Connecting Batter Tender
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Instructor
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From: Garden City MI
Connecting Battery Tender
Just purchased a Battery Tender Plus for my 97 Vette. Any tips on connecting it correctly?
Last edited by lefty77; Dec 22, 2008 at 08:24 PM. Reason: Misspelled Word
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Just put it on there neg/neg pos/pos and leave it. I leave mine on my garaged Camaro and it works great. It's low voltage for a slow charge and keeps the battery charged for as long as you want.
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As the instructions state, you can leave the battery tender on for as long as you wish, it will monitor itself. Just remember to NOT slam your hood down or you will risk damage to the power cord. 
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My battery has both front and top terminals. I bought a couple of terminal lugs at walmart which connect to the unused top terminals and have posts to connect the wiring harness my battery tender came with to. With these installed it is very easy to plug in the tender.
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I have a ctek 3300 and it says its safest to do it that way rather then connect to positive and negative.
It's your decision but if you ever had a fire, you would probably have a better chance of collecting if you grounded the charger.
This is a precaution so that an inadvertent spark, near the battery, does not ignite errant battery fumes which could cause a fire or explosion. This is especially possible, after the battery has been charging for awhile and may be gassing. Needless to say most (including me) ignore this precaution, until an ill wind blows on us.
You will not get a spark connecting it to red (POSITIVE) terminal first and then the black (NEG) terminal second. Also the directions say connect the terminals first and then plug the unit in.
Again, the safest and recommended way is to hook the negative to a ground per the instructions.
Last edited by xlr8nflorida; Dec 22, 2008 at 09:51 PM.
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He's asking because most people will advise you to just hook up the wires, they won't tell you the correct order, the ground or when to plug in the charger.
I bet at least 50% don't do it right. The same with jumping a dead battery with jumper cables.
for asking about the proper procedure.
Connect the red (POSITIVE) terminal
Connect the black (NEG) terminal to the frame of the car (find a good bolt to hook it to)
Plug in charger
Keep charger a safe distance away from the charging battery. Try not to use an extension cord unless necessary but if you do make sure the extension cord has the correct specs.
That is exactly how I do it on my Ctek 3300. Always, know what type of ground your car has (not all cars are the same but most are negative) and read your chargers instruction sheet.
The first 7 pages of this manual are great but follow your own chargers recommendations. Below is for Ctek 3300 charger.
http://ece-www.colorado.edu/~ecen451.../US3300_en.pdf
I bet at least 50% don't do it right. The same with jumping a dead battery with jumper cables.
for asking about the proper procedure.Connect the red (POSITIVE) terminal
Connect the black (NEG) terminal to the frame of the car (find a good bolt to hook it to)
Plug in charger
Keep charger a safe distance away from the charging battery. Try not to use an extension cord unless necessary but if you do make sure the extension cord has the correct specs.
That is exactly how I do it on my Ctek 3300. Always, know what type of ground your car has (not all cars are the same but most are negative) and read your chargers instruction sheet.
The first 7 pages of this manual are great but follow your own chargers recommendations. Below is for Ctek 3300 charger.
http://ece-www.colorado.edu/~ecen451.../US3300_en.pdf
Last edited by xlr8nflorida; Dec 23, 2008 at 02:39 AM.
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Most chargers will recommend you ground the negative to your frame.
I have a ctek 3300 and it says its safest to do it that way rather then connect to positive and negative.
It's your decision but if you ever had a fire, you would probably have a better chance of collecting if you grounded the charger.
This is a precaution so that an inadvertent spark, near the battery, does not ignite errant battery fumes which could cause a fire or explosion. This is especially possible, after the battery has been charging for awhile and may be gassing. Needless to say most (including me) ignore this precaution, until an ill wind blows on us.
You will not get a spark connecting it to red (POSITIVE) terminal first and then the black (NEG) terminal second. Also the directions say connect the terminals first and then plug the unit in.
Again, the safest and recommended way is to hook the negative to a ground per the instructions.
I have a ctek 3300 and it says its safest to do it that way rather then connect to positive and negative.
It's your decision but if you ever had a fire, you would probably have a better chance of collecting if you grounded the charger.
This is a precaution so that an inadvertent spark, near the battery, does not ignite errant battery fumes which could cause a fire or explosion. This is especially possible, after the battery has been charging for awhile and may be gassing. Needless to say most (including me) ignore this precaution, until an ill wind blows on us.
You will not get a spark connecting it to red (POSITIVE) terminal first and then the black (NEG) terminal second. Also the directions say connect the terminals first and then plug the unit in.
Again, the safest and recommended way is to hook the negative to a ground per the instructions.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
From: Garden City MI
Most chargers will recommend you ground the negative to your frame.
I have a ctek 3300 and it says its safest to do it that way rather then connect to positive and negative.
