Ok to leave onboard charger plugged in for extended periods?

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05-22-2008, 03:12 PM

#11

Pismo10

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The fastest, guaranteed way to destroy a battery is to leave it on a charger too long. Turn it off.

05-22-2008, 03:33 PM

#12

Out There

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If you do leave it on watch the water levels in the batteries closely if possible. They will boil off water quickly.
Greg

05-22-2008, 10:30 PM

#13

4mulafastech

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Quote:

Originally Posted by offthefront

A trickle charger is exactly as named and always provides a small amount of current to maintain voltage levels ....the new smart chargers are susposed to be able to monitor voltage and not overcharge ....not sure how well they work ....but I do know that since I added an onboard charger all my battery problems ended .....m

I agree. A smart charger that cuts all power when the battery reaches full charge is good. Although, it is my understanding some chargers are not as 'smart' as others, and that is where you can get into trouble overcharging.

I took my Deka's out this winter and kept them in the basement. Maybe once every 4-6 weeks I would check the voltage with a multi-meter. Was suprised to see at the most a drop of .2 or so volts. Connect a 10 amp charger for 90 minutes and they are back to full charge and good to go!