What Exactly is a trickle Charger?

You likely understand the concept of a battery charger (in all likelihood you are reading this article on a device that you charge daily). Battery-powered stuff gets worn down after use, you plug it into a wall outlet, the aforementioned battery-powered device is pumped full of what I can only describe as science-magic, and viola! it works again. This is an obvious bit of sarcasm here, but charging an electrical appliance is a concept we are all extremely familiar with.

But what about those other batteries? The batteries in your car, motorcycle, golf cart, or boat? While they're almost as commonplace, how to take proper care of them is not nearly as common knowledge. A standard battery charger like the one on your phone won't do the trick; you need a trickle charger.

So What Makes a Battery Charger a Trickle Charger?

Think of your battery as a bucket of water, and the power is the water itself. A standard battery charger is a hose, and when your bucket is empty, the hose is the fastest way to fill it back up again. But if you don't pull the hose out of the bucket when it's full, you overfill the bucket, and (in the case of batteries) risk damaging the bucket.

(You don't actually damage buckets by overfilling them in most cases, but you do damage batteries by overcharging them, so suspension of disbelief is required for this analogy to work).

A trickle charger on the other hand, is like a constant drip of water. While putting this over an empty bucket will not fill it up in any meaningful amount of time, placing it over an already full bucket will drip just enough to compensate for evaporation, and will guarantee that the bucket is full at all times.

This is important for batteries because while it is necessary to keep them topped off when they aren't in use so they don't drain too far (a mistake that can permanently damage your battery), it is also vital to keep them from overcharging so they continue to work for you year after year. So standard charging and trickle charging go hand-in-hand in keeping your battery charged and ready to start up your vehicle when you need it. Your standard charger will fill your battery back up after a long day of use, and a trickle charger will keep healthy during storage once it's all charged up.

Trickle chargers also come in a solar variety for keeping batteries topped off in the off season, even if they aren't near an outlet.

So I Need Two Chargers For Everything? Is There a Simpler Option?

Why yes there is! I'm sure many of you first thought, "Well I don't have a trickle and a standard charger for my phone, how does that work?" And quite simply, your phone charger is a smart charger. Luckily for battery-lovers everywhere, this is a technology that is also available for the batteries in your favorite motorized transportation device.

Any battery charger equipped with a smart charging feature will act as both the hose (in the previous analogy) and the slow drip of water as the need arises. It will charge your battery from a depleted state. But when it detects that your battery is full, it will ease off the power and slowly trickle power into the battery to keep it topped off. Genius, right? (Get it? Because it's a smart charger? You know this subject is remarkably hard to write jokes about.)

To Wrap It All Up

It's extremely important to keep your battery charged as much as you can, and not let it sit idly and drain its power over the off-season. And a trickle charger is just the accessory you need. We recommend a smart charger for the increased flexibility and ability to charge your batteries after use as well. Take a look at the bottom of the page for some charging recommendations, or browse our selection of smart chargers here.

If you want to see our recommendations for the best trickle chargers on the market, check out our video about The Top 5 Trickle Chargers here!

To say that my path to etrailer was complicated would be an understatement. I have always had a passion for helping others, and throughout my education and career as a social worker or community liaison, I have loved writing as a hobby. When I found etrailer and was given the opportunity to turn something I enjoyed doing into a career that helped people access information and products they need to live the best life they possibly could, I was instantly interested.

I am a lover of the outdoors, have been loading and unloading trailers since I before I was old enough to drive them, and have spent my recent years working in and around the automotive industry. And I am excited to share all of the things I have learned (more often than not the hard way).

I consider myself a perpetual student, and etrailer gives me the opportunity to learn something new every day and share my findings with others. Which is something I am extremely grateful for. I look forward to continuing to help people find the answers they need to make memories for a lifetime.