Question regarding CTEK battery tender | GTAMotorcycle.com

Question regarding CTEK battery tender

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silvrsurfr

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First -thanks for all the info on this forum in regards to battery tenders. I went with this forums advice and just picked up a CTEK from Canadian Tire.
FYI - its on sale again - $49.00 (reg. $89) (and dont go asking the workers there - they had no idea what i was talking about, and then telling me they didnt sell it, so i had to go hunting for it)

Question is: unfortunately i live in a condo. Which means, i would have to bring the battery into my condo over the winter to charge the battery. Is this safe? To connect the CTEK to my battery and leave it in the den? (a proper den, not a nook in a wall - for other condo owners, you'll know what i mean)

Should there be a concern for the 'during normal charging, hydrogen gas will be produced'?

Worst case scenario, i could find leave it a friends garage.

Thanks in advance.
 
I bring mine into my home in the winter, place it on the floor and hook it up to the tender once a month for 24 hrs til it goes back into my bike in the spring.
 
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A battery tender shouldn't charge fast enough to create dangerous amounts of Hydrogen. Hell, I know many places with 10A chargers running inside with no problems (although this practice is not advised).
 
If you're really worried about your battery, leave it on a rubber mat in the bathroom with the fan running.
 
CruisnGrrl said:
there are instructions with the tender right?
Click to expand...

of course. but if taken literally, you might as well assume it'll blow the roof off of your house.
and i quote - and yes, this is stated in caps too,
"A SPARK NEAR BATTERY MAY CAUSE BATTERY EXPLOSION" or even better, "WARNING - RISK OF EXPLOSIVE GASES"
so i was looking for some real world experience. Yes, i understand the gases that may be produced. Just wanted to see if any others stored/charged their batteries indoors.

thanks greyghost and rafiki
 
I have the same tender, its hooked to my battery still in the bike which is in my living room. Not an issue.
 
I've got my bike and non-winter car batteries both hooked up to C-Teks in the bedroom. No issues.
 
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globe-kelly-motorcycle-in-livingroom.jpg

No joke - this is my set up this winter.
 
If the battery is good (i.e. not frozen or dry) then there's no problem. Once the battery charger goes over to float mode, you've got nothing to worry about - you might want to keep an eye on it when you hook it up until that happens.
 
casacrow said:
Just remember not to leave it on all winter long. You will dry up yer battery.
Click to expand...

If it's a float charger (like the CTEK) then it will do no harm to the battery.
 
TwistedKestrel said:
If it's a float charger (like the CTEK) then it will do no harm to the battery.
Click to expand...

Leaving it on, will still charge the battery more times than required. Every single time you charge, or use a battery you are shortening it's life. Just top it up and put it away. Our off season isn't really that long anyways.
 
The only true 'smart' charger out there is the Optimate. The BT Jr is always applying a charge and most often, not enough of one, especially if you have a high performance maintenance free battery like most motorcycles do. I've used the Optimate since day one and now have the Opti 5 model which I can use on just about anything, including my cars.

http://www.tecmate.com/u_optimate.php


 
Based on the number of knowledgeable sources that recommend the Battery Tender, I use the real, Deltran Battery Tender. GP Bikes includes one with every new and used bike they sell.

The Junior cost $40 retail, I saw on sale in the US for $20 last week. Most I have seen, including the Can Tire branded ones charge at a much higher rate.

We have 1 on each bike, and only disconnect to ride.

According to Deltran, http://batterytender.com/resources/why-battery-tender:
All Battery Tender battery chargers have the five following characteristics:


Fully Automatic: At the end of the regular charger cycle, every Battery Tender battery charger automatically switches its output voltage to a safe, storage or float level that eliminates the need to constantly check on the conditions of the battery.


Full Output Power at Low AC Line Conditions: Battery Tender battery chargers will deliver full output power with input AC line voltages as low as 90 VAC. (Excluding chargers with output current of 2 amps or less).


Zero to Minimal Current Draw from Batteries: When the AC power is disconnected, most Battery Tender battery chargers draw zero current from the battery. A few of the higher power models draw less than 1 milliamp from the battery.


Compact, Lightweight Construction: At any given power level, Battery Tender battery chargers offer some of the highest charging power density in the industry.


Visual Indication of Charge State: Every Battery Tender battery charger has some combination of colored lights to indicate the progress of charging. Complete 4-step charging program (Initialization, Bulk Charge, Absorption Mode, Float Mode).


Automatically switches to float / maintenance voltage after fully charging the battery.


If the battery voltage drops too far under load, full charger output power resumes.


Another link worth a look:
http://batterytender.com/resources/float-charging.htm
 
I use the Battery Tender Junior. Plug it it and forget about it until spring. My first Yuasa battery lasted over 8 years and was replaced with another Yuasa as a preventative maintenance measure because I was about at the half way point in the time I'm going to keep this bike, not because it failed.
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