Author Topic: Anybody's battery tender eat batteries ? (Read 10676 times)

greenjeans · « **on:** April 08, 2015, 04:46:14 AM »

Lost 2 batteries in the span of 2 weeks. The first one was old, so I didn't worry that much about it. However the second one was under a year old.
Basically, every now and then, I turn the key the wrong direction mistakenly thinking that I have turned it completely off. Yesterday, I was at work and it was on for 6 hours before I noticed it. Luckily, there was enough juice in the battery for me to kick start it and get home. Took the long way but when I got home it was just under 12 volts. So, I threw it on the battery tender. This morning, it was dead. 0 volts. Kaput. The battery that I did that to last week - same thing. Over night on the battery tender and 0 volts.

Both batteries had good levels of water. I had to add a little distilled water to one of them, but not much.

What would cause my battery tender to eat my battery ?

Johnie · « **Reply #1 on:** April 08, 2015, 05:40:42 AM »

My guess is it was the battery not the tender. I have had 6 Battery Tenders for 9 years and all work flawless. Get rid of the acid battery and go with a good quality AGM. Once I got a battery from Batteries Plus and it died in 60 days. No longer get them there. I put mine on the tender the first of each month in the winter. Had my Wing battery last for 9 years. Changed it out just because

My KO AGM is now 6 years old and going strong. The worst 2 things for batteries is cold and discharge. Good luck with it.

lrutt · « **Reply #2 on:** April 08, 2015, 06:15:05 AM »

A tender will boil out a wet battery. I've had that happen before. Go AGM though and never have a problem again.

Eddie · « **Reply #3 on:** April 08, 2015, 06:21:55 AM »

It seems to be hit or miss on acid batteries, I had an interstate batterie last less that a year. Charger say open cel. Currently have a Napa batterie that I have killed twice and it still charges up and holds. Thru the winter I throw the charger on it every 6 weeks..been fine for three years. FYI, I have a digital charger..

greenjeans · « **Reply #4 on:** April 08, 2015, 06:41:33 AM »

Curious part is - the battery had enough charge for me to kick start it. Had almost 12V by the time I got home. But, after a night on the battery tender is was completely DEAD.

Guess I'll be getting a AGM. BatteriesPlus does seem high on their prices as well. Anybody have a favorite ?

madmtnmotors · « **Reply #5 on:** April 08, 2015, 06:46:56 AM »

Quote from: lrutt on April 08, 2015, 06:15:05 AM

A tender will boil out a wet battery. I've had that happen before.

Overnight? I thought the battery tenders would charge a battery and then "maintain" full charge as opposed to overcharging. Might have to do more research before I get a Battery Tender. The charger I use now is microprocessor controlled and will stop charging when full charge is reached. From there (if left connected) it becomes a true "maintainer" in that it will only trickle (or "float charge"?) as necessary to keep a full charge. Since I started using this charger I have doubled the useful life of my batteries, where I would only get two years out of a standard wet cell I now get four. Oddly enough, the charger I use is no longer available through Sears but is carried by Walmart:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Diehard-80-20-10-2-Amp-Fully-Automatic-Battery-Charger-with-Emergency-Engine-Start/15140190#about

Looks like Sears has updated their design:

http://www.sears.com/diehard-gold-80a-shelf-battery-charger-engine-starter/p-02871325000P?sellerId=SEARS&prdNo=4&blockNo=4&blockType=G4

Johnie · « **Reply #6 on:** April 08, 2015, 07:04:50 AM »

I use the Battery Tender Plus which is from Sears for about $60. The batteries I use are Interstate or Yuasa. I hear Yuasa makes batteries for others too. I stay away from the cheapies

becken · « **Reply #7 on:** April 08, 2015, 07:19:59 AM »

I have 4 motorcycle and 2 yard equipment batteries to maintain eith my battery tender plus. I put the first one on the charger monday morning and switch to the next each morning thereafter, Sunday being the day of rest.I do this all year around and I believe it extends the life of the batteries. I totally agree about the AGM and will convert the rest of mine to AGM when the time comes for replacement. I am very happy with the 2 Scorpian batteries I have and will use them when availale.

Lostboy Steve · « **Reply #8 on:** April 08, 2015, 07:44:06 AM »

Yes, I had one of the little ones that was weather proof for my quad and it was apparently shorted and kept blowing main-fuses on anything I plugged it into.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #9 on:** April 08, 2015, 08:00:48 AM »

A battery tender will cook off the water in a wet battery. Switch to gel.

greenjeans · « **Reply #10 on:** April 08, 2015, 08:46:30 AM »

Quote from: CB750 Cafe Racer Fan on April 08, 2015, 08:00:48 AM

A battery tender will cook off the water in a wet battery. Switch to gel.

