Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:08:07 -0500
Reply-To: Matt Roberds <mattroberds@COX.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Matt Roberds <mattroberds@COX.NET>
Subject: Re: Trickle charging battery with something other than solar?
In-Reply-To: <20070328022348.WZOO9199.fed1rmmtai101.cox.net@fed1rmimpi03.cox.net>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
> From: Ellen in Oregon <elleninoregon@HOTMAIL.COM>
> Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 18:01:33 -0700
>
> The battery went entirely flat recently (less than 5 volts).
You're probably on borrowed time with this battery. Careful care might
buy you a few months, but if you're planning any trips to East Armadillo
Toenail, you might think about a new battery before you go. If it's not
an automatic, "always park on a hill" is a time-honored tradition and
should be doable in Oregon. Kind of hard to sleep in the van that way,
though.
Did anything "interesting" happen to make the battery go flat? (Dome
light left on? Van headlights used as flashlight so you could replace
the lamp in the garage? Stereo in van used as boom box while cleaning
the garage? High-class city slicker squirrels surrepetitiously using
your fridge to keep their beverages cold? Lots of running the water
pump to clean up the mess the squirrels left?) If something like this
happened, and/or the battery is more than about 4 years old, then the
cause of death is probably known. Otherwise, further investigation
may be called for.
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Category.taf?CategoryID=444&pricetype=
I've used one like that at work but I don't like it. I am not convinced
that it does the right thing electrically and it gets quite hot in
operation.
> Where Lola is garaged is right next to an electrical outlet, so I
> could hook something up that would keep the battery charged.
My suggestion would be to buy a Deltran "Battery Tender" (the 0.5 or
0.75 A model) or Schumacher "Battery Companion" for about $30. The
Schumacher is sold at Wally World and possibly Sears; the Deltran can
be a little harder to find locally and may cost a little more. I have
used both (one at work, one at home) and they both seem to work well.
Both are "smart" chargers that really will slow down the charging rate
as your battery gets full and not overcharge your battery.
Either of these chargers will have two different ends that can be plugged
onto the 12 V cable: the usual spring clips, or a short cable with ring
terminals. The spring clips are handy for using the charger on many
different batteries or vehicles; the ring-terminal cable is handy if
you use the charger on one vehicle a lot. The ring terminals can be
(carefully) attached to the clamp bolts on the big terminals for the
main battery cables. Make sure the bolt is still tight and that the
big terminals are making good contact with the battery posts all around
after you install the ring-terminal cable.
The recommendation for a charger stands whether or not you buy a new
battery. If you don't buy a new one, the charger will help you
scratch out a little more time on the present one. If you do buy a
new one, the charger should keep it happy for many years to come.
I mentioned this before, but if you do hook up a charger, make sure
you don't drive off and drag the charger! If you have a van and are
at camp, this is easy... most people get in the habit of going around
the van, unhooking the water hose and electric, stowing the awning,
and so on before they drive off. In your garage this might be harder
to do. If your garage is such that you can leave the driver's window
down, do so, and loop the charger cord *through* the steering wheel.
This is hard to miss.
> I have no idea how old the battery is, no one bothered to scratch out
> the dots on the calendar sticker.
Often the manufacturer will hot-stamp a date code into the battery case,
either on the top or on one of the sides just below the top. It won't be
something easily recognizable, like "01-02-2003"; rather it'll be maybe
two to four figures like "1K2". The month and year of manufacture is
usually coded in this date - this doesn't tell you when the battery was
first put in service but it's better than nothing.
http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq7.htm#freshness tells you what
to look for on several brands of batteries; the entire document starts
at http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/carfaq.htm and is a good read.
Some stores will attach a plastic envelope to the side of the battery
(usually on one of the long sides) for a dated sales receipt.
Standard disclaimers apply; I don't get money or other considerations
from any companies mentioned.
Matt Roberds
