Battery Longevity

[Grumpycat]

My understanding of a trickle charger is a low amp charger with minimal circuitry that only keeps voltage high enough to maintain the low amp flow. They were basically what was available for cheap, back in the good ole days. They were supposed to be used intermittently, so they didn't damage your battery.

Traditionally a trickle charger is little more than a small transformer and single diode half-wave rectifier sourcing little more than 100 mA. The theory is this trickle overcomes self-discharge yet will not boil out the battery electrolyte. This is usually safe for simple low tech automobile size wet lead acid batteries for a month or so. No attention paid to voltage or anything, is as dumb and stupid as anything electronic can be.

A modern maintainer will cycle the battery sometimes with more current, sometimes less. In "lithium" mode the maintainer will shut down, monitoring until certain conditions are met, then cycles on.

 

[ultrarunner]

Had a little Western Auto trickle charger for the boat battery... would leave it on for a couple of weeks before spring and all was good.

Still remember lifting the battery over the side to get it in the boat... maybe 9 at the time.

It tipped a little and unknown to me some of the water spilled...

Called in for lunch and Mom said what happened to your shirt... I look down and it was in tatters... the entire front holes everywhere...

I said I didn't know and then Dad asked what I had been doing and I told him I put the battery in the boat and got it hooked up and secured...

Then he said how did I do that... and said I tipped it over the side... and this is how I learned about battery acid!

Had to stand in the driveway to get hosed down and then to the shower... my pants had holes too!

 

[crazyal]

Here's some information on higher CCA batteries. If two batteries are the same physical size but one has a higher CCA then that means the plates inside are bigger. What this generally means is the plates are closer to the bottom of the cell and are more likely to get shorted out down the road as the battery ages.

 

[Cougsfan]

Here's some information on higher CCA batteries. If two batteries are the same physical size but one has a higher CCA then that means the plates inside are bigger. What this generally means is the plates are closer to the bottom of the cell and are more likely to get shorted out down the road as the battery ages.

Do I translate that to hear you say the higher the CCA rating for a given size battery, the shorter the life of the battery will have?

 

[Oaktree]

Adjusting the third brush on the generator adjusts charging amps...

Lots of night driving with lights increase amps to compensate... no night driving but regular driving decrease... no tools required on a Model A Ford.

Amazed at just how engineering from a 100 years simply worked as evidenced by the number of these cars still around.

Are you saying that where you live people are using Model A's for daily drivers??? The number that I've seen that weren't restored collector's cars at car shows is zero. Not sure what you mean by "third brush"...is this some sort of Model A thing?

 

[crazyal]

Do I translate that to hear you say the higher the CCA rating for a given size battery, the shorter the life of the battery will have?

Basically yes. There's only so much room inside the battery so to get extra cranking amps the plates either have to be longer and subject to shorting out sooner or the plates have to be thinner which means less lead and will degrade sooner. This is what an Interstate battery tech told me when I was looking to replace the battery in my truck. They listed multiple different CCA for the given physical size of the battery. He said they try to cheat a little by making the battery slightly bigger in some cases but for the most part it's just different size plates inside the battery. It was only an extra $10 or $20 bucks to get the largest CCA they had (800 CCA)but he talked me into getting the 710 CCA battery saying it was more than enough battery to meet my needs (no extra lights, winch, plow, etc) and would most likely last longer.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I would say, I never had much luck or got any extra anything, for buying the biggest battery you could stuff into something. Just wasted money.

Hard to judge what's what, but I would go for a smaller high quality battery over a bigger battery that wasn't as good.

 

[ultrarunner]

Are you saying that where you live people are using Model A's for daily drivers??? The number that I've seen that weren't restored collector's cars at car shows is zero. Not sure what you mean by "third brush"...is this some sort of Model A thing?

There are a few of us... my first car 1929 Model A but I drove 31 Coupe quite a bit and often to work before my hours changed to 4am clock in from 25 years clicking in at 9 am...

Batteries are my nemesis... no matter what you do battery replacement is unavoidable given enough time.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I still never will underatand why OEM vehicle and tractor batteries always last forever, compared to what you put in next. People have all kinds of explanations, many that I just don't accept. Some say OEMs get the best batteries. That to me, would be about the only possible explanation. But consistantly?

 

[user.69169]

OEM battery gotta last as long as you got payments to make on de wreck. Banker sure don't want it back.
Manufacturer got lot full of junk he can't sell so he don't want it back either.

