On Oct 12, 12:49*am, Don Foreman
wrote:
On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:26:10 -0700 (PDT), Too_Many_Tools

wrote:

Okay...much more adverse environment than we have here in southern CA.

Your location doesn't seem to inhibit you from dispensing advice for
those in colder climates.



Anything that NEEDS to run during the winter should have a trickle
charger and engine heater.

Anything else you can charge on a regular basis...just keep the charge
topped off or the batteries will freeze.

I don't do that with my boat batteries and I've never had a battery
freeze during my 40 years in Minnesota.

Be careful enclosing any charger...they do need ventilaton. I came
very close to burning a van up by closing the hood on the van with a
charger inside...I caught it as it was smoking.

It is better to run a 110v extension cord than to run long 12v
lines...low voltage lines drop too much voltage and give the charger
an errorous indication as to its charge.

Correct.

A comment on trickle chargers...I have had several batteries killed by
chargers that overcharged the batteries.

Also in my experience smart chargers are not so smart...I have seen
them not charge batteries or overcharge them....always watch them.

Good chargers are the key to battery longevity. They are not cheap,
but they're very good value in the long run. *Overcharging is death on
lead-acid batteries.

LOL...Your location doesn't seem to inhibit you from dispensing advice
for
those in warmer climates. ;)

And guess what...batteries go dead in CA too.

And in the mountains one does need to watch for freezing temperatures
and snow storms.

And heck...we even have boats and fish here too Don...care to come
visit us?

TMT