Trickle Charge Question.....

Last year when I put the Goat away for the winter I attached a trickle charger on the battery, but I didn't keep it on all the time, I would let it charge up then I would unplug it. This year I was thinking of keeping it plugged in and let it cycle as needed. Good or bad idea?

~ROK~

Honestly it is a very opinionative question, I can say one way and someone else will say the total opposite, BUT....

Since I maintain several strings of Lead/acid batterys that are used for back-up power for communications equipment.

I would say that ours are on a constant change in that application, but if the string has very little draw on it, much like a car in storage. It tends to need exercise often or we get problems.

So discharging it somewhat and recharging every so often helps them maintain levels.

On the other hand Discharging the battery completely is not good for it at all and will significantly cut it's life.

Bottom line, is you charger an auto shut-off one or not? The one I have is, it sees a full charge and then cuts the power output, after it drops alittle it will recharge it.

If it isn't I would charge and disconnect it for a few days or so and then put it back on.

It's an auto shut off charger, it will show a green light when fully charged and a yellow while charging. It showing green, so it's fully charged, it took all day and night for it to come to a full charge, but then again it's a trickle charge. I don't know what I'm going to do, I have it hooked up with the hood just on one click closed, and the car cover is over that, I don't want to start a fire, but I don't think it gets that hot and the unit itself is on a shelf next to the car. Decisions, decisions..........thanks.

~ROK~

I agree, exercising batteries is a good idea. I plan on just starting the car every week, letting it run 15 minutes. If it's nice, like last Saturday, I'll drive around.:turbonaug

It's an auto shut off charger, it will show a green light when fully charged and a yellow while charging. It showing green, so it's fully charged, it took all day and night for it to come to a full charge, but then again it's a trickle charge. I don't know what I'm going to do, I have it hooked up with the hood just on one click closed, and the car cover is over that, I don't want to start a fire, but I don't think it gets that hot and the unit itself is on a shelf next to the car. Decisions, decisions..........thanks.

~ROK~


It is a 1 in a 1,000,000 chance that it will starte a fire, but I do know a guy that had a freightliner semi-truck and he plugged in the block heater while he was sleeping in-between runs and he woke up to a fire in the enginebay :eek2: It was only plugged in 4 hours by the way.

It burned the whole engine harness and then spread into the dash! He had a hell of a fight with the insurance co. to get them to total it after they "tried" fixing it, after ordering the parts needed and freightliner only sells half of the enigne harness and wouldn't give schmatics to the repair place to custom make the rest of it. I wouldn't believe it but the owner of the shop knew him good and tried his best to get the parts, after a few monthes and a lawyer then insurance company finally totaled the thing.

I agree, exercising batteries is a good idea. I plan on just starting the car every week, letting it run 15 minutes. If it's nice, like last Saturday, I'll drive around.:turbonaug


I start mine and let it run also once a week.

I also unplugged my aeroforce gauges, since they were the earlier model that just go into sleep mode instead of the newer ones with a separate power wire.

I agree, exercising batteries is a good idea. I plan on just starting the car every week, letting it run 15 minutes. If it's nice, like last Saturday, I'll drive around.:turbonaug

That's actually worse for the car Nic, it creates condisation and it does NOT charge the battery, it drains it. I'm sure others will back me up on this, that's why I bought the charger in the first place.......

~ROK~

That's actually worse for the car Nic, it creates condisation and it does NOT charge the battery, it drains it. I'm sure others will back me up on this, that's why I bought the charger in the first place.......

~ROK~


I don't like the idea of letting the car sit for months on end without running.

Yet it doesn't really charge the battery all that much at just an idle either.

:confused:

Yet it doesn't really charge the battery all that much at just an idle either. :confused:

Who said anything about idle? I plan to back it out of the garage and play w/ the cut-outs :D