lbls1

Here is my situation:

My car is garaged for weeks in between starts, and recently (the problem is worse in the winter) I've been going thru the battery(ies). I have had this problem since I've owned it, and I've decided to put a battery tender on it.

Which battery tender should I get? I was thinking of the Battery Tender Plus that puts out 1.20 amps, but I would actually prefer the Battery Tender Jr. (same manuf.). It is smaller and I can conceal it better. The only problem is that it puts out .75 amps.

I plan to have it working only when I need it, because the landlord that I'm renting the garage from doesn't want me to draw power (unnecessarily). I don't want to be put in a situation where the landlord goes apeshit if he finds a charger connected to the garage and either throws me to the curb, or socks me with nice hike in the rent. On the other hand, this problem of my car eating batteries has come to a head, and I can't keep replacing batteries and/or having to start the car every week (in the winter).

Any imput would be appreciated.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

My guess is, if your batteries are dying that quickly, you have either a charging issue or an excessive power drain somewhere.

My car sometimes sits for 1-2 months without being started, and regularly sits for 2-3 weeks without being run. And the battery is still fine; it's not a new battery either (over 2 years old). Stock battery lasted 6 years like that. A few weeks without being started should not cause the battery to go dead, unless it wasn't charged in the first place or there is a short/drain somewhere.

koolaid_kid

iTrader: (21)

I agree with RPM. Mine sits a lot, especially in the winter. I seldom have to charge the battery, and the original battery lasted 7 years.
To answer your original question, if you want a tender I would get the larger one. It would charge at almost twice the rate, and if having it connected is an issue, you would only need to have it connected half as much.
For mine, if it sits more than a month or so (like when I am in the middle of making changes), I put a regular charger on it for a couple of hours only. It always starts after that, and the charger is not connected for very long. Just a thought.

lbls1

I have an aftermarket alarm and a powered sub. I fugured that there is a drain that is more than normal. On a good battery (if its not cold, and without having a fuse in the sub) it can go almost a month w/o being started. My problem is that the car doesn't go on extended trips (and of course the stereo is on full steam when I am in it). I figured that when it goes back into the garage, the battery may not be optimally charged. Add to it whatever parasitic drain that I may have could be contributing to the problem. It isn't an issue with the battery dying until winter. Its during the cold months that I have the problem (every winter since '02 without fail).

I don't want to go through the trouble of taking equipment out and such to try and solve the drain. If the drain were great where it was killing the battery every day or every couple of days, then I'd say that the tender may not be what I need. I am trying to keep from draining the battery while stored w/o tearing into stuff or removing things.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Sounds like that is your issue (or combo of issues). Perhaps the tender would be right for you then.....wish I could recommend a brand for you, but I have no experiance with them; never needed one myself.

lbls1

Thanks. I got the alarm (me and my dad had suspected that this was in fact the culprit...I doubted it for a little while) after taking delivery on my ls1 because I didn't have a secured garage at the time. Combine this and living in NYC, thus I had to take pre-cautions. This alarm also works with the factory alarm, and it is always on. The sub draws a little too, but the drain had lessened when I started taking the fuse out from it. When the winter hits (and I'm talking about temperature ranges between 2 d and 20 d like I had all last week) it just pounds the life out of my weak battery. The battery had died a couple of times before so this was the straw for it.

koolaid_kid

iTrader: (21)

Don't see how the sub could be the cause, since they normally only switch on when the stereo is on. A quick check with a voltmeter would verify this.
The alarm, however, is always on when the car is off, so it is a drain.
I use a Schumacher Battery companion model WM-1562A. It is a 1.5A unit with a quick disconnect. So when it is not charging (my bikes, I have more than one) I just unplug the connector and take it with me (or put it on the bench). The other half of the connector stays on the battery(ies).
I got it at Wally World for less than $20.

lbls1

I saw that one (I almost went with it.....someone recommended it to me a couple of years back...but I didn't get it bc of the garage and the lease thing). They have an on-board version as well, that you can mount on top of your battery. Depending on how well I do with the Battery Tender Plus, I may pick up the Schumacher as well, and use the bigger Battery Tender for other batteries.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I think the bigger issue with the sub is power drain on the battery during useage, then not fully recharging during the short local trips and the car gets shut down without a fully charged battery. Then to further compound the issue, the aftermarket alarm causing an extra constant drain.

