Trickle charger advice

[missOutsyder]

My 2022 BS OBX was sleeping outside in the cold last night. It was -38°c (-36.4F ?) & I’d forgotten to plug it back into the block heater (pain in the ass due to it being under the hood) & anyway it wouldn’t start at 6am. So I jumped it and it’s working now, but I have a question about trickle charging. I have a Motomaster Eliminator Battery Charger which someone gave me and called it a trickle charger.

Can one of you BS experts explain to me in simple language, about a trickle charger vs block heater, use both or only one?

Plus, can I leave this unit under the hood and then just plug it in again at night to keep the battery charged. My friend who gave me it mentioned about keeping it attached but I have a bad habit of not asking enough questions at the time. But now I have come to potentially benefit from this free gift, trying to read the manual is making my brain all squirrelly.

Any tid bits of advice would be gratefully received.

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[Escape2Bronco]

My 2022 BS OBX was sleeping outside in the cold last night. It was -38°c (-36.4F ?) & I’d forgotten to plug it back into the block heater (pain in the ass due to it being under the hood) & anyway it wouldn’t start at 6am. So I jumped it and it’s working now, but I have a question about trickle charging. I have a Motomaster Eliminator Battery Charger which someone gave me and called it a trickle charger.

Can one of you BS experts explain to me in simple language, about a trickle charger vs block heater, use both or only one?

Plus, can I leave this unit under the hood and then just plug it in again at night to keep the battery charged. My friend who gave me it mentioned about keeping it attached but I have a bad habit of not asking enough questions at the time. But now I have come to potentially benefit from this free gift, trying to read the manual is making my brain all squirrelly.

Any tid bits of advice would be gratefully received.

Two separate things. Block heater keeps the oil warm so it’s not so stiff and makes it easier on the battery. The battery maintainer keeps the battery fully charged and helps when the oil is stiff. I’d say the engine block heater is the better option when it’s really cold. Battery tender is better when leaving the car sit for extended periods.

The block heater is your best option for your current situation in my opinion. My Escape had one and was a life saver when it dropped below zero and was forced to sit outside. Plus, you already have it. Get a short extension cord to allow the plug to sit in a better location for you.

The battery tender is really best for when it sits for several weeks without being used.

 

[missOutsyder]

Two separate things. Block heater keeps the oil warm so it’s not so stiff and makes it easier on the battery. The battery maintainer keeps the battery fully charged and helps when the oil is still. I’d say the engine block heater is the better option when it’s really cold. Battery tender is better when leaving the car sit for extended periods.

The block heater is your best option for your current situation in my opinion. My Escape had one and was a life saver when it dropped below zero and was forced to sit outside. Plus, you already have it. Get a short extension cord to allow the plug to sit in a better location for you.

The battery tender is really best for when it sits for several weeks without being used.

Thanks for taking the time to respond! Your advice is appreciated

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Thanks for taking the time to respond! Your advice is appreciated

You are welcome. That’s what this forum is all about. Helping others with information.

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[cprcubed]

I don't know what the specifications are for your block heater are, but the one that came from the factory on my 97 F250 Powerstroke draws 1000W (obviously a 7.3L diesel engine is quite a bit larger than the 1.5L in a OB BS). We really only needed it operating for about 3-4 hours before using the vehicle, so we used a heavy duty 15A timer to keep the electricity cost down. Cheers!

 

[sajohnson]

My 2022 BS OBX was sleeping outside in the cold last night. It was -38°c (-36.4F ?) & I’d forgotten to plug it back into the block heater (pain in the ass due to it being under the hood) & anyway it wouldn’t start at 6am. So I jumped it and it’s working now, but I have a question about trickle charging. I have a Motomaster Eliminator Battery Charger which someone gave me and called it a trickle charger.

Can one of you BS experts explain to me in simple language, about a trickle charger vs block heater, use both or only one?

Plus, can I leave this unit under the hood and then just plug it in again at night to keep the battery charged. My friend who gave me it mentioned about keeping it attached but I have a bad habit of not asking enough questions at the time. But now I have come to potentially benefit from this free gift, trying to read the manual is making my brain all squirrelly.

Any tid bits of advice would be gratefully received.

Something else you might consider is a battery warmer.

At -15*C battery capacity is about 50%. At -38*C it is very low, close to zero:
https://support.rollsbattery.com/en/support/solutions/articles/5860-temperature-vs-capacity-flooded-lead-acid-batteries

Since we live in balmy Maryland, where it rarely drops below 0*F, I have no experience with battery warmers. One potential issue might be the limited space around the battery. Perhaps there is a battery 'pad' that the battery sits on, vs a blanket that wraps a round it?

In any case, if you can find something that will fit, that will be a big help.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Something else you might consider is a battery warmer.

