Best "portable" Generator Battery??

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

I have a Large GP17500E Generac "portable" generator that I use for back up power.

We lost power this morning and I had to jump start it as the battery was flat.
I run a trickle charger (Battery Tender Plus 1.25Amp) on it at all times when not in use, thought that would keep the battery happy.
Must not be the case.

What is the best bang in U1 batteries out there today.

The unit is roughly 6 years old, that was the second battery in it. Was a Duralast U1-1, probably only started it 3-4 times while that battery was in the unit for maintenance / run checks.


Unit ran like a champ once started.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Run a small Battery Maintainer when you get a new battery in it. Old school trickle chargers will slowly cook the small batteries.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

Run a small Battery Maintainer when you get a new battery in it. Old school trickle chargers will slowly cook the small batteries.

Guess I thought that unit was a "smart" unit for that intended purpose.

I do have a Deltran Battery Tender Jr, would this unit do what I need?

 

[theoldwizard1]

I run a trickle charger (Battery Tender Plus 1.25Amp) on it at all times when not in use, thought that would keep the battery happy.
Must not be the case.

Plug your Battery Tender into an old fashioned MECHANICAL lamp timer. Set it to run 4-6 hours per day.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The absolute BEST solution is to build/buy a a LiFePO4 battery pack. Use four 32650/32700 cell rated at 6000 mAh. Worst case, use eight in a 4S2P configuration.

The problem is, you won't be able to charge that battery pack from the generators DC output. You will need a specific LiFePO4 charger. Also, these batteries do not like temps below freezing.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

Generator is stored in a unheated garage, like all of my outdoor equipment.

Not looking to charge the battery off the generator, I only need the battery to be fully charged to start it when needed.

Maintainer will have 120V from the grid while in use. Lamp timer maybe the ticket.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

Would it make any difference if I put my 1.25amp or .75amp Battery Tender on this w/ the timer?

 

[nadogail]

Would it make any difference if I put my 1.25amp or .75amp Battery Tender on this w/ the timer?

I think you are solving your problem.

 

[FMB4]

Imo, Yuasa produces very good batteries. Not sure if they having anything in what you need, but I'd definately look into it.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Imo, Yuasa produces very good batteries. Not sure if they having anything in what you need, but I'd definately look into it.

Yuasa is the best in the small battery business !

 

[theoldwizard1]

Generator is stored in a unheated garage, like all of my outdoor equipment.

Rig up a quick connect/disconnect between the battery and the generator. Store the battery inside. Use XT90 connectors (they can handle the power). Male/female pair with pigtails for about $10 on eBay.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

If I was home 100% of the time to start it up I would do the disconnects. However I am not so it needs to be “simple” for the wife to hook up and start when I am out of town.

if the timer gets me more time on the battery then that’s what I will do.

looking at a Deka unit that I can source locally. 425cca

 

[jimbee]

Guess I thought that unit was a "smart" unit for that intended purpose.

It is. I've used a Deltran Battery Tender Plus for the last twelve winters to keep my summer car's battery maintained in my unheated garage, with no problems. I leave it connected and energized continuously.

I do have a Deltran Battery Tender Jr, would this unit do what I need?

The Battery Tender Jr should also work (I have one of those, too). The Tender Plus may be malfunctioning, so I would try the Tender Jr.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If I was home 100% of the time to start it up I would do the disconnects. However I am not so it needs to be “simple” for the wife to hook up and start when I am out of town.

If she can haul it out of the garage and hook it up one more step should not be an issue.

The timer is a cheap solution and should double or triple the life of a lead acid battery.

 

[nafterclifen]

I have a Champion generator from 2012 and I'm 99% certain that it's the original battery. I bought the generator used in either 2013 or 2014. It sits in a climate controlled garage with a Battery Tender Plus connected to it 24/7/365. I usually start it once a year or every other year and let it run for 30 min. Electric start works everytime.

 

[onetonbb74]

home depot...for a little over 12 bucks it's worth a shot. I'd run the .75amp charger, it's designed for smaller batteries.

 

[AP514]

Run a small Battery Maintainer when you get a new battery in it. Old school trickle chargers will slowly cook the small batteries.

Um that charger is not OLD school. The timer is a great Idea. I use one once a week for about 5 hours

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

I found a timer for $8 and will run it.
2-3x's the life is definitely worth $8.

When weather is threatening, (also most of the winter months) I hook up the generator to the panel so all the wife has to do is throw two interlocks, open the door and start it up. It is a detached garage so running inside w/ door open is not a problem.

 

[FMB4]

Yuasa makes a well regarded 1 amp automatic battery charger and maintainer (YUA1201000)

​

 

[kelpaso1]

Charging a small battery all the time for months will cook it. Charge it once a month for 5 hours and you will get a whole lot better life out of it.

 

[FMB4]

Not true with name brand automatic/maintainer chargers. Look up the specifications on the Yuasa mentioned above.

 

[HamAndEggs]

I added a maintainer to mine, I used:

NOCO Connectors - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LWQ35Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20
NOCO Charger/Maintainer - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W46BX31/?tag=atomicindus08-20

The Charger has the same connector on the leads, so you can remove the clamps and then just plug the generator battery in. Works pretty good. If its been a while since starting it, or I've started it a bunch without running (Testing NG etc) then I just plug it in. Works good

 

[Worsedog]

Completely off topic, but did anyone notice the electrical panel behind the battery rack in 1 ton's post?

 

[bwringer]

In the motorcycle world, leaving a bike hooked up to a maintainer or "smart charger" all the time (Yes, even THAT brand. Yes, that one too. And yep, that expensive one as well.) is absolutely, without a doubt, well-known to reduce the lifetime of the battery. Larger car batteries are a bit more resistant to this.

If you can arrange a timer so that it turns on the "smart charger" for a few hours once a month, that will be plenty.

One caveat is that some "smart chargers" are a little dumb, or maybe their diodes are a little leaky; if they're hooked up but not powered, some can slowly drain the battery. I don't remember off the top of my head which ones are safe in this regard. I do know that the LED lights up on my Battery Tender Jr. when it's hooked up to a battery but not powered, so I'd never use it with a timer.

If the winter layup is particularly lengthy, I generally hook up the smart charger for a few hours about once a month for each bike while I'm doing something else in the garage.

 

[leadfoot415]

I have an almost new generac xt8500efi generator and also had problems with it running the battery down with some sort of a draw. I simply wired up one of these switches with some appropriate gauge wires I had laying around. No more draw.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07413JWLD/?tag=atomicindus08-20