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Battery maintainer details

9K views 35 replies 19 participants last post by  starchoice 
#1 ·
I've done the search and read the threads about battery maintainers, but I still have a few questions.

This was my first winter with a car I didn't drive for months at a time so I took my chances with no battery tender/minder/maintainer. I now have a dead battery which I plan to replace tomorrow. While I don't plan to let the car sit idle for long periods between now and November, I do want to be ready for using a battery maintainer next winter. Specifically, I need to install the ring terminal cable while I have the battery out.

I understand that a trickle charge is not what's needed but a "smart" maintainer that can sense when the battery needs a charge. I've looked at the Battery Minder Plus ($46, 1.3A), Battery Tender ($49, 1.25A), Battery Tender Jr. ($20, 0.75A), DieHard Battery Charger/Maintainer ($23, 2A), Schumacher Automotive SpeedCharge Battery Maintainer and Charger ($19, 1.5A), and the Schumacher XM1-5 Maintainer, 1.5-Amp ($20). There are probably that many more I haven't found yet, and that's just the under-$50 crowd. Prices are all over the place as are the output currents. Some have fuses inline with the battery connections, some don't. If I'm not intending to charge a dead battery but just want to safely maintain a fully charged battery over the winter, how much current is really necessary? What is the purpose of the fuse when each of these devices claims to monitor the charging process and adjust accordingly? What will cause the fuse to blow? Some of these claim to be chargers as well as maintainers. Does that disqualify them for this purpose?

BatteryMINDer Plus 12 Volt 1.3 Amp Battery Charger: BatteryMart.com

DelTran 12 Volt Battery Tender Plus 1.25 Amp

Battery Tender Junior Charger

DieHard Battery Charger/Maintainer : Exclusively Available at Sears

Schumacher SEM-1562A Battery Maintainer and Charger - Walmart.com

Schumacher XM1-5 1.5 Amp Fully Automatic Power Charger and Maintainer, Microprocessor Controlled Battery Charger, Automotive Battery Charger, Battery Charger Maintainer

Thanks for your help.
 
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