JDAN1930

I am looking to buy a battery tender. Went to a car show last week and they had a Battery Saver - It had LED readout and would charge or maintain a battery.
Does anyone know anything about these? What brand does everyone recommend to keep the battery up when not driving

THANKS!!!

ant21b

Battery tender or battery tender junior. I use the battery tender junior. I also have a full size charger a scumacher 100 amp start assist to bring the battery up to 80 percent if the vette sits for a month then I put the battery tender junior on the battery to bring it up from 80 percent to 100 percent. The battery tender junior will charge the battery but if its down at 40 or 50 percent it will take a few days that's why I like to fast charge it to 80 percent with the Schumacher then the battery tender junior will bring it to 100 percent in about 12 hours then float charge the battery.

R&L's C6

FortMorganAl

Battery Tender Junior. This is a tender/maintainer, not a charger. You don't need a lot of power and, in fact, the lower power doesn't damage he battery as much as a higher power unit can.

Batman75

I have a Battery Tender Plus.

Don-Vette

Been using the same Shumacher 1.5amp. maintainer for may years. $20 at Wallyworld.

mcandrew67

I have the Ctek multi us 3300 on my Vette and Harley,
Charges and maintains as well.
EDIT: Get the magnetic connection that goes in the front grill, that way when you back out it just disconnects, and reconnecting is a cinch, just put the connector on the front, much easier than the cig adapter.

Globeman

Battery tender Jr. ...and get the Cigarette Lighter adapter. Just plug it into the lighter socket. No need to open the hood and mess with clamps.

ant21b

Battery tender junior can be left hooked up all the time when not driving the car but I don't do that because some say it should be disconnected every 60 days. I just hook mine up once or twice a month until the light turns green then I disconnect it I have never had a dead battery with this method.

RoadkingC6

Most any brand battery charger /maintainer will do the job, i have a Sears unit and two Battery tender brands and they all work good. I use them on my two Harley's and one on my car. I installed the Mag Charger on my Vette and like it a lot, you should check it out. it works great and all you have to do is apply the magnetic charger to the outside of the car near the front of the grill, once the unit is installed. I think it will work with most brands of chargers but i would check.

Bruze

I have read about the magnetic connector before on CF, and it does seem the be the easiest way.

CTEK does not list it as an accessory, but I did find this one that is independently made.

Is that what you guys are using?

windyC6

Lots of forum thoughts on this issue as well. This post seems pretty accurate when saying that most will do the job well. I got the Sears units also which I'm sure are made by someone else but regardless they do the job on my Vette and Harley. Not sure why some say that a maintainer isn't a charger, kinda seems to me that any device that maintains the battery has to be charging it.....interesting. Either way if your battery is low I think most maintainers will also charge it, but it may take a while. Another mis-conception is that one should keep it hooked up 24 - 7 for it to work properly. I personally don't like leaving any kind of electrical equipment plugged in for long periods. During the winter I just plug my tender in about 3-4 times a week for at least 3-4 hours and all works fine.

mcandrew67

Yes that is the one, I got mine off a forum vendor here
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ry-tender.html

RoadkingC6

That's the one.

Batman75

I don't know the difference between The Battery Tender Junior and Battery Tender Plus but instructions say it can be left connected indefinitely. Like windyC6 I don't like to keep it connected all of the time though.

RoadkingC6

I have three vehicles, that are not daily drivers, i leave the tenders on all of them 24/7 and have never had any issues, they should be safe they automatically stop charging when they reach their full charge states. But however you do it , it all works if i started unplugging any of them i would most likely sooner or later forget to plug them back in.

Bruze

Years ago I had what I think is called a trickle charger -- charged at 1 or 2 amps but DID NOT have any type of automatic shut off. If you left it on too long it would overcharge the battery. The "maintainers" sense when the battery is charged and adjust as needed.

Bruze

Thanks guys.

The guy on the website says he can just drive away and it will fall off, interesting, not that I would do that.

mcandrew67

I do it all the time, back out of the garage and it just pulls off, no issue ever with it,

mikeCsix

What is at issue is the battery voltage. Bulk charging can/will drive the battery voltage to 14.2 or more volts. The unregulated automotive type chargers found in most stores will drive the battery voltage to 16+ volts, model dependent and if the current isn't tapered off, will overheat and damage the battery. These chargers are good for bulk chargers, I'll use it to bulk charge the battery to 14 volts and then use my Battery Tender to top it off and float charge it. I have also used the Battery Tender to charge up a group 24 battery that was sitting at 10volts but that takes a lot of patience.

The battery tender brand will stop charging when it hits the upper voltage level of about 14.2, then turn itself off to let the voltage fall to 13.2, then turn itself back on to maintain 13.2v. This is an ideal float voltage, the battery can sit for months or years at 13.2 without damage as long as you keep the battery topped off with distilled water. So inspect the water level once a week, adjust your inspection frequency as needed. Just don't let it dry out.