Battery Tender

[TheViper]

It only sets off the alarm if the alarm is set to "on" when the battery is disconnected.
Those auto disconnected switches will therefore set off the alarm.
Michael

Originally Posted by Kaliuzhkin

Disconnecting the battery should set off the alarm. How does a cut-off switch avoid setting off the alarm?

I'm looking at switches that automatically disconnect the battery if the battery power gets too low. How do those switches avoid setting off the alarm?

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any many more.

[Kaliuzhkin]

Originally Posted by TheViper

It only sets off the alarm if the alarm is set to "on" when the battery is disconnected.
Those auto disconnected switches will therefore set off the alarm.
Michael

Is it the same with cut-off switches? Must you disarm the alarm system before turning off the battery?

[TheViper]

Yes.

Originally Posted by Kaliuzhkin

Is it the same with cut-off switches? Must you disarm the alarm system before turning off the battery?

[RoadDad]

ChrisH,

I just dug through the BMPlus owner's manual and can't find anything that says to remove the battery from the car before going into dsulfation/maintenance mode. Maybe I missed it somewhere though. Viper has forgotten more about this stuff than I will ever know though so you may want to take his advice instead.

[TheViper]

Actually, I have a Black & Decker "smart" charger, and it is its instructions where it says that.

Originally Posted by RoadDad

ChrisH,

I just dug through the BMPlus owner's manual and can't find anything that says to remove the battery from the car before going into dsulfation/maintenance mode. Maybe I missed it somewhere though. Viper has forgotten more about this stuff than I will ever know though so you may want to take his advice instead.

[Kaliuzhkin]

Originally Posted by TheViper

Actually, I have a Black & Decker "smart" charger, and it is its instructions where it says that.

The Elise manual makes two interesting points:

(1) Battery Charging
Under conditions of normal daily use, it should not be necessary
to use external battery charging equipment. In a low
usage regime, however, it is important to maintain the charge
state of the battery using a trickle charger, or an automatic battery
management conditioner such as that available through
Lotus Dealers. Starting difficulties may be encountered after an
unattended period of 3 weeks. A battery conditioner is able to
continuously monitor battery charge state and switch on and off
automatically in order to maintain the battery in a fully charged
state without danger of damage through overcharging.

page 131

Has anyone ever heard of "an automatic battery
management conditioner such as that available through
Lotus Dealers"?

(2) Unless you are using an automatic battery management
conditioner, the battery should be removed from the car for
recharging, to a well ventilated area to avoid a build up of fumes
in the luggage compartment and to prevent damage to the car's
electrical system.

page 132

[TheViper]

.

Originally Posted by Kaliuzhkin

The Elise manual makes two interesting points:

(1) Battery Charging
Under conditions of normal daily use, it should not be necessary
to use external battery charging equipment. In a low
usage regime, however, it is important to maintain the charge
state of the battery using a trickle charger, or an automatic battery
management conditioner such as that available through
Lotus Dealers. Starting difficulties may be encountered after an
unattended period of 3 weeks. A battery conditioner is able to
continuously monitor battery charge state and switch on and off
automatically in order to maintain the battery in a fully charged
state without danger of damage through overcharging.
The larger the capacity (AH) the longer it will last.

page 131

Has anyone ever heard of "an automatic battery
management conditioner such as that available through
Lotus Dealers"? Simply a maintainer.

(2) Unless you are using an automatic battery management
conditioner, the battery should be removed from the car for
recharging, to a well ventilated area to avoid a build up of fumes
in the luggage compartment and to prevent damage to the car's
electrical system. Only relevent if you have a "flooded cell" battery, an AGM does not normally give off gas fumes.
page 132

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by TheViper

Actually, I have a Black & Decker "smart" charger, and it is its instructions where it says that.

I was reading the Battery Minder's web site, and also the web sites of some other chargers that do desulfation. It appears that some use a train of pulses at a single high frequency at high voltage (20V or more) for desulfation, which works by both causing some dissolving of the sulfation and simply jarring sulfates loose due to the vibration caused by the voltage pulses. The BMPlus says they use multiple (not a single) high frequencies at lower voltages, which works only by dissolving the sulfates, not jarring them loose. I think they patented this approach. The Battery Minder website describes how this method is superior to the single frequency high voltage of other reconditioners (no loose sulfate particles in the battery afterwards). While I didn't see it stated, I am guessing this means that they work at a lower voltage on the desulfation pulses, and hence may be safe for the car's electronics. The BMPlus user manual did not say to disconnect the battery. It explicitly has a section in the user manual regarding charging while the battery is still connected to the equipment (in this case, the vehicle).

I think I will send them an email and explicitly ask.

[ameeriklane]

Originally Posted by Kaliuzhkin

page 131

Has anyone ever heard of "an automatic battery
management conditioner such as that available through
Lotus Dealers"?

Yes, my dealer offered this to me earlier this week. Part number LOTAC05139 and price was 63 EUR (includes 18% VAT). He called it a "trickle charger" but I think it's a maintainer actually. When I think "trickle charger" I think of a battery charger that trickle charges but never stops (so it can over-charge the battery), and I don't think that is what the product does.

Instead, I just ordered a Battery Tender. For those people in Europe, here's a link to the European distributor: PROFI PRODUCTS ...not only for professionals ! - Battery Tender
They referred me to a local distributor, but as is typical of customer service where I live, my emails were not answered, so I just ordered directly from the European main distributor in Germany. They were quick to answer my emails and advised me on the best product to choose given the car's storage conditions. Note that not all models available in the US are offered in Europe.