In a message dated 97-11-04 14:02:49 EST, ewcorco@erenj.com writes:
> I'm considering keeping a couple of batteries from my three season vehicles
> on a battery charger (or maintainer) through the winter. Several
> questions: (1) is is worth the trouble in terms of preserving the overall
> health of the battery? (2) any units out there that you would, or would
not
> recommend? (3) is it possible to keep more than one battery at a time
> hooked up to it? (4) do you run them continuously, or periodically?
Ned:
Next time you are at the battery store, check out the marine batteries. You
will note that they are designed for "deep discharge," ie, they are designed
for applications where the battery is allowed to completely run down between
charges. The automobile battery is NOT designed for this. Every time you let
the battery go flat, its life is significantly reduced. For this reason, it
is a good idea to maintain a charge on the battery when it is not going to be
used for a while.
If you get one of the automatic units, there should be no problem with
keeping it on all the time - that would be no different than driving the car
all the time, as the alternator is constantly providing a low charge.
I would not connect more than one battery at a time, because the charger gets
feedback from the battery as to its charge state to determine the charging
current. Two batteries would confuse the charger - I would imagine you would
get overcharging.
If the batteries are totally disconnected, they will keep a charge for a
fairly long time, so it would be no problem to rotate the batteries on the
charger.
Dan Masters,
Alcoa, TN
'71 TR6---------3000mile/year driver, fully restored
'71 TR6---------undergoing full restoration and Ford 5.0 V8 insertion - see:
http://www.sky.net/~boballen/mg/Masters/
'74 MGBGT---3000mile/year driver, original condition
'68 MGBGT---organ donor for the '74
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