Had this battery tender for many years now. Never had a sealed battery on any of my bikes in that time. Never had a problem before.
Guess I'll get a new charger and an AGM battery. Found the Scorpion battery for $70 - seems fair to me.

mystic_1 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 08, 2015, 08:51:16 AM »

I, on the other hand, have left batteries attached to my battery tender for MONTHS and not had a single problem

If we're talking actual Battery Tender brand chargers, they drop into "trickle charge mode" once the battery is full. Mine has a separate light to indicate when it is in this mode.

If we're talking about a dumb unregulated battery charger, then yes they can boil off the electrolyte in the battery, but the OP stated that fluid levels were good.

If the batter was putting out ZERO voltage, then there's a physical problem inside the battery, like a broken connection to the posts or between plates. Even a very old nearly dry battery will put out some power just not enough to do useful work with.

So unless you Battery Tender is broken, it shouldn't be doing this to batteries. It is possible that yours is broken and over charging, but you'd need to hook up an ammeter to tell this.

mystic_1

Airborne 82nd · « **Reply #12 on:** April 08, 2015, 09:20:45 AM »

Quote from: mystic_1 on April 08, 2015, 08:51:16 AM

I, on the other hand, have left batteries attached to my battery tender for MONTHS and not had a single problem

If we're talking actual Battery Tender brand chargers, they drop into "trickle charge mode" once the battery is full. Mine has a separate light to indicate when it is in this mode.

If we're talking about a dumb unregulated battery charger, then yes they can boil off the electrolyte in the battery, but the OP stated that fluid levels were good.

If the batter was putting out ZERO voltage, then there's a physical problem inside the battery, like a broken connection to the posts or between plates. Even a very old nearly dry battery will put out some power just not enough to do useful work with.

So unless you Battery Tender is broken, it shouldn't be doing this to batteries. It is possible that yours is broken and over charging, but you'd need to hook up an ammeter to tell this.

mystic_1

http://www.motoparthub.com/YUA1201501_Yuasa_6_12_Volt_1_5_Amp_5_Stage_Battery_Charger?src=Google&gclid=CMOxoL2H58QCFcQbgQodLxEAfA
I agree I have this and it has worked well and is about the same type of charger. I did have a BatteryTender Smart charger/maintainer that worked just as good but gave it to my son. Like others I went to a AGM for my 750.
http://www.batterystuff.com/powersports-batteries/sYTX14AHL-BS.html.
I know they cost more however I feel like it is worth it on the bench in the winter (heated shop) it drops less than .5vdc in 4 months. It is on it's 5th year and I can not tell any difference in a cold turn over than when new. I hope I didn't just jinx myself.
There is absolutely nothing scientific in my testing.

The red part could be key to all of this. Charger or Maintainer?

madmtnmotors · « **Reply #13 on:** April 08, 2015, 09:25:56 AM »

Quote from: mystic_1 on April 08, 2015, 08:51:16 AM

It is possible that yours is broken and over charging, but you'd need to hook up an ammeter to tell this.

+1

To reduce two different batteries to zero voltage overnight makes me suspect the charger. Have you tried a different charger on the "failed" batteries?

Bodi · « **Reply #14 on:** April 08, 2015, 09:27:20 AM »

With a battery tender on all winter I have to add a bit of (distilled) water to the cells of a wet cell battery, maybe half an inch. I don't have any issue with that - it's normal maintenance on these batteries to add water occasionally.

greenjeans · « **Reply #15 on:** April 08, 2015, 09:40:26 AM »

The tender I have is the "battery tender jr" that you just plug into the wall. No dials or gauges, just a light that lets you know if it is charging.

I have not tried my other battery charger yet, but will tonight. What would you guys recommend charging the battery at ? 1.5 amps ?

mystic_1 · « **Reply #16 on:** April 08, 2015, 09:44:04 AM »

1.5 amps should be fine.

mystic_1

Chachi · « **Reply #17 on:** April 08, 2015, 09:53:45 AM »

For what it's worth... I have had good luck with Scorpion AGM from batterystuff.com. I occasionally use a YUASA tender (Smart Shot 900).

evanphi · « **Reply #18 on:** April 08, 2015, 11:05:31 AM »

I've had my battery plugged into my tender/maintainer all winter. No issues!

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/noco-genius-g1100-smart-battery-charger-0111926p.html#.VSVtwlVViko

Johnie · « **Reply #19 on:** April 08, 2015, 12:36:52 PM »

Me too...plug the Wing in all winter on my Battery Tender Plus since there is a clock and volt meter that are live. I have a green light when it is in the maintain mode.

