How long can I leave my HID in the box?

[PayBack]

I bought 2 of the Power on Board 35w HIDs (cos you have to have a spare ) and want to leave it in the box. However I'm guessing the battery won't like not being charged so I was wondering how long I could leave it without taking it out and charging it?

What do the stores do with them if they don't sell by the way? Sell them with dead batteries?

 

[Ra]

I presume that they run on 12volt sealed lead batteries??

If so, they indeed need to be fully charged to prevent sulphates to form..

If you want to keep them in good shape, you'll have to charge them once every two months, preferably each month!

Mostly, internal charge-electronics don't do a good job: Best is to connect a constant-voltage charger directly to the battery (13.8volt (Must be between 13.6-13.9volt!) / 600mA max).
This way, the charger can be connected for day's, week's, even months without causing damage to the battery!


Regards,

Ra.

 

[BB]

One way I have gotten around trying to keep up lead acid batteries for long term storage (automobile in my case), was to get a lamp timer for your standard battery charger and just set the time for ~1 hour per day of charging (or whatever you want)--that is about the same as charging 1 day per month.

Keeps the batteries up and does not boil them dry... And I don't have to remember to plug/unplug every month...

-Bill

 

[LuxLuthor]

One way I have gotten around trying to keep up lead acid batteries for long term storage (automobile in my case), was to get a lamp timer for your standard battery charger and just set the time for ~1 hour per day of charging (or whatever you want)--that is about the same as charging 1 day per month.

Keeps the batteries up and does not boil them dry... And I don't have to remember to plug/unplug every month...

-Bill

That's a great idea. Thanks!

 

[Ra]

...

I totally agree with Lux!!!

Great idea, BB !! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

So, PayBack, I think your problem is solved!!!


Regards,

Ra.

 

[Bushman5]

LuxLuthor, can you recommend a charger (for direct battery attachment), preferably one for a wide variety of batteries.

 

[jrv]

A Deltran Battery Tender jr is a good choice for Lead Acid batteries. A nice low max charge rate (9W) that won't hurt small batteries. I use the 15W model to top off the car & maintain the tractor & other field gear that sees little use during winter.

I can try to measure the power consumption of the charger while maintaining but since the *max* output is 9W/15W it's likely the charger draws too little AC for my meters to reliably measure.

A regular car battery charger is too stupid to leave on a battery for long periods without damaging the battery. And a high charge rate is bad for small batteries.

http://batterytender.com/

 

[BB]

Glad the timer idea was a "hit"!

The reason I went with the lamp timer was even the little 1 amp battery (12 watt) maintainers (even those that cycled on and off) still boiled automotive batteries dry after months of storage.

With the timer, I expect the 1 amp charge rate, but at 1 hour per day, it does seem to cause any problems.

And in the case with one "modern car" with Lojack/OnStar/gps/etc., I set the timer for 4 hours per day to make up for the estimated 0.185 amp 24x7 load--so far, so good.

-Bill

 

[PayBack]

...

So, PayBack, I think your problem is solved!!!

Not quite solved exactly, I was hoping to be able to leave it sitting in the box, thinking they turn up at the stores in some special semi charged state that allows a longer time between charges so the SLA's don't die while their on the shelf in the store.

However it does answer my question (thanks ppl), and so no I can't leave the box on a shelf untouched.

Though again, what happens to the lights in stores? Do they always sell within 2 months? I can't imaging the store owners charging pallets full of HIDs.

 

[Ra]

Though again, what happens to the lights in stores? Do they always sell within 2 months? I can't imaging the store owners charging pallets full of HIDs.

That indeed is a problem. And mostly the little print says that battery-problems are not covered by waranty..

Regards,

Ra.

 

[Patriot]

My lead acid lights are usually out in the open in my Hobie room so it's easy for me to remember to top them up once per month. I'm a tiny bit leery of having a lamp timer wired up and triggering exposed electrical contacts and random times. I'm sure that if done correctly it would be perfectly safe, but I have a psychological block with it for some reason...lol (shrugging)

 

[Ra]

Costant voltage chargers like below are completely safe: The even can be connected permanently without "boiling dry" your battery: The voltage is just below "boilingpoint".

So, combined with a lamp-timer, this makes the safest way to keep your SLA in good shape..:

Shot with DSC-R1 at 2006-12-12


Regards,


Ra.

 

[PayBack]

I'm shocking when it comes to keeping lights topped up. I'm probably going to dedicate a book case to my lights so they're all in one spot (except for those that need to be elsewhere). Keeping track of a dozen or more SLA based lights is too hard when half of them are out of sight, out of mind.

 

[Steve CS]

What about when you buy a new sla battery...........who knows how long it has sat on the stores shelf ??