battery minder for generator

[Howard Pollack]

Hi. I just bought a new Champion generator with a 12 volt lead-acid battery and would like to get a "battery minder" for it to prevent dead batteries. Looking on-line I see them from under $20 to several hundred dollars. I know nothing about these. Can folks make recommendations for these that won't fail when I need them? Thanks. -Howard

[Greg Funk]

I have a Ctek charger/maintainer similar to https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CD44RQO as well as a Noco Genius 2 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W6B987F). Both seem to work fine but the CTek has higher output so will also charge the battery vs just maintaining. Both of mine are used indoors so not exposed to rain.

I had a less expensive one but it died.

[Tom M King]

I also recommend a NOCO, but the smaller 1 amp one. We have a bunch of the Battery Tenders, and the NOCO's. No complaints about either, but would go with NOCO.

[Lisa Starr]

We have many maintainers on our herd of motorcycles etc. They are all BatteryTender brand and have lasted great. Most of they are in excess of 12 years old and are still working perfectly.

[Tom M King]

Yes, we've had Battery Tenders for long before I ever saw a NOCO, but when my last battery charger played out (friend (Nobel Prize winning scientist) borrowed it and left it out in the rain), I bought a NOCO, and have been so impressed with it that I switched brands of maintainers for any new ones. I don't remember ever having to replace a battery with either, and I don't even remember how long we've been using the Battery Tenders.

[Kev Williams]

I have one of these $10 float chargers from HF that's probably 10 years old-
473536
Works great, even after I stepped on it and broke the plastic case. The wife's '13 Mustang will drain its battery to a no-start voltage in 3 weeks, this thing keeps up with it.

[Michael Schuch]

I have one of these $10 float chargers from HF that's probably 10 years old-
473536
Works great, even after I stepped on it and broke the plastic case. The wife's '13 Mustang will drain its battery to a no-start voltage in 3 weeks, this thing keeps up with it.


I have the same one that I keep on my Diesel pickup all winter long as well as keeping the block heater plugged in. Together I know my pickup is always ready when needed. I have never had a problem with the little $10 float charger overcharging the battery. I have several battery chargers/maintainers but the little float charger is the most inconspicuous and easiest to use since it fits under the hood easily.

[Bill Dufour]

Solar panel on the dashboard or in a window plugged into lighter socket. Make sure the socket has power when car is switched off.
Bill D

[Bruce Wrenn]

I own several Battery Minders. Couple are at least ten years old. Check Northern tool for pricing, as they go on sale a couple times of the year. The battery on our stand by generator was made in 09, and has a Battery Minder on it. Means its twelve years old. Cranked generator just fine last week during monthly run test.

[Tom M King]

There are several reasons I like the NOCO tenders better. One is you can get adapters that mount to battery terminals, and you can just leave the plug hanging out somewhere. Some things, like jetskiis are kind of a pain to get to the battery, and you don't want the charger to get wet. With these, it's a easy unclick, but still a very good connection.

I keep one on my tractors for charging, but also plug the other way from the tractor batteries to the 12v diesel fuel pump.

No fooling with alligator clips, raising hoods, and such.

The slow pulsing led's tell you what the charger is doing to.

These come in different lengths, and with different sizes of lugs. It's a well thought out system.

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GC002-Eyelet-Terminal-Connector/dp/B004LWQ35Y/ref=sr_1_20?crid=3VY0S2L83ATAJ&keywords=noco+adapter&qid=1644497819&sprefix=noco+adapter%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-20

[Terry Wawro]

I've used the cheap Harbor Freight version with success, keeping a jet ski battery topped up while in winter storage.

I also have a "Battery Tender" brand that I use to keep our car sized boat battery in good condition. Both work as intended.

FWITW, I too have a 7500 watt generator with a battery. I don't have it on a battery charger/maintainer, but I do have a note in my calendar to recharge it every 3 months as recommended in the manual. If I know bad weather is coming, I do charge it up a day or so ahead just in case.

[Rick Potter]

Nothing but good luck with Deltran Battery Tenders. I have at least six, and three of them are doubles, some are maybe 10 years old.

They come in all ranges of power, and Costco carries them sometimes. I also have a box of extensions in 6, 12 and 24' lengths, since my car parking is fluid with about 10 cars in the household.

I once forgot a dual tender was outside, in operation, when it rained hard, and got soaked. DOA I thought, but I left it out in the sun for a week or so and it came back to life. I use the pigtails to get the input jack to a good spot on the grill or windshield wiper area. They have covers and never had a problem with them getting wet.

PS: I found that a cheap plastic tool box makes a good waterproof housing for these if they are needed outside.

[Bruce Wrenn]

There are several reasons I like the NOCO tenders better. One is you can get adapters that mount to battery terminals, and you can just leave the plug hanging out somewhere. Some things, like jetskiis are kind of a pain to get to the battery, and you don't want the charger to get wet. With these, it's a easy unclick, but still a very good connection.