At -15*C battery capacity is about 50%. At -38*C it is very low, close to zero:
https://support.rollsbattery.com/en/support/solutions/articles/5860-temperature-vs-capacity-flooded-lead-acid-batteries

Since we live in balmy Maryland, where it rarely drops below 0*F, I have no experience with battery warmers. One potential issue might be the limited space around the battery. Perhaps there is a battery 'pad' that the battery sits on, vs a blanket that wraps a round it?

In any case, if you can find something that will fit, that will be a big help.

Since she already has the maintainer, I’d use that over a pad since it also keeps it charged while warming it. She already has the engine block heater which for her use case sounds like the best solution. She is right about the cords not being in a convenient location which is why I added a 3 ft cord to my Escape when it sat outside to make it so I wasn’t kneeling on the wet ground to plug it in.

As a side note. About 1/2 century ago I tried using a dipstick heater. Bad idea. The steam condensed and froze on my carburetor linkage. Not a good device from my perspective!

 

[sajohnson]

Since she already has the maintainer, I’d use that over a pad since it also keeps it charged while warming it. She already has the engine block heater which for her use case sounds like the best solution. She is right about the cords not being in a convenient location which is why I added a 3 ft cord to my Escape when it sat outside to make it so I wasn’t kneeling on the wet ground to plug it in.

As a side note. About 1/2 century ago I tried using a dipstick heater. Bad idea. The steam condensed and froze on my carburetor linkage. Not a good device from my perspective!

I agree with what you said in post #2:

