Portable jumper battery life

[jives]

Hi all:
I've got a Schumacher portable jumper, standard 12V, 650 amps or so, that won't hold a good charge. It is about 5-6 years old. Is it dust or is there anyway to get it to hold a charge?

 

[rlitman]

The batteries in these only last 5-6 years.

 

[stage20]

ive never seen one work. never bought one, never will

 

[GTA Matt]

Take it apart, see what battery is in it and order one online. Should get another 5-6 years out of it for minimal cost.

 

[GTA Matt]

ive never seen one work. never bought one, never will

You've never seen a jump box work? Mine gets used dozens of times a week, they're a staple in every shop.

 

[stage20]

maybe ive never seen a good one.
im at sales all the time and they are always DOA.
few friends have had them and they just never have the balls to crank.

whats a good one?

 

[GTA Matt]

I'm partial to the jnc 660. Probably the best bang for your buck.

 

[Jazz1]

Local scrapyard has a pile of various brands of boosters so appears they all have a limited life. Never owned one myself. I just purchased a Genius GB40 for boosting. Only used it once and provides amazing power from something that fits in my glove box.

 

[bczygan]

JNC660 is the standard.

If it won't crank it, you've got other problems.

Bill

 

[stage20]

This should be a crime to put such an outrageous price on something
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/161389...7290-0%26rvr_id%3D1111843270013&ul_noapp=true
Looks like the going rate is 125 to 160

 

[wyliesdiesels]

maybe ive never seen a good one.
im at sales all the time and they are always DOA.
few friends have had them and they just never have the balls to crank.

whats a good one?

Ive had good luck with the one costco sells.

It lasted for years and then died. I returned it but they didn't have any in stock so i ended up using thr money for something else.

Been meaning to buy another but havent remembered til i saw this thread.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

This should be a crime to put such an outrageous price on something
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/161389...7290-0%26rvr_id%3D1111843270013&ul_noapp=true
Looks like the going rate is 125 to 160

Thats INSANE!

Who would spend that much on one?

Is the guy hoping for some rich person to stop by and blow their dough?

 

[JohnKal]

JNC660 is the standard.

If it won't crank it, you've got other problems.

X2. Just used mine on my daughters car. One of the best tools I own.

 

[bczygan]

Local scrapyard has a pile of various brands of boosters so appears they all have a limited life. Never owned one myself. I just purchased a Genius GB40 for boosting. Only used it once and provides amazing power from something that fits in my glove box.

Too bad, since for a lot of them, a replacement battery would make them like new, for a reduced cost.

The JNC660's battery can be replaced for $35.

Bill

 

[JJThrasher]

JNC660 at work. Gets used several times a week. We probably have to buy a new one every 5 years or so. Never tried replacing the battery.

 

[GTA Matt]

Thats INSANE!

Who would spend that much on one?

Is the guy hoping for some rich person to stop by and blow their dough?

Standard practice when a company on ebay is out of stock. Raise the price so nobody buys, lower it when they're back in Stock. That way they don't have to make a new ad.

 

[pedrodagr8]

Standard practice when a company on ebay is out of stock. Raise the price so nobody buys, lower it when they're back in Stock. That way they don't have to make a new ad.

Mainly, it keeps the quantity sold numbers which are very reassuring to many buyers. No one wants to be the first buyer from a member, this allows them to show they have already sold a lot. I have a good buddy who sells some excellent electrical testing stuff: think test leads, multimeters, etc. I asked him about that and he said that they price it such that it keeps the listing live and the sell count high which is surprisingly important for sales. At worst if someone is stupid enough to buy it for that price, they could buy it straight from a major supplier at cost and still make a bunch. For him though, he hides the entry and leaves a few extra in stock, most of his customers know him well so that isn't a problem.

 

[iron block]

Hi all:
I've got a Schumacher portable jumper, standard 12V, 650 amps or so, that won't hold a good charge. It is about 5-6 years old. Is it dust or is there anyway to get it to hold a charge?

Many of these types of jump starters use sealed lead-acid "UPS"-style batteries and they last about as long as a lead-acid battery in a car. So 5-6 years is typical.

If you replace the old battery -- it is not hard -- be sure to keep it charged between uses so it does not sulfate on you and lose capacity.

 

[ambenz]

I am wondering if we are talking previous generation before manufactures started making portable starters with Lithium Ion batteries?
I am guessing the OP has a dry cell in his portable starter.
Batteries Plus is a good vendor of rechargeable dry cells also.

