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From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
Originally Posted by jfb
Not true. Battery tenders usually have an electrolytic capacitor on their output circuit and when you connect the charger clips to the battery with the charger not plugged into the wall socket you still get a spark. My tender does. You are betting your eyesight, do you want to do that?
O M G !!!
Can we over think installing a battery tender or what?
There's a better chance of your car getting hit with lightning!
Geez just hook it up using the supplied hardware/instructions and plug it in.
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Last edited by JrRifleCoach; Jan 4, 2011 at 12:17 AM.
I've seen two car batteries explode and spray sulfuric acid all over the engine compartment. You only get two eyes per customer. For the easy thing of connecting the negative battery charger clip on a ground away from the battery, you can save your eyesight. You can connect the charger on the battery posts 500 times, but it only takes once to go blind. The battery charger companies also tell you to not connect to both battery posts. It takes no more effort to be safe, why wouldn't you want to prevent a tragedy?
YET! The danger occurs when making or breaking the contact with the battery post. A spark right at the battery can ignite the hydrogen/oxygen gas that all lead acid batteries generate, both during charge and discharge and it is explosive. Making and breaking connection away from the battery ensures no explosions. Never having a problem in the past is no guarantee that your unsafe practice will continue to be problem free. Sulfuric acid can destroy your eyesight.
A word to the wise should be sufficient.
That's why they make safety goggles. You should be wearing them from the get-go anyhow when servicing your car's battery, even when connecting a tender.