Float Charger vs Trickle Charger - Your Experiences

[Nocturnal-G]

I'm shopping around for either a float charger or trickle charger... I will be using it on an AGM battery. If anyone has any recommendations, techniques... please share.

Right now the battery is holding a charge of 11.4 approx... perfectly good battery just haven't used it since it's been in storage, so I'd want to get one. I noticed they sell them at Walmart... and advice/pointers would be great.

Thank you!

 

[WVBrady]

You might find what you are looking for at Miata.net, as the Miata came with an AGM battery (at least the early ones).

 

[netbrad]

The clamps on the chargers at Wal-Mart are very small, they may not open far enough. They won't fit on my Cherokee's battery with the cables attached, for example. I realize I could remove it but I was hoping for something easy.

 

[Catalyze]

Greetings!
I have used two brands of floating chargers: Battery Tender and Sears. My old R60/2 BMW motorcycle has an AGM battery in it to keep the acid off the rear fender. Both brands of tenders have worked perfectly for the last 10 years. I have never had a problem with either one not keeping the battery at proper charge level. I also have both brands on 2 cars in my shop and they are fine but they are 12 volt models.
Craig

 

[Nocturnal-G]

Thanks for the advice so far guys... I've done some reading and from my understanding, a float charger maintains a battery at a healthy charge which is 12.4+. Would it make a difference if I use the float charger on my battery that reads 11.3-11.4? I'm guessing it shouldn't?

 

[Catalyze]

Usually a charger will charge a battery to a specific voltage . A battery at full charge and not connected to a charger should measure about 12.9 volts across the terminals. What I do with a battery that has pretty low voltage is to charge it using a normal charging rig with a constant rate charge (like 10 amps....20 amps...etc) to get it up to a full charge state and then hook up a float charger/maintainer. I do this because some smaller types of chargers/floaters only put out 1.5 amps and a nearly flat battery will take more than that to come back up to 12.5 volts or above.

If I were you ( and you should be grateful I am not since I am an idiot), I would take the battery to a shop and have them put it on a large charger for a few hours to bring it up to top condition. If by some chance the battery is damaged enough that it won't come up and hold 12.5 volts or above, then replace it. If it will come up to a good state of rest voltage, then take it home and put it on your floater/maintainer and it will keep your battery at top charge level as intended. My concern is that your battery may not be in a good enough condition to recover up to peak voltage to allow your floater to work as intended. Good luck!!
Craig

 

[Nocturnal-G]

Usually a charger will charge a battery to a specific voltage . A battery at full charge and not connected to a charger should measure about 12.9 volts across the terminals. What I do with a battery that has pretty low voltage is to charge it using a normal charging rig with a constant rate charge (like 10 amps....20 amps...etc) to get it up to a full charge state and then hook up a float charger/maintainer. I do this because some smaller types of chargers/floaters only put out 1.5 amps and a nearly flat battery will take more than that to come back up to 12.5 volts or above.

If I were you ( and you should be grateful I am not since I am an idiot), I would take the battery to a shop and have them put it on a large charger for a few hours to bring it up to top condition. If by some chance the battery is damaged enough that it won't come up and hold 12.5 volts or above, then replace it. If it will come up to a good state of rest voltage, then take it home and put it on your floater/maintainer and it will keep your battery at top charge level as intended. My concern is that your battery may not be in a good enough condition to recover up to peak voltage to allow your floater to work as intended. Good luck!!
Craig

The battery is maybe 6-7 months old. I'm sure it's in great condition... thank you for the advice Craig!

 

[chris142]

11.4v is considered a very low charge. the battery may be damaged From being this low even though it's just 6 months old. or it may be ok. don't be suprized if it fails sooner than expected

 

[Nocturnal-G]

11.4v is considered a very low charge. the battery may be damaged From being this low even though it's just 6 months old. or it may be ok. don't be suprized if it fails sooner than expected

From my understanding AGM batteries are made for this... they can be discharged and charged back without any issues? I could be wrong since I'm not an expert at batteries.

 

[Nocturnal-G]

Guys, thank you for the advice. After researching, I'm going with a CTEK charger. Apparently they can charge and float/pulse maintain batteries. Seems like what I need...

 

[Mori55]

I have a Harley with AGM battery .. I use a ctek charger works great. Cheaper alternative is a battery tender , used one for years on my AGM battery.
But the ctek has more features, this is what I have.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FRLO9Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Nocturnal-G]

I have a Harley with AGM battery .. I use a ctek charger works great. Cheaper alternative is a battery tender , used one for years on my AGM battery.
But the ctek has more features, this is what I have.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FRLO9Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I'm going to get the CTEK 3300. Any reason I should get the one you posted? My battery is rated at 850 CCA and is a 92 Ah battery.

 

[5mall5nail5]

I use battery tenders on my 5 cars and they are GREAT. Love them. Cheap, too.

 

[Strouty]

AGM batteries are great, I think using either style is better than nothing and letting it sit. I will check into the CTEK. I too have used battery tenders for years with no issues. I have a boom truck that has an optima deep cycle blue top, that is about 12 years old and it still starts the truck without incident even after sitting for months at a time.

