On the subject of trickle or maintenance charging car batteries:
The info below is my own opinion on the subject of battery charging and maintenance, which may contain errors.
I wish to share some info, which I have learned over the years. I have ruined numerous automobile batteries due to my own laziness. This occurs because I do not want to take the time to hook up a battery maintenance charger to my car after I pull into the garage. My typical situation is that I have probably worked a long day, drove an hour from work, I am wearing dress clothes and it's past midnight. I then pull the car into a dark, cold garage. So hooking up a battery charger is last thing I wish to do. On my NSX, I have to open the front hood, then it's a bit difficult to access the battery with charger clamps, the lighting is poor, I think you get it! On my GT, I roll down the driver's side window and plug the charger into power accessory outlet (in this case it's being used as a power inlet).
Leaving a lead-acid battery in a discharged state for an extended period will eventually result in permanent damage to the buildup of an electrically insulative layer on the lead plates with the cells. If this layer is not too thick, it will usually fall off during recharging and the plates will be conductive again. If the buildup is excessive, then it's best to replace the battery.
If you can get past the inconvenience of hooking up the charger, then proper selection of a battery charger should be a primary concern.
If you happen to be on the market to purchase a new charger for your car, you'll probably notice that there are many to choose from. This is a quick summary of the popular types of automotive battery chargers:
1. The high current "boost" chargers. Car dealers and mechanics use these to get the engine started ASAP. They usually let the car's own charging system to finish the job. In my case, my GT battery had about 90 minutes of charging time due to my long drive home, which probably took the battery to >90% charge level. They are hard on the battery, however their infrequent use on a given battery makes that of little concern.
2. The multi-purpose chargers. These units have switchable output current levels, i.e. 2, 10 and time-limited 50 amp "mini-boost". Some of these units (depending on age) have a "maintenance" setting. The problem with this maintenance setting is that some of them work reasonably well, while others simply provide too much current for long-term use. Another problem, even though this is transparent to users, is that these large chargers waste power. Some units will consume as much as 15-20 watts when supplying 1 to 2 watts to your battery. This charger is usually left plugged in 24 hours/day. this adds up to over 10 kWh of electricity per month.
3. "Dumb" trickle chargers. Motorcycle battery chargers can also fall into this category. These units can have output current levels from about 50 mA (0.05 amps) to 2 amps. Older units usually produce >0.5 amps and you must read the information on the case of the unit to figure out if it is capable of over-charging your battery. Long-term charging of your battery with much more than a few tenths of an amp >100 mA (0.1 amps) is simply too much. If this current level is much above that, you are eventually going to boil the water out of the battery. The problem with these chargers is figuring out what you really have.
4. "Smart" trickle/maintenance chargers. Now these are types you should be using. Although there are some different charging philosophies within this group, most perform well. Fortunately, the trickle charger provided with your GT falls into this category. These chargers provide controlled current levels based on the condition of your battery. Some fancier units charge the battery with a modest current level until the battery approaches about 14.4 volts, then it turns off until the battery drops to about 13.2 volts. The frequency of this charging pattern is typically from days to weeks and repeats forever. This cyclic type of charger may offer improved battery life, although I have not lived long enough to confirm this.
5. "High-tech" maintenance chargers. This will be the latest "hot-setup" for optimum battery maintenance. This charger provides a specially shaped current pulse to the battery in order to minimize and even reverse damage to the lead plates within the battery. There is scientific evidence that this really works. When a battery is left in a partially (or completely) discharged state, an insulative material builds up on the (normally conductive) lead plates. When the battery is left in a discharged state for an extended period, irreversible damage can occur. This is why proper maintenance of your battery is so important. I am not sure if this high-tech charging approach is available to the public at this time. It's further questionable whether car owners would have much to benefit from this new technology. It's probably best left for companies which have huge $$$ investments in equipment that relies on optimum battery performance and longevity. This could include golf carts, electric powered forklifts, etc.
Now, this is a plug: my new wireless inductive charger will fall into category #4. Its main purpose is to provide convenience for the car owner. You simply pull your car into the garage and the charging begins automatically. This unit should work as well as any other properly designed charger. It will be designed for good efficiency, as power conservation becomes increasingly important. For those interested, I will have some product images in a few weeks.
One other thing, about 15 years ago, I purchased a pair of "Battery Pal" units which have worked well, provided I hook them up to the battery...
