Car Battery Trickle Charger

[Gabe H Coud]

with Covid etc I live here now far more now than Uk and last left in Nov '19.

My car there has a flat battery( i wouldnt mind but it was a new battery too!)

Anyway its flat(my son cant even open doors on remote) and ive been advised to get one of these trickle chargers and leave on permanently while away

My car guy there said £80 for the unit only but looking online they seem to be £20- £40??

i dont want to buy junk but dont want to overpay either

it must be able to withstand overnight frosts as car will be outside 

thinking that there must be other guys here in same boat and can recommend a solid trickle charger off e bay etc

thanks in advance 

 

[PFMills]

I can recommend CTEK 5.0 ... attach, switch on and forget.

[tiocfaidh]

I would sell the car if you don't need it. Depreciation is the biggest cost of motoring.

The tyres will get flat spots.

The discs will rust.

A car needs to be used not stored.

Modern day batteries once they go flat can cause a lot of problems. Maybe it has a 3 year warranty?

I would get it exchanged.

[Gabe H Coud]

4 minutes ago, tiocfaidh said:

I would sell the car if you don't need it. Depreciation is the biggest cost of motoring.

The tyres will get flat spots.

The discs will rust.

A car needs to be used not stored.

Modern day batteries once they go flat can cause a lot of problems. Maybe it has a 3 year warranty?

I would get it exchanged.

good idea.......but if they knew the battery wasnt getting charged or used( which i suspect they will) surely they would invalidate my claim?

[tifino]

6 minutes ago, Gabe H Coud said:

good idea.......but if they knew the battery wasnt getting charged or used( which i suspect they will) surely they would invalidate my claim?

but they'd only know that for sure - if you go'n'tell'em 

 

[tifino]

Those little permanently attached type Trickle Chargers only put out a miniscule 1.5 amps...

 - not enough really to sustain daily internal losses of a weakened battery 

 

 

What I do (and doing right now) is to each day or so connect my spare ( the old one no longer used for driving, but still capable of 219CCA) battery with jumper cables during the day. Overnight, I had struck that backup battery onto the powerful charger to refresh, for the next days rejumpering again

 - repeated as desired 

 

The battery in the car ATT is supposed to be a 430CCA, but thru same lack of driving, had fallen to only capable of 320CCA. 

The daily connecting of the backup jumper battery, increases the daily voltage of the car battery, by less than half a volt a day (but yes it is slowly improving eh!) 

 

the above, is all about:

1 - not having to stuff around with the car loom all the time

2 - not risk transient voltages coming from the charger into the cars electrics 

 

[Laza 45]

I keep  a camper van in Australia.. it has been in storage for 12 years now.. I take it out every year or so.. Every time I need a new battery.. I've tried the trickle charger but the battery is always dead when I get back.. sometimes away 1 year sometimes 18 months.. I have a good mechanic who gets it out of storage and does a through check before I put it on the road.  I haven't had a problem with tires.. other than it has 2 that need changing because they are 10 year old.. tread is still good... and no problem from sitting so long.  Fluids need to be checked after sitting so long.. they deteriorate even when not being used.. brake fluid especially.. transmission & diff oil too.  With storage rent and insurance and the cost of a new battery and getting on the road again it is a costly indulgence but it is great to have it waiting for me ready to go. I have family I can stay with but enjoy the independence the van gives me.  Depends how much you like your car and if you are prepared to meet the costs.. whether  you keep it or not...   A bit of a hard decision now with not knowing just when I can get back to use it again..  

[tiocfaidh]

Following on from storing vehicles, if the vehicle is unleaded then you have another issue that unleaded fuel is unstable since they took lead out and it will turn to black tar contaminating your fuel system which can be very expensive to put right.

This can take between 6 to 12 months.

[Gabe H Coud]

Thanks guys for replies to date, good responses

 

 

Here is the part B & C Questions to my original post..... 

 

B.1  

 

Will the trickle charger deal with the flat battery issue or is it only good for 'maintaining' a fully charged battery? 

 

B. 2

 

And if it will, how long will it take to charge my battery up? 

 

C. 

 

If I'm not going to be going back until say May '21, should I apply the trickle now or wait until say 1 month before? Point being I'm not going to need to use the car in all probability(is it doing the battery any harm just sitting there flat? Is it detoriating? ) 

 

Thanks 

[tifino]

B.1 - No for Flat; then Yes for maintaining a good'n

 

B.2 - Depends on what Amperagen the Charhger is. Best case Charger scenario, for possible Restoration of a near dead battery (although very Costly) - would be one of those 200 Amp special chargers - but it is Not a Set'n'Forget method. Done in hourly Bursts... 

 

C. - Put on ASAP, as a neglected battery is a future dilemma. Anothe thing about connecting early, is that you have the opportunities to do some regular repeated measurements - for trickle charger effectiveness realisation (or not)

Take voltages every few days even...

