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Message started by buster6315 on 11/04/17 at 03:28:26

Title: battery charger
Post by buster6315 on 11/04/17 at 03:28:26

I bought a 1.2 amp battery charger. The battery reads 14v & the charger is in float mode. What is the easiest way to ensure the battery is protected from over or under charging? Also, how about hooking two batteries up in parallel & using one charger to maintain both? Thanks!

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Steve H on 11/04/17 at 08:47:21

Hooking two in series should work but you will have differences due to battery chemistry from age, differing bettery types, etc that will probably result in one being slightly overcharged while the other is slightly under.

The voltage from the high battery will continually try to charge the low battery. The voltage read from a VOM will be an average of the two batteries. You'll be doing what the solar power people call an equalizing charge. You'll be forcing power in until all batteries are brought up to the level of the highest battery or the charger cutoff voltage whichever is lower. Might cook a weak battery. If both batteries are in good condition, probably work. Make sure they are the same chemistry, either liquid, AGM, etc.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by buster6315 on 11/04/17 at 09:36:28

Series?

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by SALB on 11/04/17 at 11:48:01

25323433223571747672470 wrote:

Series?

Series = double voltage
Parallel = double amperage
;) 8-)

Unless you have a 24 volt charger, don't do series!

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/04/17 at 14:29:53

How much did the charger cost?

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by piedmontbuckeye on 11/04/17 at 14:50:16

Best is to simply get a "Battery Tender" Which is designed to charge a moderately down battery, and then maintain the charge. Great for extended NON-use of the motorcycle such as a month or so of storage or through the non-riding winter season.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by buster6315 on 11/04/17 at 18:49:32

I've got two Battery Tenders. So, I bought a cheapo charger. After reading up on some of these, I realized I'd better keep an eye on their charging abilities. I hate going into the garage and smelling rotten eggs from a fried battery!

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Dave on 11/05/17 at 03:26:01

687F797E6F783C393B3F0A0 wrote:

Most modern battery chargers that include a digital dispaly are "smart" and will turn themselves off when the battery reaches a full charge. The problem with them is that for some reason they also see a dead battery the same as a fully charged one - so they won't turn on if the battery is completely dead......so the old chargers are needed for a fully dead battery......or you can connect a good battery in parallel with the one that needs to be charged to fool the smart charger.

If your charger goes into a "float" mode....it sounds like your charger will recognize a charged battery and function to maintain the battery. Does the manual claim it can be used as a "maintainer"? I don't know if chargers and maintainers both shut off at the same voltage....the charger could be shutting off at a higher voltage than a maintainer.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by buster6315 on 11/05/17 at 04:51:29

Yeah, I am wary of cheap products. Why do I buy them? dunno! It has a green led for float/fully charged battery & a red one for charging. I'll keep an eye on it.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by eau de sauvage on 11/06/17 at 00:51:33

If you already have battery tenders and want to use a cheap non regulated one then wouldn't the old fashioned method work well where you estimate the charge from the voltage and just give it as many Ah's as you reckon it needs.

For example if you have a 12Ah batter and it's a wet cell and is reading 12.4V you might estimate it to be at 50% charge so if you have a 1.2A charger putting out 14V give the battery 6 hours at 1.2A which should give you that final 50% plus a bit extra lost due to heat.

45525453425511141612270 wrote:

Yeah, I am wary of cheap products.

As someone once said "I can't afford cheap shoes"

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Mike Franklin on 11/06/17 at 06:48:02

How long would you say it is safe to keep a battery on a "smart" charger in "float" mode? The bike's gonna be laid up for about 3 months and I don't want to neglect the battery on the one hand, or fry it on the other!

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by JLC on 11/06/17 at 10:37:01

I have battery maintainers on several vehicles I don't use in winter, sometimes for as long as five months, and I have been doing that for several years. I have not fried a battery yet.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Kris01 on 11/07/17 at 17:28:38

I use my Battery Tender Jr. for just long enough to bring the battery up to full charge. I might plug it up twice a week for a few minutes each time as I walk by the bike. If I forget and leave it plugged up overnight...oh well! I'll just unplug it as I leave for work in the morning.

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by Mike Franklin on 11/08/17 at 08:40:36

6F564D571415240 wrote:

The bikes are in storage and the batteries are on chargers in the (ventilated) basement. It's a little inconvenient, and I might forget, but I think I may try that.
By the way, I notice that the AGM battery from my Honda CB360 charges much more quickly than the flooded battery from my S40, and they are about the same age with similar output ratings. I wonder if that means anything?

Title: Re: battery charger
Post by verslagen1 on 11/08/17 at 08:54:32

I would get a timer and set it for an hour or two a day.

I think that's the way digger had his set up.