ratman6161

I couldn't say if its better or worse than other brands, but I know that in my C5, the battery that came in the car from the factory lasted 12 years. That includes storage through Minnesota winters. So I saw no reason to get something else for the C7.

JoesC5

I don't have to open the hatch to connect my Harbor Freight float charger. I open the hood, connect the float charger, and let the hood then rest on the springs, barely open. I'm not crushing my hatch weatherstripping or leaving the hatch partly opened, so mice can find a nice place to live inside the interior of my car.

Oh, and I have four of the Harbor Freight float chargers, one for my Z06, one for my 56 Corvette, one for my 64 Corvette and one for my riding mower. Been using them for some 12-15 years. If, for one minute, I thought they would cause damage to my expensive Corvettes(two that would be difficult to replace), I would throw them a way. I sure wouldn't use any product that would damage my cars and possibly burn my house down.

When I'm ready to take any of my Corvettes for a drive, it is easy to see that the float charger is connected as the hood is partly open and I can clearly see that it is when I sit in the driver's seat.

dvilin

That's nice I am very happy for you.

JoesC5

Thank you. I'm happy that you falsely believe that a $100 rebadged float charger is better than my four $9 float chargers.

I can connect my $9 float charger, and then in three or four months, disconnect it, and my car fires right off. How does a $100 float charger do any better than that?

nmvettec7

Joe:

You need to understand the technology that goes into a $100 product v a $9.00 product. It's pretty simple to understand that a higher priced charger like the US3300 with the Corvette logo is a 4 step process to charging and maintaining the battery and advancing the life of the battery. The $9.00 charger does not have the same advanced technology.

The US3300 sold by GM can be bought for about $60.00 under the original brand name from any large on-line seller.

Where the other CF member went wrong, is he insulted your post.
He insulted the brand. He insulted you. Not directly, but by his demeanor alone to you.

Take some time to compare the features and you will gain some
technical knowledge.

It doesn't do any good for other CF members to insult each other.

Curahee

Here's a novel idea. Why don't we all use the charger/maintainer that we feel comfortable with, and live with the consequences, good or bad.

dvilin

Wow Joe please take some time to compare features and gain some knowledge, then get back to Mr. Condescending and our own forum analyst, then he can explain not only where I went wrong but you as well.
As for my comment I meant what I said. I am happy you are satisfied with your 4 float chargers. Although I believe the CTEK is a better unit the bottom line is as long as you are happy with what you have and it is doing the job all is good.

ratman6161

I actually do understand the technology. But the other side of the coin is that superior technology does not always yield superior results. I work in IT for a living so I tend to use computers for my examples.

Last night I was reading a review of a laptop that cost over $3,000. The laptops I purchase for our employees at work generally cost $900 to $1200. Now, that $3K laptop was the latest and greatest and if I took cost out of the equation and also did not condider how the user would use the technology; I would have to conclude that it was superior in every way. But, when I factor in what my users need a laptop for, they would not really benefit from the "superior technology". The extra cost between the $1200 good enough computer vs the $3,000 superior machine would essentially be wasted on this particular group of people.

Taking the analogy back on topic, as I stated earlier, using my good old Battery Tender, the battery in my C5 lasted 12 years. How much more than that can we expect from any tender, no matter how good it is? I think that what I have falls into the "good enough for the job" territory. Of course mine cost more than $9.00 too - the current version of it is $42 on Amazon.com. But I also have a pair of the cheaper Battery Tender Jr's (intended for motorcycles) that sit connected to my snowmobiles all summer. I've had snowmobile batteries last me 6 years which is kind of unheard of.

So "superior" is not necessarily what's needed. With technology, good enough at a reasonable price is often the best way to go.

Jim Barker

One of my childhood memories was a fire in a garage overnight caused by trickle charger. So make sure better quality in your choice.

ratman6161

As a point of clarification, we are not talking about "trickle chargers" here. That is a very different proposition from a "maintainer" or "tender".

nmvettec7

Here's a great link to trickle chargers and float chargers, and explains how they work. Takes about 5 to 7 minutes to read the entire page.

http://www.batteryfloatchargers.com/..._charger_works

Nice Ride

My C7 came with Battery Protection pkg. The GM charger is designed for the car with a nice Corvette logo and works great. Can be bought from dealer parts guy. Think they are around $100. Yes you can buy something cheaper that will work if that is your thing.

JoesC5

I like to compare the technology between a "high tech" microwave oven and a "low tech" charcoal grill. The microwave will heat my water very quickly for a cup of instant coffee, but does a terrible job of cooking a steak. The charcoal grill wins that argument, every time.

Same goes with baking a pumpkin pie. My low tech electric oven wins over the high tech microwave.

Glen e

Any 3 stage charger will work, as long as it's not a "trickle" charger with no sensing ability.

Jim Barker

You are missing a serious safety issue pointing out proper nomenclature. The real point is its plugged in and mostly left unattended! Do not skimp on one just to save a few bucks.

Jim Barker

I trust the one supplied until I feel how hot it gets and then better judgement says keep an eye on it!

nmvettec7

The Deltran Battery Tender Plus is a 3 stage charger.

