6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

I just purchased one of these little charger/maintainers and, in the process, found out that, after a long run, it has been discontinued by Deltrans. Several of the suppliers still have them in stock so if you're interested you need to move fast! I didn't see anything that looked like a reasonable "equivalent" device.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Schumacher makes good ones.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

After a battery charger fire, and an exploded battery, I'm not if favor of leaving any kind of charger on an unattended battery. Putting a 2 to 6 amp battery charger on the battery for an hour a month is more than enough for the Model A or my 1950 Studebaker. Both have the standard lead/acid 6 volt batteries and both are over 10 years old, and they still work fine.

I bought a battery maintainer about 6 years ago, but have never used it.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Ouch, that is bad news! I guess I am puzzled why technology can't come up with a maintainer that won't burn the house down.....

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

I use Black and Decker tender from Amazon, it will charge a battery [takes a day or two] then maintains it. It has a switch for 6 or 12 volt and costs about 20 dollars. These work great with no problems. Green light tells if it is charging or maintaing.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Have one and love it!

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

TomW is spot on, and if you do not have a battery cutoff switch, you may wish to consider one...

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Tom you have me scared to death to leave the room with a battery charger on for any reason......

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

99% of the time it's no problem. The battery that exploded overnight was on a 1 amp charger and even a 1 amp charger can make a bad battery overheat and explode, as I found out. That was mostly my fault because I felt the battery and it was warmer than it should be, but I left the charger on hoping the battery would recharge. Anytime a battery gets warm on a low charge you can bet it's the end for that battery and you should stop charging and junk the battery.

My Dodge Dakota had a low battery, so I left a 3 amp charger on it overnight. I had the hood open and the charger setting on the top of the radiator. I think the selenium rectifier went bad inside the charger and was the cause of the charger to go up in flames. I was lucky that the fire didn't spread beyond the charger, but that taught me to remove the battery and put it outside with the charger, if you have to leave it unattended.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

I agree that there's no real need to keep the charger plugged in continuously - but the simplicity of using the battery tender, with the permanently attached pigtails, and the no nonsense indicator lights, makes it a winner for me. I've lost two batteries to freezing because I thought the Airstream trailer's charger was doing a good job - and getting to the batteries to check them directly, in sub-freezing temperatures, was very difficult. The safety afforded by the attached pigtails is also a real plus. I no longer have to break out the safety glasses when attaching the charger because the battery is not even in sight! I routed the pigtail to a point under the engine cowling. I had a boat battery blow up in my face when I was young and stupid and the only thing that saved my eyes and face was instantly jumping overboard.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

the A does not have a draw when off so leaving a tender on it all the time is not necessary. hooking one up periodically for short durations makes more sense but is not necessary either... why not just start the car now and then and let it run for 20-30 minutes at a slightly increased RPM about 6-700 which is better for everything points, engine, seals and gaskets, battery, waterpump, carburetor and so on...

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

The battery maintenancers only charge when the battery is low. I have used them for over 5 years, plugged in all the time during storage. The battery life is much better. Newer special interest cars come with a battery maintenancer plug to keep the computer draw from running the battery dead. Don't be confused with a trickle charger and a maintenancer.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Hmmmm... So let us see. You tried to charge a battery that you thought was bad but tried to recharge anyway, even tho it felt warm while charging with a 1 amp battery charger "hoping the battery would recharge" and it exploded OVERNIGHT? And your suggesting not to use a battery tender?

Sorry Tom. I usually learn from your posts. But I don't follow your logic here.

I leave a Battery Tender on my '55 Ranchwagon and very rarely have to add (distilled) water, showing me it is not over charging (or barely charging at all).

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

It's my understanding that the charge rate of the battery tender, after achieving an 80% charge on the battery (---flashing green,) is 1.25 amps. It continues at that rate until the battery reaches 100%, at which time the indicator light turns solid green and it shuts down until the battery needs a minor boost. I don't like trusting anything said to be totally "automatic" but, at worst, it beats trusting my memory to turn off and remove a non-automatic charger before it does any damage. The Tender won't, however, recharge a fully discharged battery - so I use a 2nd automatic Shumaker when and "if" ever needed - i.e. - dome light left on, etc.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

The maintainer is plugged into 110 volts. Can it malfunction and catch fire?:confused: Or overcharge the battery? Or cause a spark inside the battery by plates shorting? I sleep much better knowing the 110 is even off to my Studebaker garage when I'm not in there.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

In the end a dead battery is cheap compared to a fire.... Take an expert's view:

http://www.santaanitaas.org/wp-conte...-A-Battery.pdf

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

I use a schumaker (sp?) maintainer. It will completely turn the charge off when the battery is fully charged. You need to be carful what you select, read the tech specs, some keep charging, just at a very low rate, and they call themselves maintainers. I do not leave it on all the time, if I have not ran the A, for a month or 2 I plug the maintainer in for a day. If I forget to turn it off for a extra day, nothing is harmed as the maintainer will not over charge (under normal use, with a decent battery). Kind of the best of all worlds, when I forget, it takes care of its self for the extra day, no harm done. As far as having something plugged in and charging in my shop, it would be best to kill all power and heat, however I like my shop kept above freezing and my portable tool batteries charged... so I take the risks.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Haha... I suppose so can a Refrigerator or Microwave. You computer? An alarm clock? Do you unplug them when not around?

Are you concerned that the Battery Tender (NOT a regular battery charger, I agree to not leave them unattended) is going to catch fire. Isn't your garage/shed fused?

