Battery Tender / Fire Safety

Boog said:
One of the local groups I belong to posted this just now in our area; https://wtop.com/fairfax-county/202...nWUNvypjSbdTWRfBvpHNV6gIuFAy3rymFuA2ke5v7m4lM


The couple lost everything but their lives due to a malfunctioning battery tender on one of their motorcycles in the garage.
Click to expand...

I will add to this, that the quality of your charger matters. 17 years ago when I first decided to buy an old bike to restore, I went to Walmart and bought a very inexpensive battery maintainer. The first day I had it plugged in, I went out into the garage at night to take some trash out and at first I couldn’t figure out what I was hearing. It was the sound of my battery literally boiling, the battery case was almost too hot to touch and the charger was very hot also. I promptly unplugged it and threw it in the trash. Whatever was supposed to sense when the battery is fully charged , clearly wasn’t working.
I now have two chargers, one is a Battery Tender model and the other is a Yuasa branded charger. Never had a problem with either and they never feel hot.
 
I've had a variety of battery tenders, true chargers are not able to trickle charge.
I had 2-3 Battery Tender brand (the better one, not the cheapest), an HD and a BMW, which were both relabeled Battery Tenders and most lately cheap units purchased from Cycle Gear
I've lost the HD and two of the BT units following thunder storms. In all cases some component in them failed, even left a wisp of smoke in the air I noticed immediately following one close lightning strike. My now wife had a Schumacher that was a POS and would cook the battery and I discarded it.
I currently have 4 bikes always plugged in and haven't had any issues.
 
Most old style "chargers" should be thrown out. The voltage regulation and current regulation on them is haphazard. I have an older one that I used when I had a diesel. I have hooked it up to a motorcycle battery occasionally, but usually monitor it closely with a voltmeter. It will supply more current for a fast charge, but could cook the battery if you are not careful. I never use that one for more than 30 min at a time. If the battery doesn't show some life after 30 min charge,then you should probably get rid of that battery. I also have a battery tender. But I don't like leaving tenders on too long either. Seen too many battery disasters over the years.
 
A guy I know lost his surfboard shaping factory when the LI battery on a charger in his electric bike caught fire.

I don’t trust a battery charger farther than I can throw it.

I always keep a close eye on a charging bike and never leave it in my shop.

D7501146-A454-43BD-AACA-1C7F8F813929.png
79D3DA76-59EA-4A27-B6C6-70DC9E9D8098.png
 
have found with our modern batteries best not to leave them on tenders for a long time as they seem to shorten the life of the batteries , if not using the bikes , put them on for a few hrs every couple of weeks only ... this seems to prolong the life of the batteries ,have a few bikes and noticed this over a period of a few yrs .. BUT ... i dont live in a cold climate
 
Good information ...
I have had massive charging problem on 2 XS 650 s over the years
The first years I used an Automobile charger . That could not be left on.
No problem really .. as long as one watched it and the small ampere meter
Like an Hour 2... 3
Perhaps batteries are worse today .. But I cannot say that the auto charger was worse than other I have had later
Now I have 2 tender type chargers with better current control . But I feel that I replace batteries as often as I did then
Back then take it out of the bike charged and charge it one time over winter ... stored at a cool place
If i recall right I had one battery for 8 years.
But again I have a suspicion that batteries was better then.
Acid and Lead is not allowed that much anymore ...Just guessing.
But I am gonna rethink ... the always on charger mine are the Cheap type .. Might even go back to the one time only over winter
It is easy to measure the voltage
 
Im a big believer in charge for a few hours every few months out of the bike with a good charger. My batteries last for 10 + years. No need to keep them on a trickle.
 
Have a Deltran Battery Tender Jr that I got from 4wheelonline. It is a charger and maintainer. I connect it every night or when my bike is in the garage. Never had a problem.
 
Try connecting your choice of bargain basement charger to the bike's battery in series with a brake light or turn signal bulb.
The bulb will act as a resistor to limit the current flow and if it goes out you'll know the battery ain't charging.
Over-winter bike battery storage hasn't worked for me in the frozen northern Prairies.
I found that tossing the bike's old battery in the Fall and buying a new one in the Spring was a better way to go.
OTOH, a battery's physical size also seems to be a factor in it's over-wintering ability.
My sidecar rig uses a full size car battery which has successfully over-wintered for 7 years so far.
 
Back
Top