I am curious how long my Lithium Ion battery will hold a charge and what is it life span?
I have a Black and Decker Power2Go 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Portable Battery Booster, I bought for $40 a couple of months ago and have never used it yet.

....hope I will never have to use it!

 

[pedrodagr8]

I am wondering if we are talking previous generation before manufactures started making portable starters with Lithium Ion batteries?
I am guessing the OP has a dry cell in his portable starter.
Batteries Plus is a good vendor of rechargeable dry cells also.

I am curious how long my Lithium Ion battery will hold a charge and what is it life span?
I have a Black and Decker Power2Go 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Portable Battery Booster, I bought for $40 a couple of months ago and have never used it yet.

....hope I will never have to use it!

Lithium dies in a different way than lead acid. As long as you keep the charge above the minimum value, they can last a really long time if you aren't using them. Let them self discharge too low and they will outright die permanently. Also, lithium batteries are much more affected by heat when fully charged. Meaning a fully charged lithium battery in a car will die quicker than a partially charged one.

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

 

[TK-421]

Thats INSANE!

Who would spend that much on one?

Is the guy hoping for some rich person to stop by and blow their dough?

All his other ones sold for $113-151, since he only has 2 he jumped the price up to $900, that way he doesn't have to make a new ad when he gets more and can simply adjust the price instead. He's not actually expecting to sell any at $900.

 

[CJM8515]

Used jump n carry 660 extensively at various tow operator jobs over the years. Never had an issue with one dying. BUT we kept them charged. They use a sealed battery that is replaceable. Considering a JNC660 is about 120 bucks and the battery costs like 45 its just easier to buy a new one.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

All his other ones sold for $113-151, since he only has 2 he jumped the price up to $900, that way he doesn't have to make a new ad when he gets more and can simply adjust the price instead. He's not actually expecting to sell any at $900.

Aww ok.

I havent used ebay in over a decade.

 

[bwringer]

Used jump n carry 660 extensively at various tow operator jobs over the years. Never had an issue with one dying. BUT we kept them charged. They use a sealed battery that is replaceable. Considering a JNC660 is about 120 bucks and the battery costs like 45 its just easier to buy a new one.

Yep, we're not really talking about the tiny lithium battery packs.

The SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries in these things last about five or six years if they're kept charged. Same chemistry as a car battery, same general life span. And it's usually pretty easy to replace the battery, although some cases are surprisingly difficult to take apart.

A frightening number of otherwise functional adults don't understand that it's just a lead acid battery in a box. They think these things are some sort of magical fusion infinite energy fountain.

 

[CJM8515]

Yep, we're not really talking about the tiny lithium battery packs.

The SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries in these things last about five or six years if they're kept charged. Same chemistry as a car battery, same general life span. And it's usually pretty easy to replace the battery, although some cases are surprisingly difficult to take apart.

A frightening number of otherwise functional adults don't understand that it's just a lead acid battery in a box. They think these things are some sort of magical fusion infinite energy fountain.

Generally I've used ones that were about 8-10 years old with no issues. But again they were always charged because they were in constant use.

You are right about people thinking they are magic lol. It's super simple, nothing more than a battery and some jumper cables and a charging regulator. In fact the electrical plug is a freaking small wall outlet power supply.

 

[TractorJeff]

I'm old fashioned and still use jumper cables!

 

[gungatim]

Yep, we're not really talking about the tiny lithium battery packs.

The SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries in these things last about five or six years if they're kept charged. Same chemistry as a car battery, same general life span. And it's usually pretty easy to replace the battery, although some cases are surprisingly difficult to take apart.

A frightening number of otherwise functional adults don't understand that it's just a lead acid battery in a box. They think these things are some sort of magical fusion infinite energy fountain.

I agree, I have so many of these that people give me it's not funny. all DOA, usually $75 box store brands. inside is the same battery as an electric scooter, toy car, or UPS.

I usually turn the batteries in for $8 at the local recycler and scrap the rest, save the gauges and jumper cable ends and the wire for small battery cables. they have a good amount of usable stuff in them.

but essentially it's just a battery in a box with cables and a wall-wart to recharge it...

you could make one yourself pretty easily, which is what everyone did in the old days...

 

[jayoldschool]

I have a ten year old one from Canadian Tire. I charge it every few months. It works perfectly, and starts everything from lawn tractors to my big V8s. No problem. Much easier than jumper cables.

 

[94EG8]

JNC660 is definitely the gold standard. We have a few of them at work. I've never seen one fail to start a gas engine, they hold a charge for a very long time and they'll start several vehicles on a single charge. If you have a diesel you'll need something larger, but Clore does make larger models.