grumpy the 7th Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I've not run my car for a month now (shame 🙆🏻) but what with SWMBO's bad back I've been more inclined to stay in. Actually I've lowered my work benches to a better height, & rearranged the whole place, fitted a new switch to the bench grinder and bought a new 18mm bench drill I've even had all the shelves off and cleaned the 20 years of dusty crap off them Anyway, yesterday I checked the battery fluid levels & couldn't see any 😳 😳 I keep one of those Halfauds battery trickle charge/conditioner things connected all the time as per the instructions. 1) banner battery was new last February 2) acid was well over the plates 5 or six weeks ago 3) could the charger (only a few mAmps) be 'overcharging' ?? 4) should I just connect it every now & then ?? rog C7 TNT - it's dynamite (Honda Irish Green and Peugeot Graphite grey ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Day Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I've used a similar battery conditioner for some time. Last May I noticed the acid level was low so topped up with distilled water, the 1st time I've had to top-up a battery. At the end of May it promptly died. It was 3 years old but throughout that time it was maintained on a conditioner. With hindsite I should have checked the acid concentration as the water diluted the acid too much. I now only connect it for half a day for twice a week. That reminds me, must check the electrolyte level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginnes Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I use a Halfords conditioner 24/7. From experience you do need to keep an eye on the level. Car started yesterday after 2 months on the first turn of the key. No doubt an electrical expert will be along with atechnical explanation soon. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tight fart Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I use a 24hr timer as well for my bike battery, trickle charging for 4 hours twice a day. A7 RDP pics here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blade_runner Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I use a Bike trickle charger, this one does not charge the battery all the time, it cycles and tests the battery as well... I leave it plugged in all the time.. i think its called an opti-mate? was about 40 quid from hein gericke. 'Pinky Pics' here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 A "Trickle Charger" cannot be left on 24x7 as the charging current is too high (~ 0.5A) A battery conditioner can be left on permanently as the charging current is small at only about 100-150mA. However, in both cases, the water level should be checked regularly. With a conditioner, say every 3 or 4 weeks. The acid level does not change, but the water in the battery will slowly evaporate due to the charging processs and through natural evaporation. It is only slight but finite. Do ensure that what you have is indeed a so-called "battery-conditioner" and NOT a "trickle charger". They are not the same beast. If you leave a trickle charger connected for an extended peiod, you will boil the water in the battery and the water loss will be significant as well as the chances of damaging the battery permanently. I have left a Draper battery conditioner (~ £15 from Halfords) connected for nearly 2 years now and, like Graham, my 7 starts on the first touch of the button every time. Chris 2003 1.8K SV 140hp see it here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpy the 7th Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 Thanks all Mine is the Draper 15squid conditioner. From your comments & experiences I'll connect it via a timer for a few hours per day (probably during the night) AND I'll now make sure I check the levels more regularly and keep them topped up. rog C7 TNT - it's dynamite (Honda Irish Green and Peugeot Graphite grey ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Roger The point of the above is that with a Draper conditioner, as you have, you don't need to put it on a timer. Just leave it ON 24x7 and check the water every 3 or 4 weeks. That's all. Chris 2003 1.8K SV 140hp see it here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpy the 7th Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 Cheers Chris rog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Mmm, reminds me, better check mine as the Banner jobs are not sealed and need a drop of distilled water every so often. Makes me ask why when all my tintop batteries are "sealed for life, fit and forget, 2 yr guarantee, throw away thereafter". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
db Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I now disconnect my battery when leaving for more than a week or so. Stops the immobiliser draining all the power. My ... Preciousss! Member #109** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 db The immobiliser drain is less than 40mA so is totally compensated for by the battery conditioner (which will feed in ~100 - 150mA). There is actually no need to disconnect the battery for this reason. Chris 2003 1.8K SV 140hp see it here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Unless your immobiliser developes a fault and drains the battery faster..at which point you decide to rebuild the car sans immobiliser Chris, Is there any need to condition the battery if it is removed from the car for the winter ? Will it deterioate at all left sitting for a few months in a corner and if so will conditioning it reducxe that deterioation? (Before I met Banner batteries all I'd dealt with were extra super heavy duty jobs that will start a car after 2 years sitting idle ). Keep off the straight and narrow 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Rich_Bernie Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 The Draper battery consitioner I bought in Halfords is rated at 300mA. The instructions say it can be left connected permanently to battery of over 30 Amp Hours. My Alfa has a large Bosch battery, so I have left it on that permanently a couple of times, however that Battery seems to be able to fire the car up after a 4 week lay off, with lots of churning needed to bring fuel up to the carbs (mechanical pump). I don't leave the Banner connected up to the Draper conditioner for weeks on end - given it is less than 30 Amp Hours (just). In winter it will struggle to start the car after a 2 week lay off (the battery is 2 years old) so just connect it up for a couple of days now and then. When this Banner dies I will replace it with something else. The first one was dead after 12 months. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Any battery will gradually discharge during storage. Even in a corner of the shed. For this reason it needs to spend at least a part of its time on a conditioner, or get charged up once a month or so. If not it will sulphate up as a result of being stored in the flat condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
db Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Chris - I can't use a battery conditioner, which is why I d/c mine for periods of disuse. My ... Preciousss! Member #109** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normans_Ghost Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 My conditioner wire hangs down from ceiling on an elastic and plugs into dash. When car driven in, I just reach up grab plug and plug in. Apart from faulty starter motor never had a problem with Red Top 20. Norman Verona, 1989 BDR 220bhp, Mem No 2166, the full story here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Nifty Re disconnecting the battery, batteredoldsupersport's answer is right on the money. If you leave it disconnected (or connected) for any length of time without charging then the battery will discharge and if left long enough will never recover properly. The battery will have its overall life drastically shortened if allowed to fully discharge. Tales of batteries dying in one or two years are due to battery abuse not bad batteries or because they're Banners. A looked-after battery life should be not less than 4 years. Chris 2003 1.8K SV 140hp see it here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazerBrain Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Norman - conditioner wire attached with elastic Cheers! I was pondering on doing something like this the other day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpy the 7th Posted December 21, 2004 Author Share Posted December 21, 2004 Norman - copycat mines just hooked over the roof tie bar & just plugs in the dash, switch on & make sure the led glows - cover her up & lock the door 😬 rog C7 TNT - it's dynamite (Honda Irish Green and Peugeot Graphite grey ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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