Wilko Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hi I'm leaving the car unused and outside for 3 weeks, will my battery survive better if I disconnect the 2 terminals, i think I have read this somewhere but can't find it so maybe I dreamt it !!W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickP Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 [quote user="Wilko"]Hi I'm leaving the car unused and outside for 3 weeks, will my battery survive better if I disconnect the 2 terminals, i think I have read this somewhere but can't find it so maybe I dreamt it !! W[/quote] Personally I have left lots of vehicles for long periods of time, and I never disconnected the batteries, sometimes there are security codes in the radio that if you disconnect the battery the radio wont work when you reconnect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just john Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Absolutely, my MG's have a Master-Cut-Out- fitted discreetly, you can remove the key, it acts as theft deterrent and saves the battery; I leave it for months, turn the key and battery is virtually as good as it was left. (make sure you know your stereo code!)There is another version, Cut-Out-Switch which includes a feed for radio's etc, though you don't have exactly the same degree of battery integrity if alarms etc continue to consume current. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I have a solar panel device which came, I think, from Aldi. Cost less than a tenner. It plugs into cigar lighter socket and you leave it on dashboard to catch the light. It supposedly provides a trickle charge into the battery to keep it topped up. Well that's the theory. Only used it once in 5 years and car started when I got back; whether the battery would have been OK anyway, without it, I will never know.It is very similar to this:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Solar-Battery-Charger-ideal-Caravans/dp/B000R0UBT8I have never understood how it can charge through the cigarette lighter socket with the ignition off as I don't see how it then connects to the battery, but perhaps a more technically-minded person will be able to give an explanation, hopefully in words I can understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericd Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 The trickle charge can only destroy the battery in the long term (plate shedding etc). The best way to treat a battery for the winter is to give it a nice slow overnight charge in October for perfect "cold cranking" during the cold winter months. After a long period of inactivity, you should turn the ignition on, turn the lights on (yes !!!!) in order to get the exchange of ions going between +ve and -ve plates, turn lights off and crank. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 If the battery is still in good condition then yes - if after two weeks the battery will not start the car then you definitely need a new batteryPaul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 [quote user="ericd"]The trickle charge can only destroy the battery in the long term (plate shedding etc). The best way to treat a battery for the winter is to give it a nice slow overnight charge in October for perfect "cold cranking" during the cold winter months. After a long period of inactivity, you should turn the ignition on, turn the lights on (yes !!!!) in order to get the exchange of ions going between +ve and -ve plates, turn lights off and crank. Hope this helps.[/quote]That's interesting Eric, are batteries your thing, I thought plate shedding was caused mainly by rapid charging/discharging not trickle charging. The standard dynamo or alternator is trickle charging whilst the vehicle is in use and a normal battery last around 7 years. Of course cheap batteries use cardboard seperators so fail sooner compared to the latest gel/silver types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericd Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 You know about the subject Theiere. We manufacture separators and I have been selling the stuff for the past 18 years so I know a tad about the subject but there is so much to learn. Plate shedding can happen in many instances and poor trickle charge can be cause for early failure. I personally don't trust it and would rather give the old lady a good overnight/24h slow charge at beginning of winter and/or install a cut-out as mentioned above to avoid any power leakages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericd Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 PS: The silver content in the battery is more to do with water consumption than designed to hold the charge. Should you have more technical questions on the subject please fire them. If I don't know the answer, I know someone who will. Gel will definitely not accept the trickle charge for extented periods when vehicle is at rest as it might dry-up and crack........ Wanted to use it on my motorbike and was told no no no.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 To answer my own question, another source has suggested wiring up a second socket directly to the battery with a fused lead and using that to plug in anything to be operated without going via the ignition switch.Seems to make sense, assuming it does no harm to leave the solar charger connected for 2 or 3 weeks, the most I am likely to leave the car unused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allanb Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 [quote user="ericd"]The trickle charge can only destroy the battery in the long term (plate shedding etc). The best way to treat a battery for the winter is to give it a nice slow overnight charge in October for perfect "cold cranking" during the cold winter months. [/quote] I'd be interested in your opinion of so-called "intelligent" chargers which are supposed to adapt the rate of charge to the changing state of the battery, and which can (allegedly) be left connected just about indefinitely.I've had battery problems in the past but I now have one of these chargers, which I've been using for a couple of years. I usually leave it connected whenever the car is likely to be unused for more than about a week. It appears to work, i.e. no more problems, although the car hasn't been left continuously unused for longer than two months, so maybe it hasn't been seriously tested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 My motobike spends the colder months (typically October to April) in a corner of my heated basement, plugged in to my Optimate bike charger. In the eight years I've been using the charger, I've never experienced any battery problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opifex Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the effect of car alarms in this discussion. We come to France for several weeks at a time and leave an old Polo and a very old Porsche on the drive back home. When we get back the Polo without an alarm always starts first time but if we've been away more than a couple of weeks the Porsche with an alarm hasn't got a hope. I've always put the difference down to the alarm plus the fact that the battery on the Porsche is at the opposite end to the engine so you get a big volt drop in the cable. I can't use a trickle charger because I don't want to leave cables trailing across the drive. For about a year I have used a solar charger which has at least stopped the voltage dropping to the point where there isn't even enough power to unlock the doors as happened a couple of times before I got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I found an old Polo in my pocket, it was covered in blue fluff, why it fluff always blue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Your Armani suits are all blue, perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilko Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Thanks for all the responses guys. I think I'll just leave it and hope it fires u when i next need it.Cheers W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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