Yes I know... ...another battery charger thread but I'll try anyway!

I just got a Napa battery charger/ maintainer (85-303) 12V/3A, it says it has float-mode monitoring but the instruction manual is vague as to what that term means.

I currrently have the charger hooked up to my 2007 XL1200C's HD-battery (the battery is uninstalled from the sporty and in a well ventilated area). This model of charger has 3 windows that light up (Charging/Charged/Check battery) Currently, the light is switching intermittently from Charged to Charging with more time spent on the Charged window.

Here is my question:
With the "float-mode monitoring" should I be able to leave the charger hooked up to the batery until I am ready to reinstall it and ride?

This is my 1st winter since moving from Phx, AZ to Charlotte, NC and I'm a newbie with winter HD care.

Any useful comments or redirects to relevant threads are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

Chargers tend to cook batteries.
Thats why they made tenders.

 

I'd return it & get a TENDER from a Harley dealership,just to be safe.

 

You have a charger, which is great if your battery is dead. It doesn't look like it has a tender mode. If you leave it on, it will cook the batter as it will not shut off on its own. A tender will come on and off as needed. You can pick up one from any auto parts store and save about half from buying from the dealer.

 

Man, the people who make "Tender" have done some great marketing. Your NAPA unit is a charger and a maintainer. It will do the same thing a "Tender" does. It charges until it senses full charge, then shuts off until it senses low voltage and comes back on. Then repeats. "Tender" brand isn't the only brand doing this. Trickle chargers that continue charging all the time fry batteries. This NAPA unit and hundreds of others like it are not trickle chargers.

 

The NAPA with the "maintainer" feature is a float charger just like a battery tender. However, 3A might be a little high. I have a NAPA 85-302 that is a 12V/2A that I've used for a couple of years with no problems. NAPA also has a smaller one like the battery tender jr that is something like 900 ma. Take yours back to NAPA and trade it for one with a little less amps in float mode.

 

That automatically switching from charging to charged is the float mode.
3A is a little strong for maintaining the battery during long term storage.
If you want to use that charger just hook it up for a few hours every few weeks.

The really nice thing about battery tenders/maintainers (no matter what brand) is that you install a short harness on the bike and leave the battery installed. All you have to do is plug in the tender when you want to use it.

 

If it's switching from "charging" to "charged" and back, it sounds like it's doing it's job perfectly. That's what a maintainer is.

 

The fact that it may also be a charger has nothing to do with the maintenance or float mode. I don't know this particular charger but as long as it was designed to also maintain an AGM type battery at a float rate, then you should OK, but do double check! Ideally the charger/maintainer has the microprocessor circuitry to run the different charge algorithms that AGM batteries prefer for long life.

3A is what the charger is capable of, it does not mean that it pumps 3 amps of current into the battery during the float rate. The battery’s back EMF versus charge voltage is what will determine the current. If the battery is fully charged and is on float, the current will be next to nothing when the battery is on the bench. It’s so low that some algorithms actually go into a cycle mode.

Check with the charger manufacturer, all of these details should be addressed in their documentation, either in the manual or online.

 

You beat me to it. A 3A charger/maintainer means 3A maximum. In maintain or "float" mode it isn't going to charge, when it is charging, at a greater rate of current than a 2A or 1A charger/maintainer would. The charging current is determined by the internal resistance of the battery, which is determined by the level of charge. A benefit of the larger capacity is a quicker charge of a battery that's more discharged.