Bins

Battery gave way yesterday after 4 weeks of non usage.
So I went to the local Auto shop and picked up a battery charger with auto-maintenance thing so that it continues to charge when necessary.

Anyway, is it okay to leave it connected all the time?, ie, 24/7, (except when Im using the car ) Thanx.

Bins

Cheers Kim.
I'll try it too and see how it goes.

914und993

It is important that the charger has been specifically designed to be left attached long term. Battery charger/maintainers that are properly designed for this maintain a float voltage of around 13.2 volts (after the charge phase which uses voltages up to 14.4). If much higher than that, your battery will gas and water will soon be gone.

The less expensivie "battery chargers" usually do not handle this properly. I imagine the Porsche battery maintainer does it right. Another well regarded charger/maintainer is the Deltran Battery Tender - BMW sells this one with the BMW label on it. Your can learn about the Battery Tender at www.batterytender.com and right now it is pretty cheap at Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse.

Chip

jorisg

HI Bins,

my battery stays under the conditioner all winter long, and that is some months here in Holland!

Is absolutely no problem,

regards

Allen

Kim...is the Porsche charger/maintainer the one that plugs into the cigarette lighter? If so, how do you get the cord from your lighter (inside the car) to the outside the car and plugged into the wall...I really wouldn't want to leave a window cracked due to bugs and stuff. Also, where is a good (cheap non-dealer) place to get one...what does it cost?

One more thing, if my battery is say 1 year old, but never really got charged very much since new...ie no long trips, will a battery maintainer hooked up now bring the battery "back to life"...as in one that had been maintained since new? Thanks.

914und993

Allen -

Every time a lead acid battery is discharged and recharged it loses just a bit of its capacity. If it is discharged deeply, it loses much more capacity. If a lead acid starting battery is discharged deeply and left that way, it can become almost worthless. Deep cycle batteries, like the Optima yellow top, can withstand deep discharges much better than starting batteries (like the red top), but for a given capacity they are much heavier so are seldom used in cars.

Having said all that, the 993 charging system will do a good job of keeping the battery charged even without any long trips. What will be most damaging to most 993 batteries is sitting for 2-4 weeks between drives without a battery maintainer. After a couple of weeks of sitting, the 993's baseline battery drain (alarm, etc.) eats fairly deeply into the battery's total capacity. Although the battery might get almost fully charged when the car IS driven, that frequent and fairly deep discharge/charge cycle will progressively reduce the capacity and seriously shorten the life of the battery. A battery maintainer will prevent that deep discharge that occurs while sitting for prolonged periods, and so will preserve the life of the battery. Most battery maintainers will also fully charge a battery, if you give it enough time - but won't recover capacity lost to aforementioned discharge/charge cycles.

Chip

914und993

I have no doubt the Porsche Battery Maintainer does its job well, and it is a Porsche sanctioned product, but it is just expensive (~$65.00 - $75.00) relative to equivalent solutions out there.

I have no connection to any of these products or vendors, but I have heard good things about Deltran, and am impressed with the quality of information they supply about their products on their website. I have the Battery Tender Plus, with the little pigtail plug wired directly to the battery. I just flip the plug out of the trunk and hook up the battery maintainer, then close the hood on it. Or you can leave the hood up, and manually close the hood latch with your finger so the hood light goes off.

Take a look at the Deltran Waterproof 800 model. There are pretty good prices at Battery Mart. For just a little bit more charging capacity, the Deltran Battery Tender Plus can be found there or a little bit more cheaply at Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse

There are plenty of similar items for sale out there, and most of them probably do a good job. They will save you some money and probably aggravation if your car spends more than a week or so sitting between drives.

Chip

Allen

So what does more charging capacity get you? I saw the 800mA and the 1.25A version. Does the higher amp unit just charge the battery quicker?

Honestly, my biggest concern isn't the money, it's how am I gonna get the charger "in place" and charging without leaving a window open or trunk lid open. From what I am hearing, it sounds like the best option is to get one that connects directly to the battery, and run the wires out under the hood with the hood closed. Then when it is time to drive, is there a plug or someting to disconnect the wire going to the battery...or do you have to unplug it out of the wall and set the whole thing (30' of wire and all) in your trunk?

Also, are these things generally fused? I'd hate to close the trunk on the wire and have it short my battery to the chassis especially later...when I'm out of town

914und993

The 1.25 amp version will just charge the battery back up a little quicker, but probably is not an important advantage in the setting of a battery maintainer.

Either of the Deltran units comes with a long wire from the charger unit that terminates in a polarized plug, and a short cable with a matching plug on one end and terminals on the other to 'permanently' attach to your battery cable at the battery. This short cable from the battery is fused for safety, and also has an attached cap to cover the plug end when not in use.

Chip

Allen

Thanks very much for your replys...very helpful.

Bins

Thanks folks.

Anyone in the UK use the Halfords one 24/7.
Thats the one I purchased. It turns green when not charging and yellow when in charging mode.

mike cap

Allen,

The Porsche Battery Maintainer is the one to buy. Takes two seconds to disconnect from the cig lighter. I've used mine for two years over the winter and it works great. Don't run the cord through the window, just close the door on it and it'll be fine. There's plenty of gap there and it won't cut the cord or mark up your door seal.

Allen

I just ordered a Beltran Battery Tender Plus and one of those battery mats...total to my door was $53. I think the "direct to battery" plug will work better for me than the lighter plug. I park my car such that the trunk is right up against a shelf, so the charger can sit on the shelf and the cord will go very nicely straight to the trunk, under it and connect to the plug going to the battery.

BTW...there is a Porsche Battery Maintainer on eBay right now for $10 (3 days left on bidding) if anyone is interested.

Thanks again for everyones input...I've been needing to get one of these things forever. My car sits for 2 - 4 weeks between drives almost every time and I have had battery issues because of it.

Pete Lech

<<From what I am hearing, it sounds like the best option is to get one that connects directly to the battery, and run the wires out under the hood with the hood closed. Then when it is time to drive, is there a plug or something to disconnect the wire going to the battery...or do you have to unplug it out of the wall and set the whole thing (30' of wire and all) in your trunk?>>

I made up a small extension cord of fairly light wire, as the current is very small, just long enough to stick out of a closed trunk lid. It has to be male-male. Then I dropped an extension cord down from the ceiling, and plug the car to it.

I also tied a red rag around the drop-down cord to avoid driving away with the car still plugged in.

Does anyone have one of those "'Remove before Flight" streamers from an airplane they want to part with?