Battery factory, only 3 in US gonna make exactly what buyer wants. Buyer wants sump, he gets sump to collect drywall falls out of screen plate. Put strong flashlight against case you can see sump. Get good idea how long battery gonna last too. No sump dey doin you a favor, you spend $$ on battery instead of hotdog dat make you fat.

 

[Industrial Toys]

What (removed)? You don't partake of the Soy Hot Dog?

 

[LouNY]

The one in my 15 Ram only made 3 years,
went from starting fine to nothing in one day.

The battery that I miss was the old Penneys with the lifetime warranty,
amazing the number of batteries that old Chevy truck had all at the same time.

 

[cqaigy2]

I learned something here, so now i'll get a battery that has the CCA for the job and not a hotter one and check for the best warranty for the price.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yep... collected on JC Penny too.

Maybe OEM batteries are fresh...

At NUMMI batteries rolled in and out measured in hours...

Sometimes jobbers have batteries sitting around a very long time.

 

[user.69169]

(removed) is right now very busy wid Big Wally of Bentonville obtaining de 700 CCA battery (removed) wants. De Wally in jammies playin wid computer from cellar telling (removed) no fill out vehicle information, no battery waiting in Customer pickup. He's WRONG.

Store manager told (removed) he can come in lookin like Lone Ranger, get battery off rack and push to register. She WRONG too. (removed) little old fer dat game. Got enough trouble loading core to go back. (removed) does NOT lift 40 pound battery from rack to cart.
Store lady told (removed) store got no procedure to get battery to Customer pickup.
OK

Which employee you want College President (removed) to alert when (removed) arrives? Be best dat way so acid spill busted battery on floor team can be standing by. (removed) officially disabled American, might not be able to lift and hold battery. Best if team is at battery rack.

Walmartian Manager connected (removed) to possibly last remaining human associate who speak English. He agrees (removed) shouldn't handle battery in store. He says Customer Pickup might not be happy with battery sitting in cart. (removed) don't think dey notice since cart full of cores sitting der now.

(removed) finds out tomorrow if his battery waiting in Customer pickup.
Can't not acceptable answer, especially cause it contains CAN.
Sometimes (removed) has to help people think with suggestions, lead dem down right path. Dat part of how he became UniverCity President.

Long day wid martians, (removed) needs a nap, maybe in hot tub wid giggle girls. Dose listening to raindrops hitting roof.

 

[fried1765]

Yep... collected on JC Penny too.

Maybe OEM batteries are fresh...

At NUMMI batteries rolled in and out measured in hours...

Sometimes jobbers have batteries sitting around a very long time.

All batteries are shipped with a marked month/year date/

 

[Industrial Toys]

Very confusing business and I have friends that deal in thousand of batteries a year. Things keep changing. Suppliers and manufacturers keep changing. On some level, sheitty batteries are good for business. I used to use Yuasa 12/7 Gelled Batteries (Made in PA) in security equip. that would last 15 years. New ones (Made in China) would last three or four years and were not nearly as heavy for the same rating. I complained, and then came to my senses. It's the easiest money I make.

The best you can do is to find a place that will honour warranties, try and please the customer (and not see it as a loss to them). Having said that, there is always some customer that is trying to scam the retailer too, or trying to get something to which they ar not entitled.

 

[ultrarunner]

All batteries are shipped with a marked month/year date/

Yes... the last garden tractor battery my Sister In Law bought was way out of date from the local auto parts store... lasted little more than one season.

I told her look at the date and she said it was the only one they had.

 

[dstig1]

Basically yes. There's only so much room inside the battery so to get extra cranking amps the plates either have to be longer and subject to shorting out sooner or the plates have to be thinner which means less lead and will degrade sooner. This is what an Interstate battery tech told me when I was looking to replace the battery in my truck. They listed multiple different CCA for the given physical size of the battery. He said they try to cheat a little by making the battery slightly bigger in some cases but for the most part it's just different size plates inside the battery. It was only an extra $10 or $20 bucks to get the largest CCA they had (800 CCA)but he talked me into getting the 710 CCA battery saying it was more than enough battery to meet my needs (no extra lights, winch, plow, etc) and would most likely last longer.

That is my understanding as well, from an electrical engineer who dealt heavily in batteries and retired long ago. He said never go for the absolute biggest CCA in a battery size. Step it back one or more from that and it will improve longevity. All for the reasons you cited.

 

[ultrarunner]

Remember asking a shade tree mechanic what he was doing when I saw him taking apart a battery with the tar top...

He said he was opening it up to flush it out...

To my surprise he got some life out of it... used a nylon to filter the acid and cook charged it...

The local Exide battery site I passed as a kid became a superfund site... just saying.