Battery Maintenance – making friends with the magic pixie box.

Ride long enough and you're sure to find yourself in a situation like this: Gear on, chain tight, tire pressure checked, fresh oil, key on, thumb the starter... but it just won't start. Prime suspect: a Dead Battery. Prevention is key, so read on to find out how to avoid this situation and keep your battery charged and lively for years to come.

It's no secret that batteries lose their charge when not being used for long periods of time, like while in seasonal storage. However, short trips and infrequent use, drains from alarms and other auxiliary electronics can also take their toll, and you may never know until it leaves you flat. This is where a battery maintainer comes in.

Battery Maintainer, Trickle Charger, Battery Tender... What's the diff?

• A trickle charger is a simple device that provides a constant low-amperage feed to the battery. The problem is, it can easily over-charge a battery (think of leaving your tap on slightly when you leave for a week, with the plug in the drain.. at some point it could overflow).

• A battery maintainer is a bit smarter. A basic maintainer also keeps your battery topped up, but it has circuitry built-in to prevent overcharging, as well as not allowing it to attempt to charge a damaged battery. A fancy one can detect the type of battery it's connected to and provide the correct charge, as well as preform other functions like initialize a new battery, desulfate and re-condition an old battery, and preform load testing.

• Finally, Battery Tender is a brand name, let's call them the Kleenex of battery maintainers.

How to choose?

First, you need to determine the type of battery you need to maintain.

Then, you need to decide what type of maintenance is right for you.

3 Most Common Battery Types:

• Powersports batteries come in a few varieties, but the majority use some form of Lead-Acid chemistry. This is going to be all of your Standard, AGM, and Gel batteries. Almost all vehicles made since the 80s are 12-volt (12v)

• Less common new, but becoming more common for replacement are Lithium Ion (LiFePO4) batteries in 12.8v or 13.2v.

• Deep Cycle type batteries are more common in boats or Rvs', but it's always good to check.

Common types of battery maintainers:

• A low-amperage maintainer, such as an OptiMate 1 Duo or a Battery Tender Junior put out under 1 amp, and are ideal for longer-term storage solutions. The OptiMate 1 Duo is particularly attractive as it will work with both Lead-Acid and Lithium Ion batteries, is simple to use, comes with pigtail adapters for quick connections without removing the battery, and a small form factor to plug into a regular wall socket, all at a very attractive price.

• A higher-amperage maintainer, such as an OptiMate 7 will put out up to 10 Amps and quickly charge and keep maintained both regular lead-acid, AGM, Gel and Deep Cycle batteries. It has a bunch of other features, such as delivering stable power for show and display, or while working on a non-running vehicle, and can also be used for long-term storage.

• A Lithium-Only charger such as the OptiMate 4S puts out 5-amps, and has features that are specific to batteries with Lithium chemistry. It will charge and maintain LiFePO4 and LFP batteries in 12.8v or 13.2v, it balances the cells in the lithium battery automatically and can run a 12-hour maintenance cycle on demand.

They can get a lot fancier than that, including multi-bank units for maintaining a fleet of toys, really the sky is the limit, but these are what we feel are the simplest units that pack the most features for your dollar.

Questions? Comments? Let us know below!