It's your decision but if you ever had a fire, you would probably have a better chance of collecting if you grounded the charger.
This is a precaution so that an inadvertent spark, near the battery, does not ignite errant battery fumes which could cause a fire or explosion. This is especially possible, after the battery has been charging for awhile and may be gassing. Needless to say most (including me) ignore this precaution, until an ill wind blows on us.
You will not get a spark connecting it to red (POSITIVE) terminal first and then the black (NEG) terminal second. Also the directions say connect the terminals first and then plug the unit in.
Again, the safest and recommended way is to hook the negative to a ground per the instructions.
I have a ctek 3300 and it says its safest to do it that way rather then connect to positive and negative.
It's your decision but if you ever had a fire, you would probably have a better chance of collecting if you grounded the charger.
This is a precaution so that an inadvertent spark, near the battery, does not ignite errant battery fumes which could cause a fire or explosion. This is especially possible, after the battery has been charging for awhile and may be gassing. Needless to say most (including me) ignore this precaution, until an ill wind blows on us.
You will not get a spark connecting it to red (POSITIVE) terminal first and then the black (NEG) terminal second. Also the directions say connect the terminals first and then plug the unit in.
Again, the safest and recommended way is to hook the negative to a ground per the instructions.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
From: Garden City MI
He's asking because most people will advise you to just hook up the wires, they won't tell you the correct order, the ground or when to plug in the charger.
I bet at least 50% don't do it right. The same with jumping a dead battery with jumper cables.
for asking about the proper procedure.
Connect the red (POSITIVE) terminal
Connect the black (NEG) terminal to the frame of the car (find a good bolt to hook it to)
Plug in charger
Keep charger a safe distance away from the charging battery. Try not to use an extension cord unless necessary but if you do make sure the extension cord has the correct specs.
That is exactly how I do it on my Ctek 3300. Always, know what type of ground your car has (not all cars are the same but most are negative) and read your chargers instruction sheet.
The first 7 pages of this manual are great but follow your own chargers recommendations. Below is for Ctek 3300 charger.
http://ece-www.colorado.edu/~ecen451.../US3300_en.pdf
I bet at least 50% don't do it right. The same with jumping a dead battery with jumper cables.
for asking about the proper procedure.Connect the red (POSITIVE) terminal
Connect the black (NEG) terminal to the frame of the car (find a good bolt to hook it to)
Plug in charger
Keep charger a safe distance away from the charging battery. Try not to use an extension cord unless necessary but if you do make sure the extension cord has the correct specs.
That is exactly how I do it on my Ctek 3300. Always, know what type of ground your car has (not all cars are the same but most are negative) and read your chargers instruction sheet.
The first 7 pages of this manual are great but follow your own chargers recommendations. Below is for Ctek 3300 charger.
http://ece-www.colorado.edu/~ecen451.../US3300_en.pdf
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Bonita Springs, Florida
Whenever jumping, charging, removing, installing, disconnecting or reconnecting the battery of a vehicle:
Always CONNECT the positive (red) terminal first then CONNECT the negative (black) terminal last.
Always DISCONNECT the negative (black) terminal first then DISCONNECT the positive (red) terminal last.
It is best to follow this procedure even though connecting/reconnecting the cables is done with the Battery Tender unplugged:
Connect your Battery Tender following the above procedure before you plug it in. Always make the connections first before you plug the unit in.
When you disconnect your Battery Tender, first unplug it, wait a moment for the unit to shut down, then disconnect the cables following the above procedures. Always unplug the unit first before you disconnect it from the battery terminals.
Keep the Battery Tender away from flamable items and on top of a non flamable surface. Do not keep it on the garage floor or near a water spiket or anywhere that it can get wet. Do not locate the Tender too close to the car battery. An extension cord is not recommended but if one is necessary, make sure that it meets the specs stated in the Tender's owners manual. Don't use a thin wire indoor extension cord like the type used inside for lamps.
Always CONNECT the positive (red) terminal first then CONNECT the negative (black) terminal last.
Always DISCONNECT the negative (black) terminal first then DISCONNECT the positive (red) terminal last.
It is best to follow this procedure even though connecting/reconnecting the cables is done with the Battery Tender unplugged:
Connect your Battery Tender following the above procedure before you plug it in. Always make the connections first before you plug the unit in.
When you disconnect your Battery Tender, first unplug it, wait a moment for the unit to shut down, then disconnect the cables following the above procedures. Always unplug the unit first before you disconnect it from the battery terminals.
Keep the Battery Tender away from flamable items and on top of a non flamable surface. Do not keep it on the garage floor or near a water spiket or anywhere that it can get wet. Do not locate the Tender too close to the car battery. An extension cord is not recommended but if one is necessary, make sure that it meets the specs stated in the Tender's owners manual. Don't use a thin wire indoor extension cord like the type used inside for lamps.