12v Battery Charger recommendation?

@Mendel Leisk is our resident expert.

 

or @Raytheeagle

 

I've never tried other brands than CTEK, so can't really comment. I'm usiing both a CTEK 3.3 and 4.3, both are fine, no problems, seem durable.

 

I use batteryMinders since more than 12 years/
more than happy with them; put them on whenever I don't use my cars for more than a couple days/
(& the battery in my gto is now 12 years old & still works pretty good)

 

Same here. With irregular usage, sometimes sitting idle 3 days: fill in the gaps with the charger.

 

The Battery Minder has automatic desulphation mode as well, which in theory, will make the battery last longer. So I went with the 1510.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

BatteryMinder 1510 user here that has helped keep our original 2010 Prius II 12v battery (purchased in August 2009) alive.

I saw this recommendation from @jdenenberg .

 

When using a battery maintainer/charger do you need to remove the 12v battery or can you put it on the jump locations to maintain the battery?

 

I believe @Mendel Leisk and others have a lead with a special plug, attached either to the jump point under the hood or sticking our from the battery in the cargo area.

 

The Owner's Manual says you need to remove the battery. I've never done that. I got tired of popping off the fusebox lid and putting on alligator clips, wired in my CTEK charger's supplied quick-connect cable a while back.

Basically all I need to do is pop the hood, plug in a connector, plug the charger into the wall. Then lower the hood to semi-latched.

Any day the car's not going to be used I plug it in now, and leave it thus till the next time the car is needed.

 

You don't need to disconnect the battery to use a maintainer. However, I wouldn't hook up a higher powered low-tech charger to a Prius.

 

There's amperage limits noted in Owner's Manual, third gen is something like 4 amps? And yeah, a typical "smart" charger, you can leave it hooked up constantly: it does multiple stage charge first, then settles down to maintenance mode, monitoring and just giving little nudges periodically.

 

I've been using an Optimate 5 (2.8 amp) which I hook up about once a month and let it run through a cycle or two. With the amount of driving I do I'm not really concerned about maintaining proper charge. I still have my original battery, from 2010. Ready to replace it when necessary, but this battery tender just might keep it going a bit longer. I know, the false economy flags are being raised. The unit also comes with two pigtail connectors, one with alligator clips and the other for a more permanent connection to the battery terminals in the back. It's even fused.

 

It's possible to connect quick-connect at the fuse box in the front. I did have a bear of a time getting the cover cap off the 12 volt incoming lead. Maybe overkill if you're only hooking up monthly.

Here's a video by @NutzAboutBolts on getting that cap off:

Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat

(video #23)

For ground wire anything will do, I used a hold-down bolt on the inverter coolant reservoir I believe.

 

I’m actually charging up our 2010’s 12 volt this morning using the BarrtyMINDer 1510 and use the shock tower bolt for the ground :



So far so good.

 

Ours is pretty much constantly on life support. For a while there I was stressing, gotta use the car or the battery..., then just started hooking up, any day the cars not going to be used, and leave it on till next drive.

 

I have that same BM-1510 and use it connected to the pigtail setup that Mendel described above.

I got tired of popping the fuse box cover off every time I needed to charge.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I’ve thought about doing that, but time has been at a premium recently .

It’s on the list though .

 

IIRC, with the pigtail on my quick-connect, I had to cut off the rigid plastic collar on the shoulder, and bend the connector down through a sharp right-angle, just past the ring: there's limited clearance around the the bolt it connects to.