Battery Booster/Jump Starter

[Lynn Kirkpatrick]

I'm looking for another jump starter, or battery booster. These are the portable/rechargeable gizmos that can be connected to a low battery to start a LBC/car/truck/etc. Any suggestions?

I bought one at a parts store that lasted 6-8 months with light usage. When it quit holding enough charge it took it back and they replaced it under warranty. Now the 2nd one is belly up and I would like to either get a good one, or a cheap one that will start a V-8 and then when it quits I won't feel bad about it not lasting.

I don't need the air compressor (they tend to overheat) or all of the outlets. I would prefer to speend less than $100, but if I can find a good one I may spring for it.

What amp rating is needed? I think I had one rated @ 1000 amps, peak, that would start my truck, MG, etc, but that may have been more than I need. Any suggestions?
Thanks

 

[Deleted member 8987]

The internal sealed lead acid batteries (like a motorcycle battery) go bad.
In the use these get, they sulphate out fast.
I have one they tried to leave on charge to bring it up....fried the electronics, took out the power supply (it's a 12V wall wart inside).
You're better off with a good battery charger and a long extension cord, in my experience.

 

[jsfbond]

This is where quality comes into play. All batteries are affected by temperature, and should be stored at close to the ideal temp of 70 degrees.
Schumacher (yeah Don, the dragrace guy) has a great long lasting unit. We have one here at the store that was returned "defective" two years ago and it serves us everyday without fail. Overcharge protection so it can be left on the charger, inside the house, heated building untill needed.

 

[Lynn Kirkpatrick]

Can you tell me what the model number is? I have a couple Schumacher chargers that work pretty good so far.

So this is Don Schumacher, not Michael? I'm not sure I would want Herr Schumacher to benefit from my $s.

 

[eschneider]

...... When it quit holding enough charge.....

Basically these things are a battery with built-in cables. They have their own trickle chargers, which are can be terrible.

You could fashion your own, sans the pretty casing, out of a 12V motorcycle battery - might need to be a gel-cel to get the power you need - then fashion your own jumper leads, and then get a good trickle charger to maintain it. I like the "Battery Minder" (de-sulfating "pulse" type, fully automatic). Beware the "Battery Tender" - they do not de-sulfate, but confuse things by carefully claiming "anti-sufation" (i.e., avoid sulfation).

Actually, the battery minder will probably bring your current charger back to life.

 

[Lynn Kirkpatrick]

So this is kind of getting into chemistry, a scary topic for me.

Should these things be plugged in all of the time between uses? I don't remember reading that in the instructions, but my wife can vouch for how well I do that. When I plug it in, it charges for a short time (10 minutes) then shows charged, but it doesn't have the juice to crank the MG. It is acting like a battery with a bad cell. If I plug it in for days will it de-sulfate?

Making my own is kind of a scary idea. I want it as a backup for a car we take to shows. We have a Knightrider replica and we run the electronics during the show.) Are the gel-cel batteries sealed and do you have to be careful of acid? (I know zero about them, but I'll take a look.)
Thanks

 

[jsfbond]

........After removing the PSJ-1812 from the carton,charge it for a minimum of 8 hours even if the green "Full Power" LED glows.........Recharge the PSJ-1812 after every use and every three months to full charge status to "Extend" the battery life.///These batteries do wear out after so many cycles, but should provide years of service.

 

[TR3driver]

Should these things be plugged in all of the time between uses?

There is a lot of "it depends" in there, but all batteries lose their charge over time, so it needs to be plugged in at least occasionally to bring the battery back up. Depending on how smart the charger is, it may or may not be a good idea to leave it all the time.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]If I plug it in for days will it de-sulfate?[/QUOTE]Most likely not with the integral charger. However, you might be able to save the battery by opening the case and using a "desulphator" (either commercial or home-made) on it.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] Are the gel-cel batteries sealed and do you have to be careful of acid?[/QUOTE]Most of them are only semi-sealed. Generally they won't leak if they fall over during transport, but they need to be upright and in a vented area while charging or discharging heavily (like starting a car). (Many of them have a vent tube so the battery itself can be in a compartment but the tube has to extend outside.)

The only exception AFAIK are the "Optima" brand batteries, which are fully sealed and won't vent at all (unless they are badly mistreated). An Optima plus a really smart charger (like the BatteryMINDer mentioned above) would be my choice to build something like this.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]We have a Knightrider replica and we run the electronics during the show.)[/QUOTE]Have you considered incorporating a secondary battery instead of using an external booster? You could hide the battery somewhere within the car (trunk, under the back seat, I've even seen them stuffed into fenders), with a diode splitter to charge it from the usual alternator (so it gets automatically topped up every time you start the engine) and a solenoid to connect it directly into the car's electrical system for starting. Then your electronics can run the regular battery flat during a show, but push the button and you've got a fresh battery for starting.

Or turn it around the other way, and use the auxiliary battery to power all the electronics you want to run at the show, leaving the original battery for starting. That would probably be better, since you wouldn't need the solenoid and heavy gauge cables for the aux battery. This is a very common setup for motorhomes and such; and works quite well, IMO.

You can carry this scheme even further if you want; with two or more deep-cycle batteries in parallel to power the electronics, or even a separate high capacity alternator just to charge the aux battery pack. I had two 100AH "camping" batteries in my motorhome, because we liked to go camping away from hookups and not start the main engine for days at a time. But that's probably overkill for what you need.

 

[TR3driver]

I like the "Battery Minder" (de-sulfating "pulse" type, fully automatic).

Note that BatteryMINDer is a brand name:
https://www.batteryminders.com
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Beware the "Battery Tender" - they do not de-sulfate, but confuse things by carefully claiming "anti-sufation" (i.e., avoid sulfation).[/QUOTE]"Battery Tender" is also a trade mark/brand name, but not everyone honors it; meaning that you may find different types battery chargers called "battery tenders".
https://batterytender.com

For example, some people call this type a battery tender:
https://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-battery-float-charger-42292.html

 

[PAUL161]

What about the one Moss sells? Any comments? PJ