trickle charger for the winter

[rsg69cpa]

any suggestions on a trickle charger for the winter?
recently put my boat to bed and I'd like to keep my batteries tip-top for the next six months.
also, ever hear of the practice of removing the negative cables from the batteries to prevent extra drain?
thanks,

[tamburello]

Deltran battery tender has always worked well for me.

http://batterytender.com/

[somerville99]

plug right into your 12V outlet. It's the same as I see some guys use when they park their car in the airport lots for a few weeks. Disconnecting the +/- cables only works to prevent a parasitic drain on your system. You can not trickle charge your system if any of the cables/terminals are disconnected.

[glashole]

1-take battery out of boat
2-put on work bench with charger on it

3-when done charging store properly in warm area until spring

4-reinstall in boat

[mrfixxall]

i havn't touched my batterys 10 years except for a 2amp over night charge at the beginning of the season..

[Tidbart]

I have used this for a couple of years on my AGM batteries. Works great. I like the desulphator funtion. That is why I bought it over the batteryminder. I charge one battery at a time, switching once a month or so. I have a battery switch so there is no need to disconnect any terminals.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200326706_200326706

[Kirbyvv]

Like Fixx, I just put it on the trickle charge for a day or so before it goes back in the boat.

[MOP]

I charge mine once a month during layup, it is not good to leave any battery on charge constantly.

[RacnJasn]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1408/5145959385_379ce8738d.jpg

TECHNICAL DATA
Voltage AC 120VAC, 60Hz. Output power is reduced at lower input voltage.
A perfect charge will still be achieved.
Current 1.1A rms
Back Current Drain* 1.3mA
Charging Voltage Nominal: 12V 14.4/14.7V
Ripple** Max 50mV rms, max 0.13A.
Charging Current 0.8/3.3A max
Ambient Temperature - 4°F to +122°F. Automatic reduction of power at increased ambient
temperature.
Cooling Natural convection. Do not cover the charger.
Charger type Four step fully automatic with pulse maintenance mode.
Type of batteries All types of lead-acid batteries.
Battery Capacity 2–90Ah
Dimensions 61/2 x 23/8 x 11/2 inches (L x W x H)
Enclosure Splashproof/Rainproof.
Weight 1.1 lbs
*) The back current drain is the current that the charger uses from the battery when the
wall plug is not connected. The reverse current of the MULTI US 3300 is very low and
corresponds to 1Ah per month.
12 • US
**)The ripple wave describes how many disturbances are exhibited by current and voltage.
A rippled voltage can cause damage to other equipment connected to the battery. The
MULTI US 3300 supplies voltage and current with very low voltage rippling. This increases
the life of the battery and ensures that equipment connected to it will not be damaged.

http://www.ctek.com/EN-CA/consumer/mus-3300.aspx (http://www.ctek.com/EN-CA/consumer/mus-3300.aspx)

[motorcity]

I'll second the Ctek chargers, from the above post. The best battery charger I have ever owned. It helped me milk the battery in my lawn tractor, for the whole season.

[Carl C]

1-take battery out of boat
2-put on work bench with charger on it

3-when done charging store properly in warm area until spring

4-reinstall in boat

Yup. Mine come out and store in the basement. I put a slow charger on them a couple times over the winter. Why subject them to bitter cold? My original batteries have 6 seasons on them and still load test good so I must be doing something right!

[GBond]

1-take battery out of boat
2-put on work bench with charger on it

3-when done charging store properly in warm area until spring

4-reinstall in boat


Yup. Mine come out and store in the basement. I put a slow charger on them a couple times over the winter. Why subject them to bitter cold? My original batteries have 6 seasons on them and still load test good so I must be doing something right!

Best bet!

[Offset]

I have used the "Battery Tender" brand of low output chargers that I got from Eastwood Company with great success over the last couple of winters. I use them for both the boat and car batteries. Leaving the battery in the car allows me to use the theft control system without it actually draining the battery.

Murray Adam