I forgot to mention I only use the Battery tender on the '55 when the car is going to sit for a period on time because the radio and alarm have a constant draw. I don't leave it on for months at a time. I don't use a Battery tender on my A because it doesn't have any parasitic users.

Not trying to change your mind. I respect your knowledge on A's. I think we should agree to disagree on this point tho.:cool::cool:

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

I don't risk leaving chargers on for any length of time anymore, period. Not after reading what has happened to others on here. I have a 6V Deltran maintainer plus a regular charger.

One of the better ideas I believe was from Tom, was to simply hook the charger thru a timer that automatically kills the power after a short duration. And only use it once a month or so. Or, like Mitch said, just run the car monthly for 20-30 minutes either way would be a safer route to go.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

when I take off for a month or more in the winter, I hook up 7 battery tenders, including a couple of 6v units. Been doing this for 20+ years and have never had any of the bad experiences mentioned here. I'm starting to feel bad as my hydraulic brakes on my A's don't leak and I've yet to have a battery explode hooked up to a tender.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

I think the point several were making is: Why take even a small risk if there isn't a value to it? I use a little 300mA 6vdc power supply from a cordless phone as my A charger. Plug it in once a month for a few hours or a day, battery stays nice and comfortable, near zero risk. Most of the wallwort type power supplies have a thermal fuse internally so that's why you never hear about someone's house starting on fire from a cordless phone charger overheating. I had a shed burn down a couple of years ago because a mouse chewed through a wire in the attic. Now in that case I didn't have an option to turn off the power as my well was in there. Any shed that isn't used much, I now turn off power. And no, I don't wear both suspenders and a belt!

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

My uncle's house burned to the ground because some rodent chewed the wires in the attic. Eagle stated my point.......why add even the slightest risk. Many years I don't touch the car or battery for 6 to 7 months, and it still fires right up in the spring.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Following this logic, I imagine you don't use an airplane for transportation.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

At least not one that has had mice in it:D

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

I quit flying when all the searches and delays started. I'd rather have fun driving my Studebaker and have a car when I reach my destination. I also don't drive my car on thin ice, but lots of fools dump their cars and trucks into the lakes every winter.

Everyone is free to add all the risks they want to their life. You see motorcycle riders all the time with no helmets.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

it may be worth using a maintainer in extremely cold weather. Battery freezing typically isn't a problem buy hey, they are getting expensive. I use them on my T and my A.
My personal belief is that a maintained battery lives a longer life. Now I'm talking about maintainers like the Black and Decker and tho I haven't measured it it seems to be running 200/250 mils. I would not expect a 1/4 amp to be capable of gassing a battery even an old one or at least in a high enough quantity to produce explosive gas. I agree with Tom a gassing battery can be dangerous and a hot battery should be treated with respect.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Before I bought my A, I was convinced that I needed to buy a battery tender. Well, things changed. I LOVE driving Alyssa so much that I look for excuses to drive her at least once or twice per week. :) I watch the ammeter to make sure the battery is topped off within a couple of minutes of driving. Her battery stays fresh, the oil and coolant circulate, and I don't get flat spots on the tires. I filled the water level up last weekend and topped off the charge with my Schumaker 6 volt/12 volt/2 amp/15 amp charger. She regularly fires up on the second or third revolution of the engine. I love the sound of her engine.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Sears sells a small unit that will auto charge/maintain 6 or 12 volt batteries and will not overcharge. It will shutdown if necessary. I've used one for the last year....no problems.
Don't forget POS. grnd for the charger too.

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

I'm with Tom. I had an expensive Snap-on battery charger burst into flames, while I had it on a car I was working on. It had worked perfectly up until that time.On my A, he I now use a clock/lamp timer on a low output standard charger. It only comes on for one hour and it's during the day when I'm nearby

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Sears sells a very nice battery trickle charger called a die-hard. it will charge a 6-volt battery at 4-amps, or a 12-volt battery at 2-amps. Front panel switch to either. The charger will not turn on unless it sees a battery, there must be some residual voltage in the battery for it to turn on. If a lead falls off the charger shuts off. When it senses the battery is fully charged it shuts off. They sells for around $25.

Tom Endy

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

I've used my 1.25 Schumacher with a 24 hour timer for a LONG time. Usually check (not infrequently top up) electrolyte once during the winter.

The timer is set for about a 10 minute daily cycle.

But I suppose ANYTHING could happen in 10 minutes?

Or even in the 23hrs 50 minutes of the rest of the day? (timer motor?)

When I built my house in 1982, a 1" hole in the stud for electric wiring was STANDARD for our area - possibly even driven by code (can't have the holes too small as one can damage the insulation pulling the wires through the hole?)

And then it was discovered that drilled holes were MAJOR pathways for mice entrance/egress between mouse housing subdivisions. And the mice were wont to "expand" their access by chewing that offending wire that restricted their path. Suddenly the code was changed requiring 3/4" holes. And a lot of monkey dunk got sold for work in progress to close in the holes that had already been made and were accessible for retrofit.

So maybe even if the timer is removed, those pesky wires might still be a problem?

Joe K

Re: 6 volt Battery Tender Plus
 

Some of you may be interested in a tender/booster/charger made by genioschar
gers .com
I checked them out on YouTube and Scotty Kilmer on YouTube and liked what I saw. However quite pricy but for modern use and a!so 6 volt applications I may someday try one.