Originally posted by brianl703:
Car batteries self discharge at a rate proportional to temperature. I've read that batteries not being used should be charged up every few months because of that.

The 1.5A charger, if it's the one with a green and a red light, won't overcharge your battery so it's OK to leave it connected all the time.



All batteries self discharge over time. Like brian said.

A good trickle charger will keep the battery fully charged, but not overcharged. In addition, a trickle charger will reverse some if not all sulfation, which is were the lead on the plates inside the battery combine with the sulfer in the battery acid and forms lead sulfate. Lead sulfate kills the battery over time. A dead battery will form sulfation sitting there. So keeping the battery charged prevent formation and actually cuases the sulfate to soften and redissolve.

Get a high quality trickle charger (don't go for the cheapest) and your batteries will last longer. I used one on my motorcycle battery because I got tired of replacing it every year. The winter storage just killed it.

My name is Richard. I was a Contouraholic. NOW: '02 Mazda B3000 Dual Sport, Black BEFORE: '99 Contour SE Sport Duratec ATX Spruce Green PIAA 510's, Foglight MOD, K&N Drop-in