Smart battery chargers with reconditioning modes

[sixdogs]

GaleHawkins--another great thing of newer sealed and AGM batteries is no acid leak in the front of the tractor where the battery is. Many tractors have been rusted up because their cheap OEM batteries leaked.

I was going to buy a battery tender but decided to buy a second NOCO charger since they desulphate and also double as a battery tender. If a batter is kept at full charge, I don't think I need a tender when I can smart charge.

 

[Garandman]

How many use the included leads to make a semi-permanent installation for easy charger hook up.

My nephew has a buggy and motor cycle... the battery for the motor cycle is kind of buried... he used the lead and it makes hooking up a snap.

I use them on the tractor, motorcycles, and snowmobiles. Going to use the lead on the tractor for a heated jacket as well.

Most snowmobiles have the Battery well buried, but have cables that run out to a convenient location for jumping or charging.

Also have a Clore JNC660 jump box, and Antigravity LiFe packs that are small and light but don稚 work in extreme cold.

 

[oosik]

I've got pig tails on the tractor, motorcycle and second vehicle. Ha,ha - I bought a fancy heated vest for use on the motorcycle. I found that even with the heated vest - I don't like riding when its that cold. Doesn't take long to figure out - you are the only stupid thing out there in the cold.

So - now I use that vest when using the tractor in the winter. Pig tail works fine and I'm toasty.

 

[the old grind]

Something I looked for to step up from my ~.5a home-brew desulphater was any acknowledgement of the mechanism or proof from beyond the 'brochure'. My DVM says ~27 (peak?) when it's on a battery, but I have to monitor voltage by the hour, and I limit cycles to 4-6 hrs/day vs continuous 'weeks' as suggested by the guys who use the <1a light bulb/diode setup. (Crude stuff compared to any 'smart' charger.)

We're told that to 'desulphate' requires a full volt or more above what's otherwise considered dangerously high, perhaps percolating the acid if the charging rate is high as well. (amps vs tenths?) Interesting which familiar brands/models did or didn't fare well when the charts and spreadsheets told their tales.

Anyway, lead lengths vary so that some makes have the power plug on the box and some near the clamps. But, at least three brands use the same polarized QDs for the pigtails, so I bought an extra handful of Schumakers for the dozen batteries I rotate the 3 'reconditioners' between.

Don't forget, that some of these will go through a 'timed' desulphating stage somewhere on the way to the 'float/maintain' stage of the cycle. Be aware that reconnecting restarts the full cycle but is more of a good thing than any kind of setback. With the typical <2a charging capacity of these 'smart' guys, the 'D' stage won't have time to completely recover a clunker. 'Do-overs', oh yes!

I've got my best results in recovery by taking days, restarting, and allowing fluids and charges plenty of time to stabilize.

 

[ArlyA]

Schumacher chargers automatically go into desulphation mode after the battery is full.

 

[sixdogs]

Schumacher chargers automatically go into desulphation mode after the battery is full.

Anyone know if Genius chargers do?

 

[def38]

I leave a Schumacher smart charger on the tractor 24/7 and cover it up if outdoors. The motorcycle battery on the BMW is a 10 year old Odyssey PC680 AGM. It is on a dedicated charger 24/7. Never fails to start regardless of temperatures.

Motorhome batteries (6 of them) are on two Schumacher smart chargers. These aforementioned batteries are all years old and still like-new hot.

Schumacher smart chargers can be left connected indefinitely without concern.

 

[3930dave]

Something I looked for to step up from my ~.5a home-brew desulphater was any acknowledgement of the mechanism or proof from beyond the 'brochure'. My DVM says ~27 (peak?) when it's on a battery, but I have to monitor voltage by the hour, and I limit cycles to 4-6 hrs/day vs continuous 'weeks' as suggested by the guys who use the <1a light bulb/diode setup. (Crude stuff compared to any 'smart' charger.)

We're told that to 'desulphate' requires a full volt or more above what's otherwise considered dangerously high, perhaps percolating the acid if the charging rate is high as well. (amps vs tenths?) Interesting which familiar brands/models did or didn't fare well when the charts and spreadsheets told their tales.

Anyway, lead lengths vary so that some makes have the power plug on the box and some near the clamps. But, at least three brands use the same polarized QDs for the pigtails, so I bought an extra handful of Schumakers for the dozen batteries I rotate the 3 'reconditioners' between.

Don't forget, that some of these will go through a 'timed' desulphating stage somewhere on the way to the 'float/maintain' stage of the cycle. Be aware that reconnecting restarts the full cycle but is more of a good thing than any kind of setback. With the typical <2a charging capacity of these 'smart' guys, the 'D' stage won't have time to completely recover a clunker. 'Do-overs', oh yes!

I've got my best results in recovery by taking days, restarting, and allowing fluids and charges plenty of time to stabilize.

Olde School was Float vs. Equalize charge. High voltage was used to boil the battery acid in the hopes that action would physically displace the sulphate build up. Can be problematic, and definitely needs close attention to the process and fluid levels.

VDC was the first modern one I got my hands on. PbSO4 (sulphate) is a crystal, and as such, has a natural resonant frequency. Being patented, VDC used to publish the frequency they used (Mhz range, just can't remember the #) as a related frequency to the base resonant one. To contrast, I'd say this approach is more like ultrasonic cleaning, than sandblasting with ball bearings. Less dangerous than boiling acid, and needs much less monitoring.

Rgds, D.

 

[the old grind]

OT, briefly:
With NiCad batteries we can give brief jolts of over-voltages (charts for the #s) to shock crystals from anodes, and NiCad chargers do that at the beginning of a cycle. (You can prove it FYI)

We are to understand that with voltage spikes or pulses* we are reversing sulfate accumulation, but wait until what the following and comments therein tries to fit what you've seen with your own eyes. It's like we're tricking ourselves or something. *'over-voltage spikes'

Sulfation and How to Prevent it - Battery University

I don't buy into bigfoot, aliens, ghosts, or that Jesus had to waltz across a river to prove who He was, but I swear the stuff I bought works to some extent. btw, I AM scrounging for the convincing lab rat stuff that I read when vetting/choosing a brand. (Aaaaack!!) :laughing:

 

[John_Mc]

VDC's BatteryMinder brand chargers and maintainers are some of the best I've found. Since the ideal charging and float voltage of batteries varies with the temperature of that battery, current models are all temperature compensated. (Northern Tool is still hawking one of the discontinued BatteryMinder products that is not temperature compensated). They have full time desulphation (not just "after the battery is fully charged"), and the desulphation is done with high frequency, rather than high voltage. All of their chargers can be left connected indefinitely with no danger of overcharging the battery or boiling off the electrolyte.

They also make chargers that have selectable charging profiles to match Gel, flooded or sealed lead acid, and AGM batteries (many chargers just ignore the difference, resulting in slightly lower life from the battery than if they had been charged wit thte ideal profile).