Battery Tender questions

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5 November 2002
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I have ready MANY of the threads on tenders, but my question is a bit different.

For the long winter here (7 months) I will remove the battery and take it inside.

But for the driving season the car (2005, original battery) gets driven 2-3 times per month. I have had no problems with the battery, as of yet.

Would you buy a tender and put it on for the driving season? Or is 2-3 times per month enough to keep it charged and ready to go?

Thanks!
 
I have found that, depending on temperature extremes, over 2 weeks is pushing it. It could last longer but within 2 weeks it should always start. Over that I would put it on a tender. Also you can't just start it an let it idle, you have to take it out for at least an hour of driving that day.

Play it safe and just tender it anytime you may not drive it for a week or more so you don't forget. That's what I do to all my cars and haven't had trouble since I started this practice and haven't bought a battery in almost 5 years so far, for any car.

Tytus
 
Tytus, do you use the Deltran Tender Jr? Thats the one I was thinking about.
 
No, I have the Cyteck (sp?) 3000. I got it for an Optima battery that would not recharge with a regular charger or trickle charger. It basically reconditioned that battery from unusable to perfect in about 2 weeks. Since I used that tender on all my cars I have never had an issue.

I think they all work in a similar manner, but this one was recommended specifically for the Optima batteries. It costs about $69. You can get some for about $25. But don't buy a trickle charger, it is not the same thing. The tenders cycle a charge and discharge to keep the battery healthy and extend it's life.

Tytus
 
Thanks Tytus! I think I will go with the Tender Jr as I can get it on eBay for about $25.
 
But don't buy a trickle charger, it is not the same thing. The tenders cycle a charge and discharge to keep the battery healthy and extend it's life.

Battery Tenders don't charge and discharge. The Deltran units charge up to a safe float voltage and stay there. Charge and discharge is what wears down a battery. Some like the Ctek use a pulse when the voltage drops just a little bit.

6. What makes the Battery Tender Plus battery charger different from other automatic battery chargers?

Many automatic battery chargers turn off when the battery voltage rises or the charge current falls to a preset level. Then after a period of time, when the battery self discharge characteristics have reduced its terminal voltage significantly, sometimes to the point where the battery has given up almost 90% of its stored charge, the charger will turn on and recharge the battery. This type of cycling will dramatically reduce battery life. The Battery Tender Plus battery charger does not turn off. It automatically switches to a safe float voltage level that keeps the battery charged and yet does not do any harm to the battery or cause any reduction in its useful life.

I plug into my Battery Tender every time to keep the battery healthy. The car always cranks like a champ. Big discharges and charges are what you want to avoid. You can wire up the Battery Tender to make it a piece of cake to plug in each time after you drive.
 
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