Guys,
 
Just curious to know what other members do in this situation. Like most, I don't use my Capri every day, in fact sometimes especially in winter and in the height of summer it can be left under its cover in the garage for weeks on end. Of coarse from time to time you get in and need to boost the battery off the mains to get it going. A friend of mine owns a 67 mustang, late last year he had to go and work overseas, in doing so he put his car on trickle charge and left it in his garage. So the car has constantly been on charge for the last 5 - 6 months. What are your thoughts on this ? i've never considered doing this - is it better to have your battery continuously on charge or, as i'm doing at the moment just leaving it and boosting it when needed ?
thoughts appreciated......
 
Paul

I use one all the time.
Hasn't caused me any issues.
 
Rhys

With the correct type of charger it will never be a problem.  What you need is something like a PROJECTA AC250B which is a microprocessor controlled maintenance charger.  They can be left connected forever without fear of any damage.  They are a 2 stage charger that continually checks the battery voltage and charges if the battery drops and stops when its full.  They aren't much use for recharging a flat battery but that isn't what they are intended to do.
 
If you left an old style solid state battery charger connected indefinitely it would boil the battery dry.
 
Maintenance chargers are fantastic for ensuring your infrequently used car is always ready to go and will markedly improve battery life too. For around $80 they are worth every cent

In the UK people use solar trickle chargers, the panel sits in the window sill or the the roof and i *think* they plug into the cigarette lighter socket

whooligan
It depends on the car. I wouldn't trust the electrics on any Capri as they are not the best.

Personally, I'd rather disconnect and sacrifice a battery if I was parking up car for more than a few months. I've seen what dodgy electrics can do if left unattended with a source of ignition....not pretty.

 
whooligan, I haven't had much to do with Capris but I'd disconnect the battery and leave on charge if you're worried about the cars electrics.
 

By far the best trickle chargers are the CTEK chargers. I use and have used them for a number of years now, and they are the best in the business.
As above, If you are concerned about old car electrics, disconnect +ve lead from the battery. You can leave your car battery on charge for years if you wanted to. The battery will be A-OK. 
 
Read below.
 
http://www.ctek.com/au/en/page/whycharge

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CTEK-MXS5-0-BATTERY-CHARGER-FOR-CAR-BIKE-NEW-2014-Model-w-Temp-Compensation-/121223081438?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item1c39756dde
 
Use the CTEK charger. I put mine on a timer to come on once a week. Leave the car for 6 months and starts fine.

+1 for the CTEK's

For a few years now I park my RS in May and starts perfect in November. I don't trickle charge or disconnect battery.

If you need to trickle charge so your car can start, your battery is faulty or you have significant drain.....

I would personally fix the battery drain than run a trickle charger.....


Cheers

RS 2000If you need to trickle charge so your car can start, your battery is faulty or you have significant drain.....
Cheers

I don't really think this is the reason why we use them. I bought mine to maintain the battery because the car only gets driven on weekends etc. I just assumed it was a good idea to give the battery a top up every now & then to extend the life of it.  I've had my Century 360CCA Ultra High Performance battery 2.5 years now and still going strong. Has some black deposits on the underside of the caps which indicates overcharging. I charge it about once every 6 weeks or whenever the car hasn't been used for a while.