Battery Minders or Tenders

[olddave708]

Our 2006 Ford E-250 SMB sometimes sits garaged for 3 months between uses. Can I use a battery minder (or tender) to maintain the vehicle's battery charge? I'd prefer to hook up with battery on board.

[daveb]

Yeah, I am using one on a 4-D that sits for most of the time. Battery tenders only put out small amounts of current to keep the float charge up, but if you have a drain from whatever device that stays active on board (such as the clock in the radio or vehicle alarm), the battery tender may or may not work correctly. Something like leaving a dome light on might be too much for a battery tender depending on the model you use. The battery should be isolated from everything if possible. Also if the battery is banked with another, any charger can cause problems if one of the batteries in the bunch fails.

[billwilson]

I don't think you are supposed to leave a SMB in the garage for more than 13.546 days.

Please check your manual and advise wife accordingly :-)

[olddave708]

Thank You!