Battery tender: danger or paranoia?

[FastCarFan]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question....

I have put my 88 911 down for its long winter nap & I am considering the purchase of Porsche's battery tender (from our host).

My concern: is there any danger (fire or other) in leaving the battery tender plugged into the cigarette lighter all winter? I am primarily concerned because it is a rather old car, with rather old wiring.

I realize it can also be attached directly to the battery, but I am worried that one of the clips might slip off, or come off if someone accidentally kicks the wire walking by it in the garage.

Thank you in advance for your advice...& for not laughing.

Doug

P.S.: "It's not paranoia if everyone really is out to get me."

[dad911]

Minimal current flows from the tender to the battery (that is why it is also called a 'trickle charger') so I doubt the tender would be a problem. With or without the charger, the wiring is still connected to the battery.

If you are concerned about the wiring, disconnect the battery from the car, and hook up the charger directly to the battery.

[FastCarFan]

Thanks...I ordered my battery tender from Pelican today.

Doug

[aigel]

It's too late now, I suppose. But if you really store it for an extended period of time, I'd just pull the battery, set it on the work bench and be done with it. Then charge it before you put it back in spring and you are all set. Cheap, easy and safe.

George

[Emission]

Originally posted by aigel
It's too late now, I suppose. But if you really store it for an extended period of time, I'd just pull the battery, set it on the work bench and be done with it. Then charge it before you put it back in spring and you are all set. Cheap, easy and safe.

George

Isn't that worse for the battery? I thought they needed the charge (or the recharge) cycles...

[aigel]

So, how much do batteries cost? Why are people obsessed with tickler chargers that cost as much as a whole new battery?

But seriously, call me paranoid, I usually disconnect the battery on any car I store for longer periods just for safety. If you have a sharp toothed critter get in there and create a short, you are in for a garage / house fire, that you could have easily avoided.

You can store a fully charged battery for 1/2 a year no problem when there is no load on it. It should be charged when you start out. The reason people put the battery tender - in my book - is to keep up with the small drain the radio, clock and computer, if so equipped, put on the battery. Makes sense if you store 4 weeks at a time on a computer equipped car, but not on an older no brain car that you put away for 6 months.

Just my two cents. I better go drive the 993 to work tomorrow to tender the battery.

George

[wholberg]

Originally posted by Emission
Isn't that worse for the battery? I thought they needed the charge (or the recharge) cycles...

Battery sulfation is made worse by allowing it to drain excessively. Maintaining the battery at an optimum voltage using a battery tender keeps it pretty healthy, and should not reduce the life of the battery. Essentially, driving the car puts a charger (alternator) on the battery every day.

[Emission]

Originally posted by aigel
So, how much do batteries cost? Why are people obsessed with tickler chargers that cost as much as a whole new battery?

George

The PO of my car replaced the battery every two years. I have owned the car for five years, and I am still on the same battery that was in the car when it was purchased from him.

I use a trickle charger daily.

It is nice knowing my battery is not an issue - they work great.

[FastCarFan]

Thanks for all of the comments. I also read a couple of other posts about battery tenders. The instructions & some of the comments I read mention using the tender in a well-ventilated area.

My concern is how ventilated the battery has to be. I have a battery vent kit installed & the car sits in a rather large 3-car garage that is opened/closed several times a day. However, I do have a cover on the car. Is that ventilated enough?

If not, I could pull back the front of the cover & possibly even pop the hood open a bit.

Is it safe to use the battery tender with a battery vent kit, the hood closed & a car cover?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[Wayne 962]

Originally posted by aigel
So, how much do batteries cost? Why are people obsessed with tickler chargers that cost as much as a whole new battery?

Batteries like to be kept at full charge. If not, then they can deteriorate and then suddenly fail, leaving you stranded (been there, done that).

-Wayne

[randywebb]

Doug - you're fine - don't worry

[911pcars]

"My concern is how ventilated the battery has to be."

During the charging process, lead-acid batteries produce hydrogen gas which is flammable. It can cause the battery to explode if an errant spark is generated (as in disconnecting "live" charger leads from it or by creating incorrect polarity connections). I haven't heard of explosions extending beyond the battery case, so I think the garage structure is pretty safe, but you don't want acid splashed onto wiring, paint, plastic and other car parts.

Sherwood

[RoninLB]

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[mmastro]

I guess I'm paranoid, too....The last time I used a trickle charger on my small Odyssey battery, it was very warm (posts were hot) to the touch. Is this considered normal? I haven't used the charger since then for fear of exploding the battery or starting a fire in my wiring.

[AvonGil]

I have an 800 mA Deltran battery tender connected to my car. Its very safe and wont overheat your battery. It comes on when the voltage drops bellow a certain point and turns off at another point. This is the best way to keep your battery topped off during the winter. It produces a slow mild charge only when needed. They run around 25 bucks.

[Green 912]

Please do not confuse trickle chargers and battery tenders, they are two different devices. A Tender reads the voltage and only comes on to top off then shuts 100% off. A Trickle charger remains on pushing current all the time. Tenders, Good. Trickle chargers, not good.

A good battery costs 2X what a Tender costs. The time spent finding out the battery is crapped out and getting another one rather than driving the Porsche is 10X the cost IMO.

[defcon65]

I just hooked up my $9.99 HF battery float charger yesterday - set it and forget it. See you in April.

Regards,

[FastCarFan]

Thank you everyone. As always, I really appreciate the advice.

Happy holidays,

Doug