig can be made to test.
 
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K6CPO

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2020, 10:34:00 AM »

I like the NOCO brand.  I have two of their Genius charger/maintainers in my go-kits and they work very well.  I also installed a 2A maintainer in my truck to keep the battery charged because I'm not driving it during the quarantine.
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K5LXP

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Re: Battery Maintainers
« Reply #12 on: July 30, 2020, 03:57:41 PM »

For "maintaining" any of the contemporary "tenders" will do the job quite well.  If it's expected that this unit will also provide some degree of charging then the current capacity of the unit comes into play depending on how quickly you want the charge restored.

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
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