The GM unit sold by GM (US3300) with the Corvette Logo is a 4 stage charger/maintainer.

When first connected to the C7 the US3300 may get warm, but should not get hot. After it reaches the stage 3 and 4 the unit will cool down. Stage 4 (solid Green LED lite) the unit should be cool to the touch.

The CTEK MUS 4.3 is an 8 step charger/maintainer and will go into a "pulse charge" after being connected for 10 days. This unit would be ideal for the person who wants to store the C7 for longer than a 10 day period, like winter storage. There is no other branded charger/maintainer that I personally know of that has a "pulse mode".
Step 7 is a "float" charge, step 8 is the "pulse" charge. Sells for about $80 and under at large on-line vendors like Amazon. The cigarette adapter cord sells to under $10.00

James Bertuca

Just saying Deltran battery tender plus is on sale from corvette museum xmas catalog, so how bad could it be! By the way it's a 4 step not a 3 step charging system.

nmvettec7

James:

Results from testing the Deltran Battery Tender Plus. A comparison study.

Battery Tender Plus by Deltran

The Battery Tender Plus, like the others in this comparison, is claimed to be a three–stage charger/maintainer.
That being the case, the bulk charge mode should hold a current at or close to the unit’s maximum output until the battery voltage is at or near gassing voltage. That didn’t happen with the first example we tested. When the Tender was first turned on with battery voltage at 12.5, the unit began charging at 1.34 amps.
The current waveform taken at 12.75 battery volts showed the current still slightly above manufacturer specs, though it had dropped noticeably in a very short time. By the time the battery had reached 13.4 volts, the charge rate was down to 0.9 amps. The charge rate continued to drop dramatically, and the rate of voltage rise slowed just as dramatically.
The battery eventually reached 13.88 volts and went no higher. After about six hours in the absorption mode, the unit stopped charging. It then went into float mode at 12.90 volts.
Suspecting a defective unit, we obtained two others and tested them in the same manner. Both of these additional units held maximum current output (1.25 amps) up to 13.75 volts, then began a tapering, constant voltage charge commensurate with the battery’s natural absorption rate and the unit’s temperature compensation scheme. One achieved 14.1 volts before “floating.” The other went to 14.4 volts, but both required significantly longer than the other products to reach that level. That’s not an issue if storage was your reason for attaching the Tender. But if you’ve accidentally left your key on, don’t plan to go anywhere for a while if you want to completely recharge your battery. Deltran states that the battery may be returned to service at around the 80 percent state of charge. But based on the existing loads and charge output of the average Gold Wing, we’d prefer to completely recharge the battery before riding off.
We had been told by one informed source that the Tender was programmed to charge to 14.4 volts, then hold the battery there for around six hours for a thorough charge. That seemed to be the case until we hooked the Tender to a battery that had just been charged with one of the competitors in this test. In that particular case, the absorption mode lasted only ten minutes before the voltage rose to 14.4, and the steady green “charged” light came on. We, therefore conclude that like the other units in this test, the absorption mode terminates when the battery’s current acceptance rate falls below a certain level.
When a 4-amp load was placed on the battery, the Tender didn’t respond as the other units had. The green “charged” light remained on. The charger ramped up its output until the load was removed. It then cut back its output and gradually brought the battery back up to float voltage. All of the other brands tested here, after being subjected to a 4-amp load, completed a charge to around 14.4 volts before reverting to float. In the float (maintenance) mode, of the three Battery Tender examples tested, one simply allowed the battery to slowly discharge to around 12.4 volts. A second unit allowed the battery voltage to drift between 12.75 and 12.95 volts. The third unit, newly purchased, held the voltage at 13.15 for two days before allowing it to drift down to 12.89.

BIG Dave

The US3300 CORVETTE (model 1051) that is an option on C7 Corvettes is a four step fully automatic charger produced by CTEK. It starts charging with an almost constant 3.3 AMP current until maximum voltage of 14.4 VOLTS is reached. At that point the charger switches to constant voltage and the current supply to the charger is gradually reduced. If the current drops to 0.4 AMPS, the charger switches to Pulse Maintenance Mode. If the battery is charged and the terminal voltage falls to 12.9 VOLTS, the charger automatically starts again at the first step of the charge cycle. The US3300 CORVETTE (model 1051) measures both voltage and current in order to determine whether the charging process is finished or whether a new charging cycle must be started.

The four Charge Cycles:
* Desulfation - Desulfation with pulsing for sulfated batteries
* Bulk - Charging where ~80% of the energy is returned, charging delivers an almost constant current until voltage reaches set level
* Absorbtion - charging up to almost 100%, charge current tapers and the voltage is kept constant at set level
* Pulse - maintenance charge. Charging process ranges between 95% - 100%. Battery receives a pulse if voltage falls. This stage keeps the battery in good condition when not being used.

I would be surprised if any of the inexpensive chargers offer similar technology. I do not understand the logic of purchasing a $50K - $100K automobile, then insisting on purchasing a $5 battery charger.