Float Charger
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Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Bedford UK
Battery chargers come under many names! Modern bike batteries give much better service life is used with a 'battery tender' or 'minder'. I'm not sure what a float charger is! I have several tenders, plugged in as I speak on our bikes and a car I don't use much. I would certainly recommend using one if you don't use your bike often, or during the winter months.
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Joined: Aug 2008
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proof in in the pudding or the instruction manual in this case.
"float" is like "all natural ingredients" left to the sellers view.
some chargers are capable of toning down a charge rate but still charges at excessive levels for a small battery. all batteries as the approach charge in themselves tone down the rate since the electrolyte saturates and the diff'l between plates equalizes.
what to look for here would be the charge voltage max since the higher it is, the more it can force the current and the plates will generate heat.
then there are the types that switch between h/l levels and usually sized for battery capacity so a mc unit maybe a 1.5>3.0 amp (or somewhere between) and a car battery 5.0>15.0 amps (too many levels but ball park)
then there is the SMART chargers that actually sense battery condition and ramp its output to balance demand. these are the best type especially for small batteries that are pretty much left alone long periods because they can compensate for temperature, batteries change characteristics with temperature. even a 2 amp charger can gas out a battery under the right conditions. i have a fifth wheel with a 2 amp charger and a marine battery and it will lose water in the heat so i had to put a timer on it.
also of importance is if the vehicle has a parasitic load, the charger might not ever go to "float" so to speak, that said, choose wisely.
"float" is like "all natural ingredients" left to the sellers view.
some chargers are capable of toning down a charge rate but still charges at excessive levels for a small battery. all batteries as the approach charge in themselves tone down the rate since the electrolyte saturates and the diff'l between plates equalizes.
what to look for here would be the charge voltage max since the higher it is, the more it can force the current and the plates will generate heat.
then there are the types that switch between h/l levels and usually sized for battery capacity so a mc unit maybe a 1.5>3.0 amp (or somewhere between) and a car battery 5.0>15.0 amps (too many levels but ball park)
then there is the SMART chargers that actually sense battery condition and ramp its output to balance demand. these are the best type especially for small batteries that are pretty much left alone long periods because they can compensate for temperature, batteries change characteristics with temperature. even a 2 amp charger can gas out a battery under the right conditions. i have a fifth wheel with a 2 amp charger and a marine battery and it will lose water in the heat so i had to put a timer on it.
also of importance is if the vehicle has a parasitic load, the charger might not ever go to "float" so to speak, that said, choose wisely.
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From: Carlsbad, CA
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,593
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From: Northern MN
The main difference between a float charger and a trickle charger is a float charger has circuitry that detects when a battery is fully charged and shuts off so the battery is not overcharged, then turns back on when needed. Some of the better Tenders start as trickle chargers and change to float chargers when the battery is fully charged. This is what you want to keep your battery healthy. If you are only talking about a few days or a week then a trickle would be fine, but longer than that I would recommend a better unit.
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