2nd Battery Install

Originally posted by Pat & Bill whitaker will, does the battery minder work for ytwo 6 volt batteries in series.  we are about to change over.

Yes, it will charge two 6 volt batteries connected in series. When you have two 6 volt batteries linked this way, the end product is one 12 volt battery with really big cells, giving you significantly higher amperage (capacity) than one or even two 12 volt batteries linked in parallel.

I can't say enough good things about the Battery Minder #1500. Its strong enough to maintain up to 4 batteries connected in parallel, so having two 6 volt batteries will be fine. Just remember that this is a maintainer and not a charger. You need to first charge the batteries close to 100% using either the Pod's built-in charger or an external battery charger. After that, disconnect the charger, connect the Battery Minder, and it does the rest.

Originally posted by Luv2Q WillThrill, you mentioned this earlier:  "<span style=": rgba255, 255, 255, 0;">If you're at home, you should leave the batteries connected to a smart charger all the time."  (Which is what I do with my boat battery)</span> <span style=": rgba255, 255, 255, 0;"></span> <span style=": rgba255, 255, 255, 0;">My question:  If the batts are connected to the smart charger all the time, when would you use the battery minder?  Sorry .. Guess I'm missing something. </span>

Great question! I apologize for not clarifying myself.

First of all, most people don't take very good care of their batteries. Consequently, most deep cycle batteries are dead with no hope in less than three years according to industry experts. A true deep cycle battery (most marine batteries are 'dual purpose', meant for starting engines as well as moderate cycling) can be taken from 100% to 50% and recharged for 200-300 times, and from 100% to 70% for around 500 times. If you go from 100% down to 0% and back, you only have around 100 cycles before your batteries are dead forever. With good care, deep cycle batteries can last 10 years, maybe even more.

But getting that kind of lifespan requires that you treat your batteries as good as your spouse (maybe better!). Standard 'smart' chargers, like the one built into the Pod, are great for bringing a battery from a discharged to a charged state (i.e. 50% to ~95-100%). But most of them have a significant flaw: they aren't temperature sensitive. When batteries are cold, they need a higher voltage for the float (maintain) charge than when the batteries are warm. So if your batteries are colder than the temperature and resulting needed voltage to perfectly maintain your batteries, they will experience some sulfation. If the batteries are warmer, they will lose water too fast and might even boil.

Now these problems may not reveal themselves immediately, but after two or three years, you'll probably notice that your batteries aren't maintaining the same charge that they used to. And if you have the batteries tested, the technician will probably (rightly) tell you that the batteries need to be replaced.

The best battery maintainer I've seen for the money is the Battery Tender #1500, which sells for around $50. It is temperature sensitive and has other great features.

But while maintainers do a fantastic job of maintaining batteries, they are poor at charging batteries effectively. The time it would take to bring a 100 amp hour battery from 60% to 80% with a 15 amp charger would be about 1 hour and 40 minutes, but it would take the Battery Minder about 17 hours to do the same thing (this is taking the 20% charging inefficiency into account). When you're out camping, this is obviously sub-optimal.

So after the Pod's charger (or any external charger) brings your batteries up to 100% or close, switching them over to a good battery maintainer will prolong their lifespan substantially.

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The best battery maintainer I've seen for the money is the Battery Tender #1500, which sells for around $50. It is temperature sensitive and has other great features.
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Will, great explanation, but I believe you meant the Battery Minder, not the battery Tender in the partial quote above.  I, too, have been using a Battery Minder for many years for my marine batteries and seasonal lawn equipment.  Several times I have brought my batteries and those of friends back to life after they had seemingly died due to sulfation.  Its additional features make it a better investment than the typical battery maintainer.  Still, I have 2 "regular" battery chargers that I use to charge my marine batteries after a night of shrimping or a day of using the trolling motor.  The Battery Minder would not charge them in time for their next use.

Originally posted by jeeperic Sorry to chime in, but does this look right, then? And somebody PLEASE, once and for all explain to me the difference between: -minders -tenders -smart chargers -trickle chargers

Yes, the diagram is for a parallel connection with two 12 volt batteries.

Okay, the Battery Minders and Battery Tenders are two brands of battery maintainers (say that five times fast). Both of these brands are great for maintaining batteries that are already charged or nearly so for long periods of time.

A 'smart' charger (a.k.a. microprocessor or computer controlled with variable amperage rates listed such as 15/10/2), is using for recharging a discharged battery say from a 50% state-of-charge to 100% SOC.

A trickle charger is a very small battery maintainer that you should NEVER buy. The reason why is posted above. The short answer is because they will almost certainly either give your battery a bit too much or too little charge, both of which are bad. You need an 'intelligent' maintainer that will adjust itself to the state of your battery.

Thanks for the info.
After I tuck the Pod in for the season, I'll pull the battery off and bring it in the basement, plug in a battery maintainer, then in the spring I'll add a second 12v for the boondock sites.