Is it Safe to use a Noco Battery Charger for Long Periods of Time on a Stored Vehicle

Updated 06/11/2010 | Published 06/10/2010

Question:

I have a car that I leave at a second home. It may set unused for 3 or 4 months at a time. can i leave this charger maintaining my car battery for months at a time - completely unattended? Im concerned leaving this charging unattended for several months. Could this cause any hazzards fire, overheating, etc.. Thanks,

asked by: Don M

Expert Reply:

You should have no problem setting this battery charger and leaving it for months on end, unattended.

The NOCO Battery Chargers work very differently than the old, traditional battery tenders. The old tenders used a trickle charge. Basically they constantly applied a little bit of power. This wastes electricity and can lead to some lead acid batteries overflowing, which is a big problem.

The charger and maintainers do not trickle charge. Instead they detect that the battery has lost some charge. Then the charger kicks on, tops off the battery charge, then kicks over. Not a constant trickle like the old style tenders.

The internal circuitry also detects over-heating and shorts, and in the event of those, it would shut itself off to prevent fires or electrical damage.

These chargers are very popular among car collectors that have antique or high end cars that spend most of their time in a garage. They hook the charger up to the car and let it sit. That way on those particularly nice days, or special occasions their treasured car fires right up and the battery is kept in good condition.

Just make sure the area around the car, charger and outlet is clear, and that the outlet and battery terminals are clean and free of corrosion.

If you still do not like the idea of leaving the charger plugged in for long periods of time, this charger can be used to re-condition and re-charge the battery. Over time, some of the acid in a lead acid battery can chemically react with the lead and turn into crystalized lead sulfate. The charger will pulse electrical current through the battery and reverse this reaction and recondition the battery. Then it will charge the battery up and you will be good to go.

A few of us around etrailer.com have used these for lawn tractors and vehicles and have been very happy with them. It fully reconditioned a lawn tractor battery that would not hold a charge for more than a couple weeks. Now the battery holds a charge almost as well as if it were brand new.