Battery Tender Question

[Lawdog86]

I'm stationed overseas and my car is back home, my wife can't drive stick so the car is just sitting for a long while. I thought about getting a battery tender and had a couple questions. Can I just plug it into the positive post and negative post under the hood and leave it plugged in indefinitely, or does it need to be connected directly to the battery? Will it cause any harm for it to be plugged in for a year+? Yes, she starts it weekly, but lately it does not want to turn over, but the battery is brand new.....Any recommendations on a battery tender, I seen the Battery Tender by Deltran had good reviews. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance!

[AG454]

I have a Battery tender Jr. , as well as two other brand units. They all work well. The only problems I ever had was with Optima batteries. Hook it up under the hood, that works fine. Also a lot easier for the wife to access while you are away. If your battery is dead now, you may need to have it charged with a full size battery charger first. I find battery tenders are not really designed for charging a dead battery. After that, you can setup the tender and leave it on, or if it makes you feel better just plug it once a month to get the battery up to full charge and then disconnect it. Thanks for your service.

[Rmkuper]

Also you would not beleive how many people don't know there is a negitive battery post located on drivers side near the CAI. Most just find a hunk of metal....

Sent from my SM-F916U using Tapatalk

[MSgt O]

yes, plug it in under the hood and you'll be fine. even with a "dead" battery, as long as there isnt an internal shorted cell, you'll be just fine. OR....you can let one of us take it out for a spin? Your wife didn't come to your assignment with you? or you just deployed?

[Rock-It Man]

Yup under the hood is fine. Been doing it for 6 months out of the year since 2010. Just make sure wife connects the battery tender clips BOFORE plugging the tender into the wall socket, and then pulls the wall socket before removing the clips.

[hesster]

I have a number of Viking Brand tenders purchased from Harbor Freight at <$30 when on sale. They use a microprocesor and pulse technology, and can be left connected without fear of overcharging or damaging the battery. My car is not a daily driver, and since it sits most of the time, I always plug in the charger and leave it. I hard wired connections to the trunk battery so all I have to do is open the trunk and plug in the quick connect. Still on the original battery for my 2010!



https://www.harborfreight.com/4-amp-...ner-63350.html

[Badbubba]

Been using a CTEK on my Camaro connected under the hood for years. Have another CTEK I use on various vehicles. No issues. Original battery lasted 10+ years. Also, CTEK chargers came with the Corvette Battery Protection Program.

[BCho]

I have had 2 battery tenders, and both packages came with alligator clamps, and a pigtail/ring terminal with the same QD as the alligator clips. I have permanently installed the pigtails on both my wife's tahoe, and my camaro. On the camaro, I have it zip-tied and tucked away (it has a little cap on it to prevent it from touching anything and creating a possible short) under the hood to the positive jump post, and to a body ground. I just plug it in when I know I won't drive it for a while. Works great, no need to hook anything up in the trunk to the actual battery.

[Car Nation Videos]

A battery tender will turn off when it’s fully charged anyway. It won’t hurt it.

[patternpilot]

I have used the standard battery tender on the Camaro for years. The LED tail lights have a parasitic draw and in a couple of weeks the battery is dead. I use them on my motorcycle, RV, and pickup. I would not be without one.

[Lawdog86]

Thank you all for the info! MSgt O, its an unaccompanied tour, my last one, I'm retiring after this! My car has spent more time In storage than I have drove it, its a 2011, w/less just under 40k.

[LimaCharlie]

I've been using a Battery Tender for years. Never had a problem. I hook it up under the hood and use that post for the negative clip (as shown above).

[AlanRubin]

Originally Posted by Car Nation Videos

A battery tender will turn off when it’s fully charged anyway. It won’t hurt it.

A battery tender NEVER turns off, it simply reduces amperage.

If the battery is below a certain level of charge, it will activate bulk charge
mode, delivering its full charge at a constant rate.

Then:
Once a certain level is reached, the Battery Tender will activate absorption
mode, dropping the amps to a lower level for a predetermined period of time
or until the optimum voltage level has been reached.

Secondly:
Once the battery has reached an optimum charge level the tender will switch
into what is commonly known as ‘float’ mode, continuously monitoring and
maintaining the voltage at full charge for as long as it is connected.

Trickle chargers are known to over-charge and cause battery boil out, the
sensors in a tender will actively monitor the condition and charge level of
your battery using a series of modes to best suit the situation.

[MSgt O]

Congrats on the retirement! Short tour you can do standing on your head! I did 26 and retired in 2016.