Zotter
Nov 19th, 2005, 5:36 pm
I'm embarrassed - I KNOW better - I was stupid and did it anyway. Just hope someone else can use my experience to avoid doing similar themselves. I hope so. It's the only possible redeaming factor of this story! So, pay attention.
Many months ago, I put a tracker on my LT (what's a tracker? check the 'other gadgets' forum and look for the APRS thread). If I leave the tracker running for a couple days, the battery runs down - as expected. It is a 5 watt VHF transmitter after all. So, I plug a generic '1 amp' motorcycle battery charger into the driver's accessory socket as part of my 'parking for the night' routine.
Usually, I'd let 'er sit over-night and next day I'd ride to work, around town and then home. Then plug 'er in again for that night. Well, winter tried to arrive this week, some snow and ice - so I drove the truck for the 4 days of slick roads, leaving the LT plugged in and ignored all that time. I got the LT out Friday morning after the roads had cleared some.
She was reluctant to start from the get-go. Shoulda known then. Poor starting all day getting progressively worse at each client site - brake failure warning lights started a blinking like Rudolph's claymation snout after lunch and then at the end of the day, after dark with temps dropping rapidly, she wouldn't start at all. Got a jump start from one of the guys at work and made it home. Plugged 'er in again. (that right there is the epitome of a crainiorectal inversion)
This morning she wouldn't start at all. Painful, slow, groaning minimal rotation of the engine. No where near enough to start. I pulled the battery and found what I expected. To say it was simply 'dry' would be an understatement. It was parched - top of each cell looked like a desicated chunk of hundred year old drift wood atop a bald sand dune in the Sahara. I still have no idea how on earth it was even powering the head light and radio. Hella battery Excide!!
I'd totaly cooked the moisture out of the electrolyte by consistantly OVER CHARGING it. About a third gallon of distilled water later and weeks too late - she starts and runs . But I still get the occasionally brake fail warning lights.
My battery is toast. It's impressive, what with all the crap and sulphating, it'll even start the beast. Can only say good things about Excide for building a battery that'd take this kind of abuse and still start the bike!!
I expect to limp along (with some planning and for-thought) for a few days until a new one arrives via UPS.
So, moral? Do *NOT* just put your bike on a 'dumb' charger and leave it there! At least without checking the electrolyte levels. Daily wouldn't hurt. Instead, treat yourself and your battery to one of those 'smart' tender/keeper/chargers. Those types that'll actually monitor what your battery condition is, give it what it needs and treat it nicely the rest of the time. If you want the convenience of leaving your bike plugged in when not ride'n it - you gotta put some smarts into the charger to keep from toasting your battery. Or use your own smarts and monitor the thing. Still wouldn't be a bad idea to second guess the smarts in that charger and look at the levels yourself now and then.
Worst part is I knew this already. I know how this stuff works and simply got lazy. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Wasted an otherwise good battery simply by being complacent.
Now, dosh that was budgeted for toys, instead goes out as 'penance' for my arrogant attempt at cheating the laws of physics.
Many months ago, I put a tracker on my LT (what's a tracker? check the 'other gadgets' forum and look for the APRS thread). If I leave the tracker running for a couple days, the battery runs down - as expected. It is a 5 watt VHF transmitter after all. So, I plug a generic '1 amp' motorcycle battery charger into the driver's accessory socket as part of my 'parking for the night' routine.
Usually, I'd let 'er sit over-night and next day I'd ride to work, around town and then home. Then plug 'er in again for that night. Well, winter tried to arrive this week, some snow and ice - so I drove the truck for the 4 days of slick roads, leaving the LT plugged in and ignored all that time. I got the LT out Friday morning after the roads had cleared some.
She was reluctant to start from the get-go. Shoulda known then. Poor starting all day getting progressively worse at each client site - brake failure warning lights started a blinking like Rudolph's claymation snout after lunch and then at the end of the day, after dark with temps dropping rapidly, she wouldn't start at all. Got a jump start from one of the guys at work and made it home. Plugged 'er in again. (that right there is the epitome of a crainiorectal inversion)
This morning she wouldn't start at all. Painful, slow, groaning minimal rotation of the engine. No where near enough to start. I pulled the battery and found what I expected. To say it was simply 'dry' would be an understatement. It was parched - top of each cell looked like a desicated chunk of hundred year old drift wood atop a bald sand dune in the Sahara. I still have no idea how on earth it was even powering the head light and radio. Hella battery Excide!!
I'd totaly cooked the moisture out of the electrolyte by consistantly OVER CHARGING it. About a third gallon of distilled water later and weeks too late - she starts and runs . But I still get the occasionally brake fail warning lights.
My battery is toast. It's impressive, what with all the crap and sulphating, it'll even start the beast. Can only say good things about Excide for building a battery that'd take this kind of abuse and still start the bike!!
I expect to limp along (with some planning and for-thought) for a few days until a new one arrives via UPS.
So, moral? Do *NOT* just put your bike on a 'dumb' charger and leave it there! At least without checking the electrolyte levels. Daily wouldn't hurt. Instead, treat yourself and your battery to one of those 'smart' tender/keeper/chargers. Those types that'll actually monitor what your battery condition is, give it what it needs and treat it nicely the rest of the time. If you want the convenience of leaving your bike plugged in when not ride'n it - you gotta put some smarts into the charger to keep from toasting your battery. Or use your own smarts and monitor the thing. Still wouldn't be a bad idea to second guess the smarts in that charger and look at the levels yourself now and then.
Worst part is I knew this already. I know how this stuff works and simply got lazy. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Wasted an otherwise good battery simply by being complacent.
Now, dosh that was budgeted for toys, instead goes out as 'penance' for my arrogant attempt at cheating the laws of physics.