Stev-o · « **Reply #20 on:** April 08, 2015, 03:24:24 PM »

Quote from: Chachi on April 08, 2015, 09:53:45 AM

For what it's worth... I have had good luck with Scorpion AGM from batterystuff.com.

+1.

hsas.69 · « **Reply #21 on:** April 08, 2015, 04:39:05 PM »

I really like Interstates AGM. Got my most recent for 60-70 bucks.

Stev-o · « **Reply #22 on:** April 08, 2015, 06:08:57 PM »

Quote from: hsas.69 on April 08, 2015, 04:39:05 PM

I really like Interstates AGM. Got my most recent for 60-70 bucks.

Where did you buy that?

Garage_guy_chris · « **Reply #23 on:** April 08, 2015, 08:26:11 PM »

Are we talking battery tenders in general or the brand name "Battery Tender" ?

I had a CTEK Multi US3300 and it murdered two batteries in two years. After getting no where with customer service (email below) I stopped using it and bought a Tecmate Optimate 3+ and it has been great on 3 different bike batteries and Ive also hooked it up to my car a few times to see if its maintenance mode would help the aging battery and surprisingly it did. But because of my negative experiences I wont leave chargers blindly hooked up and running for extended periods I will just hook it up and leave it for the day or overnight

Heres the email I sent customer support describing the problem in detail

Quote

I have owned the above mentioned charger (Ctek Multi US 3300) for approximately 2 years. In this time this charger has destroyed two relatively new (less than a year old) power sports batteries.

The first battery was a Yuasa YB7C-A. it was mid winter last year and i decided to top up the battery in my motorcycle. Prior to charging the battery was fully functional and in great almost new condition. The charger was connected via the included permanent pigtail, the charger was set to "motorcycle" mode, and left to charge, I checked the charging process about twice a day without any strange behavior. One morning after being on charge for a few days i entered the garage to be overwhelmed by the smell of a very hot, off gassing battery. After opening up the battery compartment i found the battery in a rolling boil off gassing and spilling acid out the vent tube all over my motorcycle's paint (luckily there was no significant damage). After disconnecting and letting the battery cool i discovered one of the cells to be boiled almost completely dry and the remaining cells low. After letting the battery cool and reinstalling I attempted to start the bike but the battery barely had enough power to illuminate the headlight.

This past spring i replaced the damaged battery with a brand new, Trans - Canada CB7C-A. Once again the bike has been in storage for about a month and i decided the battery could use a top up. Again, prior to charging the battery was fully functional and in great almost new condition. So once again I connected the Ctek via the included permanent pigtail, the charger was set to "motorcycle" mode, and left to charge. It was left for a few days monitoring the charge process about 1 to 2 times daily. This evening when i got home I noticed the two "battery" indicator lights flashing very rapidly. I decided to investigate. I opened the battery compartment and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary so I thought I would attempt to start the bike. Again the battery barely had enough power to illuminate the headlight. After removing the battery and visually inspecting it is clear the Ctek has once again boiled a cell dry due to overcharging.

I am a trained automotive apprentice technician and know a few things about automotive batteries and charging. I know a so called "smart" charger that "may be connected for months at a time" (from the manual) should not have the ability to overcharge a battery in any capacity. Boiling it dry is another thing all together often associated with a old fashioned "manual" type charger.

I would like to know what your opinion and stand point are with the issues i have experienced. I would also like to know what you are prepared to do to correct the situation as I am completely dis-satisfied with the product and will not be using it again in any capacity in fear of it destroying another $100 battery. I also feel the charger is a safety hazard. The incident with the first battery could have potentially ended much worse with a hydrogen explosion due to the off-gassing or a fire due to the temperature of the battery, or just damage to my collector motorcycle in the form of heat, acid damage from spilled acid or damage from the acidic off-gassing in the electrical compartment to other components.

From a dis-satisfied and concerned consumer,

Deltarider · « **Reply #24 on:** April 09, 2015, 01:55:45 AM »

Quote

The worst 2 things for batteries is cold and discharge.

To be precise it's the combination. A discharged battery runs a risk when it is cold. On the other hand a normally/well charged battery will keep it's charge best in the cold. The cold slows down the chemical process that the battery essentially is.
I'm puzzled by the bad results with the CTEK. Here CTEK (a Swedish quality product) is regarded as the best and there are a number of test to proof it. Could it have been a counterfeit one?

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Author Topic: Anybody's battery tender eat batteries ? (Read 10676 times)