 

worst trickle charge scenario - is to try using one of those Solar Chargers

[pineapple01]

1 hour ago, tiocfaidh said:

Following on from storing vehicles, if the vehicle is unleaded then you have another issue that unleaded fuel is unstable since they took lead out and it will turn to black tar contaminating your fuel system which can be very expensive to put right.

This can take between 6 to 12 months.

 

[salsajapan]

5 hours ago, PFMills said:

I can recommend CTEK 5.0 ... attach, switch on and forget.

 

what is this exactly ?

 

thanks.

 

 

[Dumbastheycome]

The answer  to c is if you want to have any  chance of  saving the battery it  needs charging asap if not already too late. A battery left  flat  for a long period of time is not  good despite being quite new because  the  chemical  components deteriorate permanently

[pineapple01]

Its only taken Me OZZ Chum 6 years to work out that spending 1.1 mils on a Honda was false economy.He spends 3 Months here. Usual silly reasons why he id so, Convenience, Kids , you name it, we have all heard them..Now he gets off Plane, chucks Kids n The Old Doris into an Airport Rental. No more first Day Battery Prob and Second day at Honda getting error Codes fixed. Just food for though.May be you never thought that out either.

[Gabe H Coud]

2 hours ago, tifino said:

B.1 - No for Flat; then Yes for maintaining a good'n

 

B.2 - Depends on what Amperagen the Charhger is. Best case Charger scenario, for possible Restoration of a near dead battery (although very Costly) - would be one of those 200 Amp special chargers - but it is Not a Set'n'Forget method. Done in hourly Bursts... 

 

C. - Put on ASAP, as a neglected battery is a future dilemma. Anothe thing about connecting early, is that you have the opportunities to do some regular repeated measurements - for trickle charger effectiveness realisation (or not)

Take voltages every few days even...

 

worst trickle charge scenario - is to try using one of those Solar Chargers

Thanks Tifino, and all for suggestions

 

i had an idea

bearing in mind that a replacement battery is circa £90

and the Ctek is circa £70

and that im away until May '21

then why dont i just write off this current(dead) battery as it may be 'unchargeable' now anyway??

 

do you think thats an option?

 

if so do i also need to get this(dead) battery disconnected for any reason, is it causing any harm or shall i just leave it in there and put a new battery in when i get home?

 

(However going forward i will get the Ctek 5.0 to maintain in future)

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

Its possible that your destroyed and won’t charge.... 

 

I encountered the same issue with my Motorcycle. I was away for 3 months - upon return the battery was totally flat and couldn’t be re-charged, the battery was damaged. 

 

I purchased a new battery and a C-TEK Battery conditioner and always leave the Motorcycle ‘connected' when I’m away for more than a week. 

 

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/ctek-mxs-50-12v-i151503-s135556.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlistbrand.list.1.50156f40ClU3M7&search=1

 

 

 

 

[Laza 45]

3 hours ago, tiocfaidh said:

Following on from storing vehicles, if the vehicle is unleaded then you have another issue that unleaded fuel is unstable since they took lead out and it will turn to black tar contaminating your fuel system which can be very expensive to put right.

This can take between 6 to 12 months.

...on my last visit the mechanic who serviced my van cleaned the fuel line & system.. I can't remember how much it was.. but not a lot.. 

[tifino]

19 minutes ago, Gabe H Coud said:

Thanks Tifino, and all for suggestions

 

i had an idea

bearing in mind that a replacement battery is circa £90

and the Ctek is circa £70

and that im away until May '21

then why dont i just write off this current(dead) battery as it may be 'unchargeable' now anyway??

 

do you think thats an option?

 

if so do i also need to get this(dead) battery disconnected for any reason, is it causing any harm or shall i just leave it in there and put a new battery in when i get home?

 

(However going forward i will get the Ctek 5.0 to maintain in future)

 

Cheers

 

 

 

oh one thing... by Dead Does that mean something like @10V or is it a 0V brick? 

 

If there is at least some 'minimal' sitting voltage, why not just leave it in circuit; until you get back?

Change out the battery, for a new one; when you get back.

 

At least 10V sitting there in storage keeps the ECU etc alive ( a bit like how leaving a television etc Off the mains for an extended period often means capacitors etc dying in the circuitry) 

 

p.s. the above actually didn't work for me, when the car sat in storage for 18 months - but Only because somehow I left a door ajar - and 0volt bricked the battery 

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by tifino

[Gabe H Coud]

1 minute ago, tifino said:

oh one thing... by Dead Does that mean something like @10V or is it a 0V brick? 

 

If there is at least some 'minimal' sitting voltage, why not just leave it in circuit; until you get back?

Change out the battery, for a new one; when you get back.

