saving battery
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 117
Likes: 2
saving battery
I dont drive my truck alot and keep getting the message about sleep mode. Should i put a battery tender on it? Will this mess with electronics? Figure i cant be the only one in this situation
Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,795
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how quickly does the battery saver kick in - ie: one week?
how long does it usually sit before you drive it?
assuming you have remote start, one option is to use the remote start once in awhile to run it and start the battery saver timer again
how long does it usually sit before you drive it?
assuming you have remote start, one option is to use the remote start once in awhile to run it and start the battery saver timer again
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 1,366
Likes: 185
From: Frederick, CO
If you let a battery discharge below 50%, it greatly reduces its lifetime. I'm not sure when the built-in circuit kicks in, but I would expect it to be way too late. I believe its intended purpose is to not leave you stranded with a dead battery (just enough juice to start the engine); I don't think it was intended to optimize battery health.
If you're going to let a battery sit in a place where it would normally discharge, you're better off putting a proper trickle charger on it. This could include removing the batteries and locating them to a suitable garage.
You can also just use the leads on the battery for in-place charging. If you're concerned about using a trickle charger on a truck with modern computers and electronics, then disconnect the battery. You're probably under the hood anyway to connect the battery tender. Just loosen the positive cable and pull it off the battery. Done. No worries.
If you're going to let a battery sit in a place where it would normally discharge, you're better off putting a proper trickle charger on it. This could include removing the batteries and locating them to a suitable garage.
You can also just use the leads on the battery for in-place charging. If you're concerned about using a trickle charger on a truck with modern computers and electronics, then disconnect the battery. You're probably under the hood anyway to connect the battery tender. Just loosen the positive cable and pull it off the battery. Done. No worries.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2018
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Don't complicate your life. Spend 50 bucks on a 1.25A Battery Tender. Whether you have a gasser or a diesel, just install the BT terminals on the battery and you're good to go. Diesel batteries are connected so you connect the tender to just one battery and it takes care of both. As was noted above, I leave mine plugged in full time from Nov through March. I don't drive my vehicles very much and have BTs on all of them.
Battery Tenders, or others like them, are not trickle chargers. They are maintainers and will keep the battery at 100 percent regardless of the environment.
Battery Tenders, or others like them, are not trickle chargers. They are maintainers and will keep the battery at 100 percent regardless of the environment.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 117
Likes: 2
thanks
usually comes on in a couple weeks, i will just get the battery tender as suggested! Thanks for the help
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,676
Likes: 12,797
From: Wyoming
My truck sits for weeks at a time. I have a CTEK MUS 4.3. It's a smart charger and has a couple extra features that make the price worth it. A feature I use once a year is the reconditioner.
From the CTEK website
From the CTEK website
The charger solves a broad range of battery problems and features include a patented automatic desulphation program and a special reconditioning function that will revive and restore deeply discharged and stratified batteries. The patented Float/Pulse maintenance makes the charger ideal for long-term maintenance. The Recond and ‘Snowflake’ modes operate individually or together in both 0.8A and 4.3A programs providing great flexibility for the user.
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Posting Guru
Joined: May 2019
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From: Central Ky.
Don't complicate your life. Spend 50 bucks on a 1.25A Battery Tender. Whether you have a gasser or a diesel, just install the BT terminals on the battery and you're good to go. Diesel batteries are connected so you connect the tender to just one battery and it takes care of both. As was noted above, I leave mine plugged in full time from Nov through March. I don't drive my vehicles very much and have BTs on all of them.
Battery Tenders, or others like them, are not trickle chargers. They are maintainers and will keep the battery at 100 percent regardless of the environment.
Battery Tenders, or others like them, are not trickle chargers. They are maintainers and will keep the battery at 100 percent regardless of the environment.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 1,366
Likes: 185
From: Frederick, CO
I continually hear/read good things about those CTEK chargers. They don't just keep the battery topped off, they have diagnostics and conditioning functions that are beneficial to the battery's lifetime. Batteries are expensive. One of these years (I keep saying), I'll get one of those CTEK devices. For now, I use the cheaper trickle charger with limited benefits to the battery (outside of keeping it topped off without overcharging).
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