 

[JASTECH]

CTEK is top notch stuff, I have 2 battery maintainers and 2 Schumakers and a Vortex. All have the Desulfator which is very good on batts. in my opinion. I just bought another one that is something like 10/25/50/125 with Desulfator that I will hook up to my diesel when this weather clears up. I have Optima's, wet batts., Gel batt. and 8 dry cell AGM's for battery backups.
>
>
I forgot my Noco, they are made in the USA and "I" place them with the CTEK chargers/maintainers for quality.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Not a fan of AGM, but that is me.

Battery Tender.

 

[FluxCore]

Ain't read a single reply in this thread cause there is only one answer.

Deltran Battery Tender.....google it up...Deltran....don't EVEN do the walmart of harbor freight version of same, just don't cause they AIN'T the same and they can damage your battery If they work at all.....DELTRAN BATTERY TENDER

I bought 3 each for 15 bucks each from some motorcycle site a few years ago...I use them on my Harleys.....Harley AGM batts ain't cheap friend...google them too if you want.

I shift one to my lawn tractor off season....It's something you really have to do once you learn about automotive battery storage.........DELTRAN BATTERY TENDER

Nuff said

BTW, 12.82 VDC is considered fully charged with ANY auto/bike/mower/ATV battery....11VDC is dead dead dead.

 

[Nocturnal-G]

Just ordered the CTEK 3300... it was between that and the CTEK 4.3, seems like the 3300 was a better choice.

 

[GTO]

Ain't read a single reply in this thread cause there is only one answer.

Deltran Battery Tender.....google it up...Deltran....don't EVEN do the walmart of harbor freight version of same, just don't cause they AIN'T the same and they can damage your battery If they work at all.....DELTRAN BATTERY TENDER

I bought 3 each for 15 bucks each from some motorcycle site a few years ago...I use them on my Harleys.....Harley AGM batts ain't cheap friend...google them too if you want.

I shift one to my lawn tractor off season....It's something you really have to do once you learn about automotive battery storage.........DELTRAN BATTERY TENDER

Nuff said

BTW, 12.82 VDC is considered fully charged with ANY auto/bike/mower/ATV battery....11VDC is dead dead dead.

+1
Battery Tender

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

not necessary

 

[Bull]

Are the Battery Tenders made in the USA?

 

[brtsvg]

Battery Tender Jr - all over EBay new for about $ 25 including shipping. One of the best deals around. Great units, I have 2

 

[Bull]

Battery Tender Jr - all over EBay new for about $ 25 including shipping. One of the best deals around. Great units, I have 2

Can ya lay the ol' eyeball on yours and tell me where they are made?

I need two of these to keep the charge on my old Pontiacs, which are always asleep. I have heard that Schumacher makes their products here, and I see they have a tender-type in their lineup. But, it is less well rated than the battery Tenders on Amazon.

 

[kingston]

I have been using the NOCO Genius chargers for that last several years. I have a G26000, g7200, and (2x) G3500. I generally use the G3500s for maintaining and the G260000 and G7200 for recharging, restoring, desulfating, etc. of lead acid cranking, lead acid deep cycle batteries, sealed agms up to 100ah 12v, and sealed lead acid batteries. If I use the G26000 the most as it is the fastest and most versatile.

 

[brtsvg]

Can ya lay the ol' eyeball on yours and tell me where they are made?

I need two of these to keep the charge on my old Pontiacs, which are always asleep. I have heard that Schumacher makes their products here, and I see they have a tender-type in their lineup. But, it is less well rated than the battery Tenders on Amazon.

Well I looked and my latest one is "Made in China" like just about everything else these days. Now I try to go out of my way if at all possible to avoid Chinese ******** these days, but I've had really great service from these Battery Tenders. They are great units, very reliable and well rated from others on other sites. A strong recommendation from me.

 

[Bull]

Well I looked and my latest one is "Made in China" like just about everything else these days. Now I try to go out of my way if at all possible to avoid Chinese ******** these days, but I've had really great service from these Battery Tenders. They are great units, very reliable and well rated from others on other sites. A strong recommendation from me.

Thank you for checking. I am sure the Chinese can make good stuff under certain conditions, and this seems to be one of them.

I am going to investigate and see if there are any USA tender-type chargers out there that have good reviews.

 

[pfarber]

Assembled in USA with all imported parts.. yeah, that means something.

I have a HF 12V $4 charger on my winch battery. 1 yr and still works fine.

Darn Chinese $4 ****.

 

[IONH]

I have a couple of those cheap ~$10 (#42292 on sale) HF float chargers. I have one in the shed on an 8 hour timer cycle hooked up to two motorcycles and two tractors. This worked well.

I also have an on board charger/maintainer (older model of #99857) for my classic car and put it on a timer for 8 hours daily last year. Worked great. Prior years I just had it on 100% of the time but the battery would not last the next season. I suspect it is because the charger overcharged from being on all the time.

 

[mobiledynamics]

BAttery Minder.

 

[enrare]

Anyone heard of Xtreme Charge from Pulse Tech???