Hope this helps, Jay
The info below is my own opinion on the subject of battery charging and maintenance, which may contain errors.
I wish to share some info, which I have learned over the years. I have ruined numerous automobile batteries due to my own laziness. This occurs because I do not want to take the time to hook up a battery maintenance charger to my car after I pull into the garage. My typical situation is that I have probably worked a long day, drove an hour from work, I am wearing dress clothes and it's past midnight. I then pull the car into a dark, cold garage. So hooking up a battery charger is last thing I wish to do. On my NSX, I have to open the front hood, then it's a bit difficult to access the battery with charger clamps, the lighting is poor, I think you get it! On my GT, I roll down the driver's side window and plug the charger into power accessory outlet (in this case it's being used as a power inlet).
Leaving a lead-acid battery in a discharged state for an extended period will eventually result in permanent damage to the buildup of an electrically insulative layer on the lead plates with the cells. If this layer is not too thick, it will usually fall off during recharging and the plates will be conductive again. If the buildup is excessive, then it's best to replace the battery.
If you can get past the inconvenience of hooking up the charger, then proper selection of a battery charger should be a primary concern.
If you happen to be on the market to purchase a new charger for your car, you'll probably notice that there are many to choose from. This is a quick summary of the popular types of automotive battery chargers:
1. The high current "boost" chargers. Car dealers and mechanics use these to get the engine started ASAP. They usually let the car's own charging system to finish the job. In my case, my GT battery had about 90 minutes of charging time due to my long drive home, which probably took the battery to >90% charge level. They are hard on the battery, however their infrequent use on a given battery makes that of little concern.
2. The multi-purpose chargers. These units have switchable output current levels, i.e. 2, 10 and time-limited 50 amp "mini-boost". Some of these units (depending on age) have a "maintenance" setting. The problem with this maintenance setting is that some of them work reasonably well, while others simply provide too much current for long-term use. Another problem, even though this is transparent to users, is that these large chargers waste power. Some units will consume as much as 15-20 watts when supplying 1 to 2 watts to your battery. This charger is usually left plugged in 24 hours/day. this adds up to over 10 kWh of electricity per month.
3. "Dumb" trickle chargers. Motorcycle battery chargers can also fall into this category. These units can have output current levels from about 50 mA (0.05 amps) to 2 amps. Older units usually produce >0.5 amps and you must read the information on the case of the unit to figure out if it is capable of over-charging your battery. Long-term charging of your battery with much more than a few tenths of an amp >100 mA (0.1 amps) is simply too much. If this current level is much above that, you are eventually going to boil the water out of the battery. The problem with these chargers is figuring out what you really have.
4. "Smart" trickle/maintenance chargers. Now these are types you should be using. Although there are some different charging philosophies within this group, most perform well. Fortunately, the trickle charger provided with your GT falls into this category. These chargers provide controlled current levels based on the condition of your battery. Some fancier units charge the battery with a modest current level until the battery approaches about 14.4 volts, then it turns off until the battery drops to about 13.2 volts. The frequency of this charging pattern is typically from days to weeks and repeats forever. This cyclic type of charger may offer improved battery life, although I have not lived long enough to confirm this.
5. "High-tech" maintenance chargers. This will be the latest "hot-setup" for optimum battery maintenance. This charger provides a specially shaped current pulse to the battery in order to minimize and even reverse damage to the lead plates within the battery. There is scientific evidence that this really works. When a battery is left in a partially (or completely) discharged state, an insulative material builds up on the (normally conductive) lead plates. When the battery is left in a discharged state for an extended period, irreversible damage can occur. This is why proper maintenance of your battery is so important. I am not sure if this high-tech charging approach is available to the public at this time. It's further questionable whether car owners would have much to benefit from this new technology. It's probably best left for companies which have huge $$$ investments in equipment that relies on optimum battery performance and longevity. This could include golf carts, electric powered forklifts, etc.
Now, this is a plug: my new wireless inductive charger will fall into category #4. Its main purpose is to provide convenience for the car owner. You simply pull your car into the garage and the charging begins automatically. This unit should work as well as any other properly designed charger. It will be designed for good efficiency, as power conservation becomes increasingly important. For those interested, I will have some product images in a few weeks.
One other thing, about 15 years ago, I purchased a pair of "Battery Pal" units which have worked well, provided I hook them up to the battery...
Hope this helps, Jay
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