Today I was playing in the garage and decided to start the riding mower. Well the battery is dead. My neighbor says that he keeps a float charger on his all winter. Can someone tell me what a float charger is and what does it do? Is it the same as a battery maintaner? Thanks for any info
Actually, he is right, but for me, I use an ordinary charger, and on the first of every month, summer & winter, I put the charger on at its lowest setting. It usually takes less than ten minutes for the charger to indicate full charge. This has served me well because last year I finally replaced the original battery in my eleven year old rider. Bob-tx
You can find cheap float chargers at Harbor Freight. They will maintain a full charge voltage, but won't put out enough amperage to bring a battery up to charge. More expensive chargers have a float mode that kicks the charger on when battery voltage drops. Either one will reduce the chance of a dead battery in the spring. I keep a cheap float charger on my tractor and travel trailer all winter.
Bob wrote:> >
Andy writes:
Another alternative is to put an ordinary charger on a $4 timer, and let it run for a half hour or so every day.... This way you don't have to remember to mess with it every month. Depending on the battery size, I would reccomment something around a 1 amp max setting since you are only compensating for the self-discharge of the battery.
However, whether you are using Bob's methond or my suggestion, you should check the water level in the battery occasionally, like every 3 or 4 months, to make sure everything is working right....
Andy in Eureka, Texas
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