Battery tending

:?:
Ready to get the bikes out for the cool Wisconsin Spring. Have 3 bike and rotate a tender every week between the 3 batteries. Notice one battery was low on fluid and filled with distilled water. This bike started right up with bright lights. The other 2 bikes did not start and the batteries wore down quickly. In pulling both batteries, they were also low. I filled with D. water and am charging them before I return to the storage shed. Questions? Bad charger or over charging? The charger was advertised as trickle charger or tender - and yes, it was cheap, inexpensive purchase. Every year I have had the Seca, the fluid gets low. Is this damaging the batteries? Any other thoughts? Maybe I need more bikes to distribute the charging times out for the batteries.

 

Batteries lose fluid from the moment electrolysis starts, that's why the distilled water trick. The only thing you can do to prevent fluid lose is to not put the fluid in in the first place.

Just a normal chemical process.

 

What rate is the charger, it should be 0.very little, for trickle, or regular charge once a month, I don't get tskaz's comment about not putting in distilled water, as the plates should always be just covered.

 

If you think you are over charging then get a battery maintainer. These turn themselves off when the battery reaches a full charge. Another thing I recommend is to go to an Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) battery. These are sealed and give you a lot more bang for your buck. Here is the maintainer I have and it works good http://www.batterychargers.com/ProductD ... e=94026854

 

Actually, what I said was:

And what I meant was this:

There is no way to prevent evaporation of the electrolyte.

As soon as you add the electrolyte the chemical process starts. The whole Protons and neutrons thing. And the electrolyte will actually start evaporating before you put a charger to it.

Adding the charger just speeds up the process. The charging system on the bike will cause evaporation. Hot weather will cause evaporation.

Below freezing temps actually are better for a battery, they will not lose charge or electrolyte as fast, but it still happens.

So the only way to prevent evaporation of the electrolyte is to not add it in the first place. But of course, then you won't have a working battery.

So the lesson for today, boys and girls, is to always add distilled water before charging your batteries in the spring.

Hope this clears up what I posted earlier.

 

Bad cells are more prone to electrolyte loss. Generally they show up individually.

If you're seeing all the cells low, particularly on multiple batteries, your charger is suspect.

 

Thanks for clearing that up, tskaz, I hope the rest of the members are not as confused as me.

 

Back to the OP's question, Wiz hit the nail on the head; you're likely overcharging. Even using a relatively low-amp charger isn't any good if it's not the type that shuts off when the battery is fully charged; but it also has to be like only a 0.75A or so. You're not "trickling" a motorcycle battery with a 2A charger.

 

The charger I am using is a 1.5 amp automatic float chargers from Schumacher. The box makes it sound like it shuts off when charged and indicates it is intended for use for motorcycles and such. I had the battery tested and the battery place indicated I needed a new battery. Though I am always leery about this. Did get a new battery and started the bike right up. Life is good, but have less money than I did.

 

I have a "Battery Tender" brand charger/maintainer for motorcycles. Never had a minutes trouble out of it. However about $40 bucks. I have seen other tenders at a lot lower cost, but haven't bit. My vote is the Battery Tender brand...comes with pigtails for remote hookup and a set of clip type ends as well......JMO

 

1.5A is right on the edge of being too much. I have one of those I use for trickle-charging car batteries and maybe quickly charging up my lawn tractor; my motorcycle battery tender is a 0.75A "float" charger. (Battery Tender brand as well.) I rotate it between 3-4 batteries all winter.

 

lead acid batteries should be charged at a constant voltage, the current is a product of the difference of the battery voltage and the charger voltage, more difference more current, the amp number on the charger is the max it will put out
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