"Two separate things. Block heater keeps the oil warm so it’s not so stiff and makes it easier on the battery. The battery maintainer keeps the battery fully charged and helps when the oil is stiff. I’d say the engine block heater is the better option when it’s really cold. Battery tender is better when leaving the car sit for extended periods."

~~~

As you said, the battery maintainer is not necessary for short periods. In fact, batteries self-discharge slower the colder they are, and their service life increases. The maintainer would be useful if the BS is not driven far enough to recharge the battery fully.

A battery warmer/heater allows the battery to function normally at frigid temps -- full cold cranking amps (CCA) and reserve capacity.

This chart shows the dramatic effect cold has on battery performance:
https://support.rollsbattery.com/en/support/solutions/articles/5860-temperature-vs-capacity-flooded-lead-acid-batteries

Rolls is an excellent source.

Finally, here's a good Subaru forum thread started by someone in Canada, above the Arctic Circle:

"Trickle charger vs battery warmer."
https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/trickle-charger-vs-battery-warmer.420489/

 

[Major Kong]

My 2022 BS OBX was sleeping outside in the cold last night. It was -38°c (-36.4F ?) & I’d forgotten to plug it back into the block heater (pain in the ass due to it being under the hood) & anyway it wouldn’t start at 6am. So I jumped it and it’s working now, but I have a question about trickle charging. I have a Motomaster Eliminator Battery Charger which someone gave me and called it a trickle charger.

Can one of you BS experts explain to me in simple language, about a trickle charger vs block heater, use both or only one?

Plus, can I leave this unit under the hood and then just plug it in again at night to keep the battery charged. My friend who gave me it mentioned about keeping it attached but I have a bad habit of not asking enough questions at the time. But now I have come to potentially benefit from this free gift, trying to read the manual is making my brain all squirrelly.

Any tid bits of advice would be gratefully received.

run battery maintainers on both vehicles
swear it adds longevity to battery life and well being
sure, it's a pain to plug/unplug
but after a routine is established it becomes second nature
still popping the hood
yeah
haven't added exterior receptacle yet
too many other priority projects
*Note - if you do operate the maintainer Mode 12 volt and avoid 6volt

subie loves the block heater
3-4 hrs prior to operation
timer or manually plugged
perk to block heater
cab heat almost instantaneous

 

[sajohnson]

run battery maintainers on both vehicles
swear it adds longevity to battery life and well being
sure, it's a pain to plug/unplug
but after a routine is established it becomes second nature
still popping the hood
yeah
haven't added exterior receptacle yet
too many other priority projects
*Note - if you do operate the maintainer Mode 12 volt and avoid 6volt

subie loves the block heater
3-4 hrs prior to operation
timer or manually plugged
perk to block heater
cab heat almost instantaneous

We do the same. Pop the hood when getting home so that when I check later, the resting voltage will not be affected by all the stuff that runs when the hood is open.

1/15/24 Edit: More accurately, "...the resting voltage will not be affected by all the stuff that runs when the driver's door is opened to pop the hood.

I've been checking the resting voltage and it's been OK. If the Badlands is gonna sit for more than a couple days I put the Battery Tender on it. It's easy enough to attach it to the battery.

Battery maintainers definitely add life to batteries. The OE chassis battery in our Sprinter-based RV lasted 10 years, and we bought it used so I have no idea how it was treated for the first 3-4 years. Actually, that battery was still OK, but it was 10+ years old and the load tests were inconsistent so we replaced it. It could have gone longer. The OE battery in our Suzuki motorcycle lasted 6-7 years (they usually fail after one or two).

 

[Big Ben]

My 2022 BS OBX was sleeping outside in the cold last night. It was -38°c (-36.4F ?) & I’d forgotten to plug it back into the block heater (pain in the ass due to it being under the hood) & anyway it wouldn’t start at 6am. So I jumped it and it’s working now, but I have a question about trickle charging. I have a Motomaster Eliminator Battery Charger which someone gave me and called it a trickle charger.

Can one of you BS experts explain to me in simple language, about a trickle charger vs block heater, use both or only one?

Plus, can I leave this unit under the hood and then just plug it in again at night to keep the battery charged. My friend who gave me it mentioned about keeping it attached but I have a bad habit of not asking enough questions at the time. But now I have come to potentially benefit from this free gift, trying to read the manual is making my brain all squirrelly.

Any tid bits of advice would be gratefully received.

 

[Big Ben]

I have a 23 BB and use a Genus Battery Maintainer from Canadian Tire. It looks like yours. Make sure the ground is NOT connected to the battery, but to metal, otherwise the Battery Moniter System will be affected. Leave it plugged in whenever parked, all year because there are systems constantly draining the battery.
I ran a short, heavy extension cord from the block heater and leave both plugs just outside the hood and close the hood. Plug them both in during cold, as only the block heater warms the engine. I also have a timer on the block heater cord.

 

[Big Ben]

My 2022 BS OBX was sleeping outside in the cold last night. It was -38°c (-36.4F ?) & I’d forgotten to plug it back into the block heater (pain in the ass due to it being under the hood) & anyway it wouldn’t start at 6am. So I jumped it and it’s working now, but I have a question about trickle charging. I have a Motomaster Eliminator Battery Charger which someone gave me and called it a trickle charger.

Can one of you BS experts explain to me in simple language, about a trickle charger vs block heater, use both or only one?

Plus, can I leave this unit under the hood and then just plug it in again at night to keep the battery charged. My friend who gave me it mentioned about keeping it attached but I have a bad habit of not asking enough questions at the time. But now I have come to potentially benefit from this free gift, trying to read the manual is making my brain all squirrelly.

Any tid bits of advice would be gratefully received.

You should hard wire that unit and mount it under the hood. Do not connect the ground to the battery, but to a metal stud or screw.

 

[missOutsyder]

Thanks for all of the responses.

I drive a work Tacoma everyday, so I often can’t really plan when the BS is going to be used. Husband drives our F150 but he should share use with the BS more often as it’s more economical. If it’s not wet and muddy out, I’ll take the dogs out in the BS but if it is wet & muddy I’ll take our old Nissan Frontier. Needless to say, it could be daily or not once all week.

Plus, temperatures aren’t always -20°c and colder. Today we are hovering around -11°c, for example.

I like the idea of hard wiring the battery maintainer and plugging it in as required, and purchasing a 3 foot extension so I don’t have to pop the hood every time to use the block heater. I like to remote start the BS daily if I am not using it, but I figure that it won’t remote start when the hood is ajar, so that’s annoying until I get an extension. But I wouldn’t know where to begin about hard wiring. I have the instruction manual, how do I know if the BS is a negative or positive grounded vehicle?

 

[kshaw]

Rather than leave the Battery Minder wired up, I got some of the SAE pigtail connectors and hooked the terminals of that to the battery terminals. Then you can just directly connect the charger to that.
https://www.amazon.com/Bates-Choice-Terminal-Accessory-Cable/dp/B0BTCH7P72/ref=sr_1_13?adgrpid=1337006709375222&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Obp8nniQc3nsIecd8aJz2PATsjokCnTcVMNG9gJwFvjBVW1Bwnvx8cMjNxdBVR0nbANeopiLEG38A3SRNW0HVs03AFoqbzkI87i2llX55O9kCVZraFfXOwtClTvEC2FvIrEPnDDJ5xTGblIe-2pwlGwab2W2v9WoSTCMuBsYnqqYNbirO1NgNrGACTQPv8ftL5xlScJkJSV_LaZHkQPSeVOTSM8b39v9zCmjiGzuhXg.mlS8suybwIM0uTigG0ltUtyPTVodqaTT1-y6mCQ7rEQ&dib_tag=se&hvadid=83563262192414&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=51806&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83563275207884:loc-190&hydadcr=3062_13617036&keywords=sae+pigtails&qid=1705441081&sr=8-13

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