Smart battery chargers with reconditioning modes

[ArlyA]

Daugen, As I understand it, slower is better for your battery.

I asked about is slower charge better and if someone answered, sorry, but still don't know. I have choices of 2, 4 and 8 amps.
If one is not in a rush, my real question is do I gain anything by putting it on 2 amps vs 8?

 

[daugen]

Daugen, As I understand it, slower is better for your battery.

like slow cooking a turkey?

This was my understanding but I don't have any real info to back that up. If the charger is really smart, might not make a difference.
What I like many of you have found out is at least an annual run through the desulphation process sure seems to make these batteries last longer. I try to charge them more often than that, and have been doing it to all my equipment before this cold weather kicks in.

 

[Garandman]

I asked about is slower charge better and if someone answered, sorry, but still don't know. I have choices of 2, 4 and 8 amps.
If one is not in a rush, my real question is do I gain anything by putting it on 2 amps vs 8?

Depends on the capacity of the battery. We are charging motorcycle, Snowmobile and OPE batteries so the 2A rate is optimal. Most car starting batteries will take the 6-8. The 15A has a 5 minute, 20A “Boost mode” which we might only use in extreme cold on a car or the tractor.

Nice thing about the NOCO is it figures that out and adjusts the rate automatically. We always bought Clore but NOCO is currently more advanced.

NOCO Genius Chargers

 

[check]

What about charging the ATV battery through the cigarette lighter? Any downside to that?

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Our B&D Vectors smart chargers have 4/10/20/40 amp charging rates options. I often start out on 40 amps for a couple minutes to check the health of the battery. The one on the S10 was showing 7.6 voltages when I started the recovery and on 40 amps only started charging at the rate of about 8 amps with a slow rate of increase. After some time it did start taking the full 40 amp rate.

I cut it back to 4 amp rate which I prefer to use to recover dead batteries. This is a 2 year old FLA battery from WM I think. It has been discharged for several months so I bought a new 100' 12/3 heavy extension cord to give me the 200' reach needed for it and the dump truck and backhoe. Yes I should have spent that $59 many years ago.

We keep some 2/6 amp totally manual chargers to use with the automatics only running in Desulf mode on head FLA batteries. Set on the 6 amp setting a healthy battery charge rate will drop to 1 amp/16 volt output overnight I have found. If it will only drop down to say 2 amps then it is getting on the sick side. If it will only drop down to say 3 amps it is very sick. If it is on a diesel tractor do not park it out of the reach of 120 volts. If we can get the battery on the S10 to drop down to the 1 amp output reading on the manual charger I would pleased but highly surprised as well.

i am rocking with with the smart charger. I run a Desulf cycle then charge at 4 amp setting in Equalize mode (to get 15 volt output) until it finishes in Auto mode then I do another Desulf cycle then repeat until I get tired, recover the battery or totally kill the batter.

In AGM mode these smart chargers will not go into Equalize mode i figured out.

I short I think 2 amp rate is better than 8 amp rate to desulfate. I think on the two amp rate one can keep the charger on without any real harm if the battery is good. I have had the backup generator on 6 amps for weeks at a time (forgot about the sucker) without any negative results but they were not AGM. Some say AGM batteries can better take charging abuse but I do not have a desire to test that out on our 4 new AGM batteries.

Hey we do have that was new 5 years ago on an ATV that has not been touched because we blew it up right after putting the battery on it so that can be an AGM that I can test.

I think these chargers may be sold with the Stanley label today but seem to be basically the same China built chargers.

 

[garc]

I bought a Kubota B3030 back in 2005. It has 682 hours on it now and I am still starting reliably with the original factory supplied wet lead acid battery that is fourteen years old !!!
I would have thought that was impossible considering extended parked times but when parked it is always plugged into a 'smart' CTEK MUS 4.3 battery charger maintainer. The CTEK incorporates pulse charging that aids in the desulphation process keeping the lead plates in a younger state if not like new.

These desulphation chargers work. I have eight of them so that all parked batteries (farm, marine, auto, mc) are properly maintained. At around 80 bucks each it may sound expensive but I haven't bought a replacement battery in over 14 years. If you do the math you'll see the savings .

This thread initially asked about reconditioning mode which I have had to use on my underrated motorcycle AGM battery (but not the tractor ... yet ) to eke out nine years of service so far. In the spring when riding season begins I will try reconditioning again but I fear it may be near the end. The average battery lifespan for my 80 cu.in. V-Twin is 3 years! My lawnmower has a bigger AGM battery cranking a 45 cu.in. V-Twin (less cranking load) and with the aid of reconditioning has completed eight years of service and is looking good for another season at least. I mention V-Twin because in the case of my mc the cranking load is higher than the average american V8 .

click to enlarge

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Anybody have a Noco Genius, CTEK, or similar charger with a battery reconditioning mode?

Between tractor, boat, ATVs, lawn equipment, vehicles, I get fed up with short lifespan batteries. A one year old battery out of one of my ATVs is already acting like it doesn't want to take a charge, after having had reasonable care.

Wondering if I should invest in a smart charger with a repair/desulphination mode.

Anyone had good luck getting some questionable batteries back in good working shape with these types of chargers?

Although now i see there is a newer version (Optimate 7), the best charger I have is my optimate 6 for 12 v systems. I also have an earlier optimate 3.

Check out the reviews. https://www.amazon.com/OptiMATE-Amp...TF8&qid=1542662247&sr=8-1&keywords=optimate+6

 

[garc]

... the best charger I have is my optimate 6 for 12 v systems.

Got any 14 year old batteries still functioning ???

 

[Gordon Gould]

Got any 14 year old batteries still functioning ???

I've got a 17 year old battery in my 2001 L3010 that has never seen a charger of any kind. Cold winters too. Probably just jinxed it but couldn't help myself.

gg

 

[Industrial Toys]

It always wonders me, why you can boil a battery with a charger but the big alternators never seem to do that.

I am on my third Zantrax conditioner charger, fortunately given to me, that I think I killed hooking it up backwards (like the others). They say, it is polarity protected, but I'm guessing not really! Plus to Red, Minus to Black, how hard can that be?

I got a cool little battery minder, that you can leave on all the time, and it provides enough level of charge (with a healthy battery) to start a small diesel, BUT, they don't charge a battery enough if you want to have access to the energy that battery is capable of.