Nice When Things Work As They Should

[easysurfer]

Had an appointment this morning to bring my car in to a dealer for some auto recall work.

But when in the car and turned on the key, heard the click click sound. Drained battery. Must be from too much staying in and not driving often enough (I haven't driven in weeks). Battery not totally drained as lights still turned on but not much more.

Well, I just so happened to get one of those portable type jump starters about a month ago. The kind that jumps cars and also works as a power bank. So, the moment of truth to see if the jump starter delivered as promise. Yes, it did. Jumped the battery on first try, no problem at all. After jump, charge level on the jump starter went down from 100% to 98%. Easy peasy.


Made my day .

 

[Redbugdave]

We have 3 vehicles and one hardly get used at all. I keep a trickle charger on it, (it is in the garage), and had the same thing happen. All the electronics still drain battery power when the car is not in use.

 

[teetee]

My solution is to keep a regular car battery in doors and trickle charge it once every 6 months. The car battery was from an old 99 civic that I sold to the junk yard in 2019.

I looked into those capacitor type of jumper starter no long ago and think it would be a worthwhile purchase. But if I had no need for it in the past 20 years, it just doesn't seem that critical. An AAA membership was also a good incentive for me not to invest something that solves something that has a lot of workaround for.

 

[ncbill]

My solution is to keep a regular car battery in doors and trickle charge it once every 6 months. The car battery was from an old 99 civic that I sold to the junk yard in 2019.

I looked into those capacitor type of jumper starter no long ago and think it would be a worthwhile purchase. But if I had no need for it in the past 20 years, it just doesn't seem that critical. An AAA membership was also a good incentive for me not to invest something that solves something that has a lot of workaround for.

These newest jump starters use a rechargeable lithium battery pack & deliver far more starting power than any old lead-acid battery (or lead-acid battery jump pack) ever could.

 

[Palmtree]

I got one of those small jump starters as a gift a couple of years ago. They work surprisingly well. I keep mine on the boat.

 

[euro]

These newest jump starters use a rechargeable lithium battery pack & deliver far more starting power than any old lead-acid battery (or lead-acid battery jump pack) ever could.

Agreed - the technology has come a looong way over the last 5-10 years. Amazing what these tiny little units can do!

 

[Koolau]

Agreed - the technology has come a looong way over the last 5-10 years. Amazing what these tiny little units can do!

Had to use mine as well. Worked like a charm. I DO think you have to "mind" them (keep them charged at least once/month.) YMMV

 

[pacergal]

DH bought one of the portable car battery chargers after I shared the info I learned on this forum. Thanks to those who gave the info.
We make an effort to alternate each of our two cars when we go out, at least every other day, either for errands or just a nice drive to get out of the house!

 

[ksr]

A portable jump starter sounds like a good idea for me. I can go days without starting the car.

Any specific recommendations?

 

[wolf]

Check out "super caps", Capacitor, not battery. So you never have to worry about'
your "booster" battery not being charged.

 

[Koolau]

A portable jump starter sounds like a good idea for me. I can go days without starting the car.

Any specific recommendations?

Check out "super caps", Capacitor, not battery. So you never have to worry about'
your "booster" battery not being charged.

Mine is the "battery" type and got it from Costco. They seem to come "on sale" every once in a while. They DO need charging once a month IIRC. Can't speak to the super caps though that sounds like a better idea. No idea on price for them either. I think my "battery type" was around $40 but forget now.

Full disclosure. I am a belt and suspenders type of guy. I also have a "jump starter" which is a "big heavy" lead/acid type battery (maybe by DeWalt??). It has a light and built in air pump for your tires as well. It has served me well BUT also needs minding (charging once a month IIRC.) YMMV

 

[Texas Proud]

Had to use mine as well. Worked like a charm. I DO think you have to "mind" them (keep them charged at least once/month.) YMMV

Nope... I have done anywhere between 3 and 6 months and have never been below 50%...


My old lead acid jump starter HAD to be charged every couple of months or it was DEAD... and it was heavy as heck... AND, it only lasted 2 years before it would not charge up anymore...

 

[euro]

Nope... I have done anywhere between 3 and 6 months and have never been below 50%...


My old lead acid jump starter HAD to be charged every couple of months or it was DEAD... and it was heavy as heck... AND, it only lasted 2 years before it would not charge up anymore...

Agreed - I just had occasion to use mine probably about 6 months after I put it in my car and it worked fine. Wasn't at 100% charge, but close enough to start my Outback right up. Good thing too because I was in a very remote location outside of cellphone range..... when I came home, I did "top off" the jump starter right away and promised myself to check a little more often in the future...

 

[Koolau]

Nope... I have done anywhere between 3 and 6 months and have never been below 50%...


My old lead acid jump starter HAD to be charged every couple of months or it was DEAD... and it was heavy as heck... AND, it only lasted 2 years before it would not charge up anymore...

Over the years, I've had "jumpers" (lead acid) which lasted 10 years and those that lasted 2. No idea why the difference since I was "careless" with all of them. You are correct that they tend to be pretty heavy. I like to have a "portable" source of 12 volt DC to run my 200 watt inverter for things like a radio and a couple of LED lamps in the apartment for our not-infrequent power outages of an hour or so. YMMV

 

[justlikebike]

I bought myself a battery maintainer a couple of years ago. You attach it to your car battery and plug it into the wall. You never have to worry about a dead battery again. I love it. I do hook the extension cord over the rear view mirror so I don't try to drive away plugged in.

 

[Koolau]

I bought myself a battery maintainer a couple of years ago. You attach it to your car battery and plug it into the wall. You never have to worry about a dead battery again. I love it. I do hook the extension cord over the rear view mirror so I don't try to drive away plugged in.

I used to do the same thing back when I had my own garage. Now my car is in a parking structure, so I have to live more primitively. Of course, since it never gets cold, I don't worry about "cold cranking amps" anymore. YMMV