Unless there is also a wiring issue with the sub that needs to be corrected.

lbls1

Bingo.....

Actually I once doubted both sources as the cause of the power drain. But by the second battery, the issue didn't correct itself. The sub seems to work fine, and even when it is fused, it wont cause an immediate drain, nor did I have any shorting or performance issues with it. I know, though, that it was a contributor to the drain issue, because I got better durability from the battery after I started taking the fuse out of it when parked in the garage.

....that is..better until the winter....!

koolaid_kid

iTrader: (21)

So, lbls1 reports that removing the fuse extends the time period that the battery will stay charged. IMO, this indicates that the sub is drawing power when the car is off. To verify, all he will have to do is to turn the car off, remove the fuse, and put a voltmeter across the fuse connectors.
AFA the power drain, I would agree, since he reports that it is blasting when the car is being driven, plus I would agree that short distances are probably involved in NYC (assumption). Seems that the in-dash voltmeter would be an indicator in this case (always showing a high rate of charge).
Of course, if this is true, a higher current alternator is probably in order. A larger CCA battery would not be the solution in this case. (From what I remember during my days of attempting to annihilate my hearing.)

lbls1

I may do that too Koolaid. Couple of clarifications though. One, my trips usually involve the expressway between queens and long island (I never drive the lbls1 to manhattan). Two, while I do enjoy my sub and stereo, the sub isn't a mega-watt hitter (in fact some would consider it tiny).

If my car were daily driven, then the charge time from the alternator would probably compensate a little for the draw, and thus the problem would be masked by daily starting.

As funny as this may sound, although I do use aftermarket equipment in some instances, I would not want to go with a bigger output alternator in my case bc I feel that the system can handle the current devices in a normal situation (albeit my situation may not necessarily be considered normal). If I were running a really powerful sound system, then I would probably be forced into getting a high output alt. (I have witnessed a history of problems with doing that with my family members swapping their alts, but not to say that it couldn't be done).

Edit: Also consider this....the retained power feature I think may also be playing against me with the extra devices.....right or no?

JR HAWK 9

iTrader: (3)

I have been using my Battery Tender Jr. this winter with good results. I like it because it's small and has a quick connect, which I have hard wired in. I also have an aftermarket stereo system and like to keep my battery fresh. It's not good for a battery to go a long time w/o being used. Even if you don't have ANY current draw, it's always a good idea to use a tender when it sits for extended periods of time.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

If "extended periods of time" means multiple months without starting the car, then I can see your point. But if we're talking weeks here (2-4), then it's not necessary to use a tender. I have 9 years of experiance with storing F-bodies now, and I've yet to have a battery die an early death following my regular storage routine. I've never used a tender.

lbls1

...interesting. I did not figure getting into a battery rut at that time when I added the extra goodies.

JR HAWK 9

iTrader: (3)

both of my cars with aftermarket stereo systems have issues with current draw when sitting awhile. I normally just pull my fuse to my amps when they sit awhile and that takes care most of it. In the 19 years that I have been storing cars I have always removed the battery over winter....except for the last couple years with my Firehawk, as I don't like to re-configure my head unit and have the timing/fuel curves reset. That's why I use my battery tender.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Guess this is a real issue for you aftermarket stereo guys.....I've never had dead battery issues with short term storage on my cars, but I've always had mostly stock radio setups.

lbls1

never thought I'd hear myself saying this but...when it comes to stereos....Stock Sucks!!

But so does having a dead battery....

z-ya

iTrader: (1)

Get a accumate ,much better than a battery tender.

lbls1

Just an update: Hooked up the tender today after waiting a week (with the car being dead also with no battery). I had to hook it up to the auxillery battery connection (red cap) because the rings would not fit over the side mounted battery cable bolts (after some trial and error. I put new ringed ends on it, but the cable would not seat flush w/ the battery terminals)

The car stalled after starting to the first crank, but I re-started it and it seemed fine. If this set-up ends up having issues, then perhaps I'll try something else. So far its good.