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MG TD TF 1500 - Battery 'tender' vs battery 'charger'?

I did and archive search and found some info on this, but many still unanswered questions.
I just replaced my battery on my 51MGTD. The battery was only maybe 4 years old but had no juice. Now I attribute this largely to the fact that with a semi-running car, the battery probably spent a lot more time turning the engine over (draining) that it did recharging while the car was cruising.
However, I'm also wondering whether a battery "tender" could have done a better job keeping the battery alive and well, compared to my 30 year old Sears battery charger.
I really don't know what the difference is between the two, and wonder if a "tender" would be a good investment.
Hopefully some knowledgeable electrical engineer types can offer some insight...
And even perhaps some recommendations as to which ones are the best?

Geoffrey M Baker

Get one of these - they do both. Spent a bit of time researching this and this was the make and type that came out top.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-XS-0-8-12V-1-2A/dp/B004RADNCQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1451924050&sr=1-2&keywords=ctek+battery+charger+car

It is never a good idea to let your battery drain completely for any reason. It makes it harder / impossible to get going again. This charger has a 'patented desuplhation' programme that is designed to cope with this. You may find that your dead battery is recoverable with this...

This charger/ conditioner comes with a fixture you can permanently attach so you can just plug in the cable from the charger. I am assuming here that you have a battery cut off switch to disconnect the battery from the car while in situ. You shouldn't try and charge a battery while still connected in the car. A battery cur off switch takes car of that. Best also to leave the bonnet ajar to avoid any build up of gasses.

Dave



D Moore

A battery 'tender' is a battery charger that has the ability to turn itself off when it's not needed and comes back on when it is. This does a great job of preventing over-charging. I learned the hard way that the tender may see the small drain from an alarm system sensor as the equivalent of a draining battery and may not go into the 'tender' mode. I've had a Craftsman one for 5 years that has been trouble free. Bud
Bud Krueger

This thread was discussed between 02/01/2016 and 05/01/2016

MG TD TF 1500 index

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