Trickle Battery Charger?

[RW Wiley]

Does anyone use a Trickle Battery Charger on their batteries? My 1993 Newell is stored on an concrete pad behind my house and I check it every week and at least once a month run the engine and the generator. Would it be good to also use a Trickle Charger to keep the batteries warm? Pros/con. Thanks for any advice.

RW Wiley

[Vantare]

There are several trickle chargers that will do the job. You might want 2 depending upon your house battery charger. STOP running your engine and genny as you are creating condensation. Either do nothing or drive it to get it completely warmed up.

I vote for PowerPulse and here's a link and information.

• Increase battery life upto 5x
• Provides greater charge acceptance
• Batteries charge faster and last longer
• No assembly required
• 10 in. L x 8 in. W x 2 in. H (1 lbs.) PowerPulse is not a charger. Charging does not eliminate the main cause of premature battery failures energy-robbing sulfate deposits on battery plates. During this process, the plates gradually become more and more clogged with microscopic lead sulfate deposits. These deposits eventually limit the surface area available for energy transfer and cut back the battery's ability to accept, store and release energy. PowerPulse generates an intermittent

PowerPulse Link is right here <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004I6QREK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative =9325&creativeASIN=B004I6QREK&linkCode=as2&tag=aff iliatechie-20">12 Volt Power Pulse Battery Charger</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=affiliatechie-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004I6QREK" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

[prairieschooner]

Not sure that the Power Pulse is a Stand Alone Trickle Charger.
I have disconnected mine since I haven't been able to prove Circuit Protection. I sent them an email but didn't hear back and I would much rather see any Fuse or whatever.

[NewellCrazy]

You can use a Battery Minder with desulphation/rejuvenation feature to keep batteries charged but not overcharged.

Link: BatteryMINDer Charger/Maintainer/Desulfater - 12V, Model# 2012

[David Carrol]

Here are the options and my opinion of them.

Trickle chargers: Not the best choice unless they are also "Smart Chargers" See next line.

Battery Minder (Tm) or Battery Tender (Tm) type chargers, these are SMART trickle chargers and are an excellent choice, may be best choice read on.

Progressive Dynamics 9200 (or any charge wizard controlled unit) Also an excelent choice, may be best choice, plug in Newell.


Short version: If your coach has a good top quality 3-stage converter (I named one, there are several) Simply plugging it into shore power is your best choice.

If you have a lesser converter, or do not wish to plug the entire RV in A Battery Minder/Tender (TMs) is the best choice.

These by the way are 2-stage smart chargers, the last two, Absorption/Float.

David Carrol

[NewellCrazy]

Also check out the Deltran battery tender onsale @ the link below for 23.30

Link: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CITK8S/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative =9325&creativeASIN=B000CITK8S&linkCode=as2&tag=aff iliatechie-20">Battery Tender 021-0123 Battery Tender Junior 12V Battery Charger</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=affiliatechie-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000CITK8S" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />

• Spark proof during lead connection, reverse polarity protected and includes a 12-foot output cord and 5-year warranty
• Perfect for charging all 12-volt lead-acid, flooded or sealed maintenance free batteries (AGM and gel cell)
• Complete 4-step charging program (Initialization, Bulk Charge, Float Mode) allows for optimization of battery power, without overcharging
• Automatic charge cycle functionality switches to float mode after fully charging the battery
• Solid state two color LED indicates stage of charger

[chockwald]

Originally Posted by prairieschooner

Not sure that the Power Pulse is a Stand Alone Trickle Charger.
I have disconnected mine since I haven't been able to prove Circuit Protection. I sent them an email but didn't hear back and I would much rather see any Fuse or whatever.

I have the Power Pulses on all four of my 8D batteries. They are not a trickle charger. They connect to the positive and negative poles of your battery. Their main purpose is to prevent sulfating, and they work great. As far as a trickle charger is concerned, the best one you can get is to hardwire in a charger/converter that has a three stage charger, plus a desulfating mode. I don't see the point of a battery tender. If you keep the coach plugged in while in storage the charger will spend most of its time in trickle charge mode once the batteries are topped off. Since I have an older Classic the inverter is installed in a separate location. I like this because when all three are combined (inverter/converter/charger) and one goes bad you have to replace the whole thing....very expensive! I use the Progressive Dynamics Intelli-Power 80 amp charger/converter. Have not lost a battery since I installed it. I installed the Power Pulses about 18 months ago. They do draw power, so when I am dry camping I disconnect them....I installed quick connects in line to make it easy to take them off line.

Of course, if you can plug the coach in while it is in storage then you can install solar panels that will keep the batteries topped off. I have 2 150 watt panels with a Blue Sky charge controller and monitor....works great, and even has a desulfating mode.