Trickle charger going flakey?
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Race Director
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: San Diego - Deep Within The State of CONFUSION!
Trickle charger going flakey?
When I put my trickle charger on the Vette, it never sends a green light to indicate full charge ... I get the amber & green together and that's about as good as it gets. FWIW, this is an Optima battery new as of this past summer
I also use this charger on two smaller batteries that are used to run astronomical equipment & cameras for my telescope. These are 12V Gel batteries, 17Ah each and I've been maintaining them with this same trickle charger over the years.
So seeing as it's highly unlikely all three batteries are going bad at the same time, I'm thinking this trickle charger is getting flakey. The gel batteries are a year older than the Corvette's Optima battery but I still think it highly unusual for all three to die together.
so, whaddayathink?
I also use this charger on two smaller batteries that are used to run astronomical equipment & cameras for my telescope. These are 12V Gel batteries, 17Ah each and I've been maintaining them with this same trickle charger over the years.
So seeing as it's highly unlikely all three batteries are going bad at the same time, I'm thinking this trickle charger is getting flakey. The gel batteries are a year older than the Corvette's Optima battery but I still think it highly unusual for all three to die together.
so, whaddayathink?
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 10,362
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From: San Diego - Deep Within The State of CONFUSION!
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Youngstown Ohio
Same deal on all batts.....I tend to agree with your accessment....I've seen chargers gradually loose their amp output before going completely bad. I'd use a volt/amp meter to measure what you're getting compared to the nameplate rated output. Also, if possible, try a known good charger and compare. Good luck.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,635
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From: Enid Oklahoma
When I put my trickle charger on the Vette, it never sends a green light to indicate full charge ... I get the amber & green together and that's about as good as it gets. FWIW, this is an Optima battery new as of this past summer
I also use this charger on two smaller batteries that are used to run astronomical equipment & cameras for my telescope. These are 12V Gel batteries, 17Ah each and I've been maintaining them with this same trickle charger over the years.
So seeing as it's highly unlikely all three batteries are going bad at the same time, I'm thinking this trickle charger is getting flakey. The gel batteries are a year older than the Corvette's Optima battery but I still think it highly unusual for all three to die together.
so, whaddayathink?
I also use this charger on two smaller batteries that are used to run astronomical equipment & cameras for my telescope. These are 12V Gel batteries, 17Ah each and I've been maintaining them with this same trickle charger over the years.
So seeing as it's highly unlikely all three batteries are going bad at the same time, I'm thinking this trickle charger is getting flakey. The gel batteries are a year older than the Corvette's Optima battery but I still think it highly unusual for all three to die together.
so, whaddayathink?
Last edited by 81pilot; Dec 31, 2010 at 05:03 PM.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 599
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From: vista CA
Paul,
The charger may even be ok if it has never shown just the green light charging your gel cells. I would think that if it can keep the batteries >~13.5 volts or so when trickle charging that it should still be fine...
BTW - great deepskypixels website! Your concrete pier mount looks pretty dang solid. I once thought about putting a camera behind the 8" reflector I built, maybe I will given some motivation from your website....
Happy New Year, Steve
The charger may even be ok if it has never shown just the green light charging your gel cells. I would think that if it can keep the batteries >~13.5 volts or so when trickle charging that it should still be fine...
BTW - great deepskypixels website! Your concrete pier mount looks pretty dang solid. I once thought about putting a camera behind the 8" reflector I built, maybe I will given some motivation from your website....
Happy New Year, Steve