No fooling with alligator clips, raising hoods, and such.

The slow pulsing led's tell you what the charger is doing to.

These come in different lengths, and with different sizes of lugs. It's a well thought out system.

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GC002-Eyelet-Terminal-Connector/dp/B004LWQ35Y/ref=sr_1_20?crid=3VY0S2L83ATAJ&keywords=noco+adapter&qid=1644497819&sprefix=noco+adapter%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-20
Battery Minders also offer ring terminals, in addition to alligator clips. I bought mine off Ebay. Have one set on stand by generator, and another set on the welder. On the welder, you have to take battery box loose and slide it out from under fuel tank to use alligator clips. So much easier to have a lead hanging out to connect to.

[roger wiegand]

You want to "exercise" a generator pretty regularly, at least according to the manufacturers. That should keep the battery topped up.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi. I just bought a new Champion generator with a 12 volt lead-acid battery and would like to get a "battery minder" for it to prevent dead batteries. Looking on-line I see them from under $20 to several hundred dollars. I know nothing about these. Can folks make recommendations for these that won't fail when I need them? Thanks. -Howard

Battery Tender is one brand that works well.

For a standby generator you should run it monthly for 30 to 60 minutes with a significant load.

For smaller generators in the 3kw range a standard 1,500 watt space heater is the right size, for much larger units a 4,800W construction heater is a good choice.

Give a 5 minute cool down at no load after, or whatever cooldown time is specified by the equipment maker…..Regards, Rod

[Roger Feeley]

Rod,
Whats the purpose of the load? I was taught to run engines periodically but no mention was ever made about load. I assumed that the reason was to circulate the oil. In fact, I’m running my daughters Honda scooter now to get rid of very old gas.

[Mike Soaper]

As i understand it, the generators need to be periodically ran under load, not so much for the engine, but to help maintain the magnetic fields in the generator itself

[Bruce Wrenn]

You want to "exercise" a generator pretty regularly, at least according to the manufacturers. That should keep the battery topped up.


No charging ring on magneto. It's a portable generator that I converted to electric start, and made into a stationary generator.

[Rod Sheridan]

Rod,
Whats the purpose of the load? I was taught to run engines periodically but no mention was ever made about load. I assumed that the reason was to circulate the oil. In fact, I’m running my daughters Honda scooter now to get rid of very old gas.

Hi Roger, the 3 main reasons are

1) consume the fuel in a reasonable length of time

2) bring the lubricating oil up to temperature to boil off condensates

3) verify that the governor and voltage regulator work and raise alternator winding temperature to dry them out.

Also running an engine at no load is detrimental to the condition of the engine…….Regards, Rod

[David Jurincie]

I have had a Champion generator for about 5 years that I purchased through Costco. It came with a battery tender that plugs in on the control panel. You might want to check the Champion site to see if they sell it as an accessory. I also run it for about 30 minutes every other month to cycle the gas through it and keep everything working properly.

[Mike Soaper]

another reason why you should periodically run a generator under load,

Why Does My Generator Run, but Not Produce Electricity? - Energy Management Corporation (emcsolutions.com) (https://emcsolutions.com/2021/04/02/why-does-my-generator-run-but-not-produce-electricity/)

[Rod Sheridan]

A good generator will have a small permanent magnet (PM), on the rotor, or will employ automatic field flashing where the machine will momentarily connect the field winding to the cranking battery to provide residual magnetism.

This will enable the voltage regulator to use power generated by the alternator to properly excite the alternator.

Regards, Rod.

[Bruce Wrenn]

A good generator will have a small permanent magnet (PM), on the rotor, or will employ automatic field flashing where the machine will momentarily connect the field winding to the cranking battery to provide residual magnetism.

This will enable the voltage regulator to use power generated by the alternator to properly excite the alternator.

Regards, Rod.Not all generators have cranking batteries. Most under 5 KW don't. Watched many videos on flashing a generator, most using a drill. My favorite is using an angle grinder. Start generator, connect angle grinder, the use wheel and strike it like it was a match. Some portable generators (brushless) use a capacitor to regulate the voltage instead of an AVR. Local company here, who install commercial stand by generators, had a 5 KW on CL. Said it wouldn't maintain voltage. Called them up and asked did they check the capacitor. They had no idea that there was a capacitor in the generator. Replaced capacitor and BINGO, we have a winner.

[Ole Anderson]

I have a mower that gets stored outside in the winter and battery removal is very difficult. So I just put it on a Battery Tender so the battery is ready in the spring and doesn't freeze due to loosing it's charge over winter. BTW, electric start is just a luxury on a small generator. Not so on my 4 stroke snowmobile with no pull cord so I carry a small jump pack with me.

My neighbor has a snow blower with electric start. I found it is easier to just pull the cord than looking for the starting plug and an extension cord.