 

At least 10V sitting there in storage keeps the ECU etc alive ( a bit like how leaving a television etc Off the mains for an extended period often means capacitors etc dying in the circuitry) 

 

Sorry, youre clearly a Pro at this stuff and im a 21 handicapper!

 

By dead i mean it wont even open the doors so my son cant get in it to start it

 

In fact, i wonder how much power is required to open the remote control centrally locked doors versus starting it(probably way less, but one should never assume)

 

It may have SOME charge in there

 

Sounds like you agree i should just replace battery next May

 

the only side question is whether i disconnect it now....hmmmm, i might call my guy in Uk about that 

 

Thanks Pro!????

 

 

 

[tifino]

yeah if it's that dead re the doors... probably dump it asap

 - depends also how modern/not the car is?

- as voltages well below 10 volts and the ecu might be integral to even preventing the door functions?

 

in my case i'd go out back to the garage shed and see if there's another discarded (but still sort of working battery unit) - and stick that in for the period of absence... 

[scammed]

i bought a trickle charger with solar panel from USA, worked like a charm

https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk03YhvPaVggY7yITsWMzbdcVyAa_uA%3A1595329964851&ei=rM0WX8jGM9Ge9QOIrYPQCg&q=trickle+solar+charger&oq=trickle+sola&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB46BAgjECc6CwgAELEDEIMBEJECOgUILhCRAjoFCAAQsQM6CAgAELEDEIMBOgQIABBDOgUILhCxAzoCCC46BAgAEAo6CAguEMcBEK8BUI_VBViN7QVgkI0GaABwAHgAgAGNAYgB0wmSAQM3LjWYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6wAEB&sclient=psy-ab

Edited July 21, 2020 by scammed

[PFMills]

1 hour ago, Gabe H Coud said:

Sorry, youre clearly a Pro at this stuff and im a 21 handicapper!

 

By dead i mean it wont even open the doors so my son cant get in it to start it

 

In fact, i wonder how much power is required to open the remote control centrally locked doors versus starting it(probably way less, but one should never assume)

 

It may have SOME charge in there

 

Sounds like you agree i should just replace battery next May

 

the only side question is whether i disconnect it now....hmmmm, i might call my guy in Uk about that 

 

Thanks Pro!????

 

 

 

Just get your CTEK 5.0 and put it on the battery. If it’s a wet battery make sure the top of the cells are covered.

 

Be careful how you set the mode. I don’t expect you have an AGM so don’t set it to AGM. Just set it to normal car mode, and NOT recon.

 

if it comes up in a couple of days or so then you are fine if not take the charger off.

Edited July 21, 2020 by PFMills

[northsouthdevide]

Just disconnect the battery when you leave the car for a long period, and renonnect it on return. 

[Gabe H Coud]

13 minutes ago, northsouthdevide said:

Just disconnect the battery when you leave the car for a long period, and renonnect it on return. 

you know what, thats precisely what i did with previous car(same model, C  Class merc) for 5 consecutive winters and it worked like clockwork!

 

this car is a 2016 model AND it had a brand new battery which i ran for 2 weeks(is that enough?) just before i left UK and my guy said "lets leave it connected, it will be alright for 6 months!"

Admitteldly that went to 7 months before i had it tried but it was DEAD !

 

i think i just have to write that battery off and replace with new in MAy 21( then disconnect when i travel again)

 

think i'll get this dead battery disconnected too

 

thanks all

[tiocfaidh]

7 hours ago, Gabe H Coud said:

Thanks Tifino, and all for suggestions

 

i had an idea

bearing in mind that a replacement battery is circa £90

and the Ctek is circa £70

and that im away until May '21

then why dont i just write off this current(dead) battery as it may be 'unchargeable' now anyway??

 

do you think thats an option?

 

if so do i also need to get this(dead) battery disconnected for any reason, is it causing any harm or shall i just leave it in there and put a new battery in when i get home?

 

(However going forward i will get the Ctek 5.0 to maintain in future)

 

Cheers

 

 

 

A dead battery will do no harm.

[DaRoadrunner]

On 7/21/2020 at 5:28 PM, northsouthdevide said:

Just disconnect the battery when you leave the car for a long period, and renonnect it on return. 

Many cars have electrical systems that drain the battery even when the car is parked up. But disconnecting only works for a limited time, depending on the age / strength of your battery. There comes a point where the battery will not recover and you buy a new one.

 

 

[Daffy D]

https://th.rs-online.com/web/p/solar-chargers/7067918/

 

[Lancashirelad]

Another vote for CTEK battery conditioners. (there is a range of models). Used one on a friend's Rolls Royce Silver Seraph for many years to keep the auxillary battery optimal when he was in the USA/Thailand for long periods.

 

A car battery with a voltage of less than 12.4v is considered flat.