Thread: Puma Battery Queries

It won't hurt to try and recover the battery especially if you are not going to use it that much anyway.
I have got a Projecta 21a pro charger and it does a great job But if the battry is knackered nothing will save it.
Usually if a battery has been left completely flat for months at a time it is more than likely Cactus.

Hi Andrew and in your case, with the battery still taking a charge even when it is a good age, if it was my battery, I would be setting up to first try to charge and maintain it.

As Trout posted, if it's knackered then it's knackered.

On the other hand, if it is recoverable, then a VERY small solar panel without a regulator would be far better for any battery, not just yours, to keep the battery maintained for long periods of non use.

Leaving a battery on a charger, in float mode, can actually dry out a battery and destroy it, unless the float mode is exactly correct for that battery.

Whereas, with solar, the charge is only applied while the sun is shinning so the battery does not dry out.

As for leaving batteries for long periods of time. This is never a good practice with lead acid batteries, regardless of whether they are flooded or AGMs, long periods without a charge of any form, results in sulfation occurring.

Sulfation will occur quickly in some batteries, like flooded type, and take long in others, like most AGMs, but it still occurs.

Sulfation begins once the chemical reaction in the battery ceases and this is normally about 24 hours after the battery was last charged or discharged.

By using a small solar panel, the chemical reaction is on going, even though it is very mild. This means the battery will not suffer from sulfation and even if the battery is already suffering from sulfation, with a small solar panel, you can V-E-R-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y reverse ( resolve ) the sulfration and it will also fully charge and maintain that charge state for a very long period of time.

If you do not have a VSR Isolator fitted, then a 1w to 2w solar panel is all you need.

If you do have a VSR Isolator fitted, then you will need to work out how much current it draws while on, and then select a suitably sized panel to cover the isolator's current requirements and then add the battery's requirements.

X 2 what Drivesafe said.
I have an old 15 watt solar panel I use to try to recover batteries.
You can leave it on indefinitely.
Maybe you should make a point of driving the vehicle at least weekly.

Varta same spec $300.

Mine died 7 months ago. Also MY13 defender. Wasn't driven often. Only done almost 70k kms....

Cheers

Five years is a good run for a battery.

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Hi Andrew and in your case, with the battery still taking a charge even when it is a good age, if it was my battery, I would be setting up to first try to charge and maintain it.

As Trout posted, if it's knackered then it's knackered.

On the other hand, if it is recoverable, then a VERY small solar panel without a regulator would be far better for any battery, not just yours, to keep the battery maintained for long periods of non use.

Leaving a battery on a charger, in float mode, can actually dry out a battery and destroy it, unless the float mode is exactly correct for that battery.

Whereas, with solar, the charge is only applied while the sun is shinning so the battery does not dry out.

As for leaving batteries for long periods of time. This is never a good practice with lead acid batteries, regardless of whether they are flooded or AGMs, long periods without a charge of any form, results in sulfation occurring.

Sulfation will occur quickly in some batteries, like flooded type, and take long in others, like most AGMs, but it still occurs.

Sulfation begins once the chemical reaction in the battery ceases and this is normally about 24 hours after the battery was last charged or discharged.

By using a small solar panel, the chemical reaction is on going, even though it is very mild. This means the battery will not suffer from sulfation and even if the battery is already suffering from sulfation, with a small solar panel, you can V-E-R-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y reverse ( resolve ) the sulfration and it will also fully charge and maintain that charge state for a very long period of time.

If you do not have a VSR Isolator fitted, then a 1w to 2w solar panel is all you need.

If you do have a VSR Isolator fitted, then you will need to work out how much current it draws while on, and then select a suitably sized panel to cover the isolator's current requirements and then add the battery's requirements.

Cheers Drivesafe. I just picked up one of these: 12V 1.5W Solar Trickle Charger | Jaycar Electronics

I'll give it a few weeks or so and see how it goes.

Regarding leaving a battery on a charger in float mode, does that go for smart chargers too? I thought the big thing with those was you can leave them hooked up full time.

Cheers

Originally Posted by 4xsama

Regarding leaving a battery on a charger in float mode, does that go for smart chargers too? I thought the big thing with those was you can leave them hooked up full time.

Only the very latest chargers, that meet the California Energy Commission's new regulations actually turn off after being in float for a given period of time.

This type of charger is very good for long term maintenance of batteries.

While you can leave a battery charger on a battery in float mode, it is not always good for the battery long term.

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Only the very latest chargers, that meet the California Energy Commission's new regulations actually turn off after being in float for a given period of time.

This type of charger is very good for long term maintenance of batteries.

While you can leave a battery charger on a battery in float mode, it is not always good for the battery long term.

Hi ,thanks very much for the Info, are there any chargers locally that you know can meet those regulations? Ctek? I saw in 2017 they were in trouble in california.