OT: no joke...asking an OT question...OK? NO JOKE!!! :OT

RRP

anybody use a 1 amp automatic battery charger for a car which NEVER gets started over the winter months?
 Had to buy a new battery today and the dude at InterState Battery said in the future then over-wintering even with the disconnect I use on my battery this automatic trickle charger will pay for itself, blah blah blah. He was nice and really helped me today so I bought it. Honestly I plan to return it unopened on Monday and get my $44 back unless someone convinces me otherwise. 

Legume

Maybe a car forum?

theyolksonyou

Photo Egg

This type of charger is very commonly used on motor cycles in winter.
A friend up north has it plugged into one of the light bulbs in his garage door opener.
Every time the garage door is opened the battery is charged for 5 minutes or so. Others use a timer. Others swear by removing battery and storing on wooden shelf, not the ground.
Who knows what works better.

RRP

Legume said:

Maybe a car forum?

Oh, I agree. Just seems like many times there are guys here with such diverse knowledge and life experiences that there is such a wealth of knowledge that people like to share! Hey, that's even the reason I posted it on the OFF TOPIC forum with even a further warning with my OT at the start and the OT at the end! Guess if that STILL offended you after all those warnings then so be it.

DoubleEgger

My FIL had a rarely used Vette and kept a trickle charger on it. 

Fred19Flintstone

At considerable risk of jinxing myself here, I have a battery in my John Deere lawn tractor I haven't touched since I bought it in 2001.  It's parked in an unheated shed when not in use.  I do not use from November until sometime in April and the battery stays in it.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Is this some kind of a joke?

Eoin

Depends on the charger. You need a smart charger that keeps the battery up to Voltage but doesn't over charge it. If your new charger is a constant 1 Amp, that's not much use for maintenance. If it's a 1 Amp smart charger, it's OK. Disconnecting the battery also works for quite long periods, but is more of a PITA than fixing some terminals to the battery and plugging it in when needed.

I would spend a bit more money anyway and buy a higher capacity unit so you can charge as well as maintain. A 7 A smart charger would cover a lot more bases. I like CTEK chargers. http://smartercharger.com/battery-chargers/

Smokin_Trout

If you decide to keep a trickle charger on it, get the Battery Tender brand. I have tried a Stanley and didn't seem like it shutoff and trashed a battery. My friend swears by the Battery Tender for his 10+ items he stores for part of the year. When you look around his shop you think he bought stock in the company. 

GlennM

We leave a car in Florida and use a battery tender on it. I believe it is a good idea

NPHuskerFL

I use a smart charger on my front gate operator battery. It's 115V with battery backup. Works fine. This isn't that uncommon to to use a charger to keep the battery healthy. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Is this some kind of a joke?

Agree!

https://www.google.com/search?q=1+amp+trickle+charger+for+car+that's+not+used+in+the+winter

Gym

Another vote for battery tender. 

ColtsFan

Being that I was in the auto parts business for 17 years before switching to IT, I can highly recommend a battery tender. It will actively "duty cycle" the battery when needed which will keep it in optimal condition. 

One of the largest killers of a battery is inactivity. I have these devices on my riding mower in the winter and kept one on my boat batteries when I had it. 

Keep it and use it. 

And nice choice in Interstate. Interstate and Deka are the two best battery manufacturers out there 

Aviator

Costco has a Deltran brand battery charger for cars, not the junior. Fully automatic and does AGM batteries as well.
I have my MB SL hooked up to it in the basement all winter long and worry free. I know the MB guys are ga ga over the Ctek, but it is inferior to our own US made Deltran. 
Get one, hook it up and forget about it. 

calracefan

A co worker has a battery tender (I think that may even be the brand) o his Harley, claims it works very well !

SemolinaPilchard

As long as it does not over charge the battery you'll be fine. I used to unhook the battery on my riding mower after I cut the grass for the last time of the season. The battery would only last about two years. Put a quick disconnect and now I unplug it after every use, now the same model battery lasts four years. Speaking of batteries, since car batteries only last about four years, am I the only one who changes them about 6 months before that? It seems that they die at the worst possible time.

dsrguns

Smokin_Trout said:

If you decide to keep a trickle charger on it, get the Battery Tender brand. I have tried a Stanley and didn't seem like it shutoff and trashed a battery. My friend swears by the Battery Tender for his 10+ items he stores for part of the year. When you look around his shop you think he bought stock in the company. 

+1 On the Battery Tender

Legume

RRP said:

Legume said:

Maybe a car forum?

Oh, I agree. Just seems like many times there are guys here with such diverse knowledge and life experiences that there is such a wealth of knowledge that people like to share! Hey, that's even the reason I posted it on the OFF TOPIC forum with even a further warning with my OT at the start and the OT at the end! Guess if that STILL offended you after all those warnings then so be it.

You can unbunch your panties Ron, I was not offended by a question about a battery charger, lol.  It was just a suggestion for where you might find the kind of info you are looking for.

odie91

You want to get a multi stage charger with microprocessor.  If you're only using it for maintenance and not jump starting, the less amps the better.    Battery Tender is legit as other have mentioned, but there are some other brands.  You should only be out $20-25 for a good trickle charger

Botch

I park my Saab convertible over the winter; once every two months or so I start it and drive for half an hour or so; that keeps the battery charged and gets oils and gas lines circulating a bit, I feel that's a good thing to do.
My battery died in 2012 while I was in Tooele UT for Reserve duty, the folks at AutoZone sold me a new one and changed it out for me.  As he was removing the old battery he made a screwy face and asked me, "You've been buying batteries at the dealership?!?"  It was a Saab-branded battery.  I said no, and he looked at the date: it was the original battery, lasted eleven years!  

lousubcap

@SemolinaPilchard said:
Speaking of batteries, since car batteries only last about four years, am I the only one who changes them about 6 months before that? It seems that they die at the worst possible time.

I'm not in the early change camp but one afternoon last fall I recalled that I should change the car battery before winter as it had been about 6 years (no indications of any issues).  Of course, the next AM, with no warning, dead battery.  Somehow that prescience has failed in other situations.  

SemolinaPilchard

@lousubcap the gut is never wrong.

texaswig

In my opinion letting the car set-up is the worst thing you can do to it. Just go out there and start it once every few weeks let it run for 30 minutes. Burn off some of the moisture in the crankcase and charge the battery. I know how organized you are just make it part of your regiment. 

RRP

Thanks for all the recommendations. After studying them I ended up ordering one from CTEK that @Eoin suggested. Taking the 1 AMP back to Interstate for refund tomorrow. Only took me 90 minutes today to remove the front fender panel and replace the battery. Would have been quicker but I had the dropsies and played seek and retrieve slowing me down!

SGH

@RRP
On my tractors I use a charger that has a "trickle charge" setting. It will constantly put 2 amps to the battery. It has a built in feature that will bump this to as high as 10 amps if the need arises. From what I understand it is always putting out 2 amps until the sensor tells it to give more (for whatever reason).  
I know you asked about cars, but I have been doing this on tractors since the 70's. This is certainly not the norm, but we got almost 30 years out of the battery in our 1979 John Deere 850. 

SGH

You have been struck by the Buffalo.   

RRP

SGH said:

You have been struck by the Buffalo.   

You caught that too, huh?

SGH

RRP said:

SGH said:

You have been struck by the Buffalo.   

You caught that too, huh?

Wonder what the Buffalo has against batteries?

RRP

SGH said:

RRP said:

SGH said:

You have been struck by the Buffalo.   

You caught that too, huh?

Wonder what the Buffalo has against batteries?

LOL