ThermonMermon

00TL-P3.2

Trickle charger was my first though, for a rarely driven car.
Any electronics that might be remaining on?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Going forward; use a trickle charger.
current issue; battery may be dead. may need a new one

ThermonMermon

thanks. I keep the headlights on auto mode, bluetooth is active, and there is an ipod charger cord through the cigarette lighter (but not connected to a device). I doubt any of those have a draw, but maybe i should turn off the bluetooth function and disconnect the cord. the battery is never 100% dead, but the headlights and interior lights flicker when i try to turn on the car. even when i go to start it once a week for recharging purposes, you could tell the car is struggling even when it does turn on. now the engine wont turn on.

i think ill pick up a Duralast Gold ~180, do a self install, and look into a trickle charger

CCColtsicehockey

Definitely a trickle charger would be your best bet. They make waterproof ones for outdoors and you can hardwire them to the battery so it makes unplugging it eash as a single cable quick disconnect when you want to drive the car.

ThermonMermon

thanks. the battery is actually in the trunk. Do they have battery powered trickle chargers that i could power up in the house every now and then. ideally, something i could charge in the house once a week over night, and then hook it up in the car and leave it in the trunk. This would be a time saver, so i dont have to rev the car once a week for 20 minutes. The car may spend most of its life in the driveway, and there isnt immediate access to a power cord.

Any reccs would be helpful

CCColtsicehockey

I am not aware of any battery powered trickle chargers.

The battery in the trunk shouldn't be an issue. You should be able to hook the trickle charger leads up to the positive on the alternator as it should have a direct line back to the battery and then just use any major ground point. It is actually normally suggested not to hook the trickle charger directly to the battery.

ThermonMermon

Hmm. Maybe i am better off getting a jump starter that could be charged up in the house, and then used for whenever the battery craps out. Hopefully with a new battery, i could space out my recharging sessions closer to 10+ days or so.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

it's not healthy for the battery to be jumped and drained... if you get a battery tender/trickle charger, they have dedicated wires you can hook onto the car... that will allow you to just plug the charger into those wires... i do that with the vagon and the spyder that get limited driving during the winter...

ThermonMermon

Not sure what to do then. There is no easy access to an exterior power outlet where the car will sit in the driveway, and the electrical in the detached garage is too dated to be trusted for this type of 'absent' use.

i am seeing there are solar trickle chargers, but there is a canopy of trees over the driveway

SamDoe1

You definitely need a trickle charger. Jumping it all the time is a great way to need a new battery. The battery being in the trunk isn't a problem, just run the lines out of the trunk. The one I have for my S2000 has a quick disconnect so you can wire it only once and leave the leads attached to the battery and then disconnect the charger itself in about 10 seconds.

I have this tender:

And these quick disconnects:

00TL-P3.2

Another option, though more work, would be to pull the battery & keep on a trickle outside of the car?
At least then, you always have a charged battery & just have do deal with occasional installation.

ThermonMermon

Thanks. See above, however

SamDoe1

Can you run an extension line? The charger itself doesn't draw much power, it's 1.5A max.

ThermonMermon

wont work. wife wont be able to physically lift the battery into the car if she needs it in an emergency when im out with the other car.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

they make 25' extension wires for the battery tender...

https://smile.amazon.com/Battery-Ten...nsion+cable+25

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

if the car is in the driveway, i would try to find a way to get power to the area from the house (if you don't trust the power in the garage) over though it's only 1 amp... run an extension in the basement to that side and then use the tender extension i posted above... that should get you pretty damn close since that is almost 50' of coverage if you use 25' on the tender and a 25' extension cord... there is no reason you can't go farther with a 50' extension cord... if you plan on leaving it connected in the rain, just make sure it's plugged into a GFCI outlet so your wife doesn't get an accidental surprise...

you have a 100 yr old house... so you will just have to make due with some extension cords for now until you decide to run a more permanent outlet... if you think this will be more of a long term occurrence then i would consider running the outlet now...

ThermonMermon

I would need a 75' foot cord to wrap around the house, and it would need to be water proof (it will be sitting in snow). and then worry about the dog running across it.

man, why does this have to be so hard. what the heck do people do that live in apartments and have their cars sit in a parking structure with no access to power?

ThermonMermon

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

maybe they actually drive their cars...

this is what you would need for now...

https://smile.amazon.com/Outdoor-Lig...+outdoor&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/NOCO-G750-U...%2Btender&th=1

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

looks like you already have stuff plugged in the outlet anyway... why not just use it... it's only 1.1 amp...

ThermonMermon

thanks. this is helpful.

for the garage, i have the entire box flipped off unless i am physically present to make sure nothing catches on fire (ie using the power for outdoor equipment).

let me ask you - if i have the car in the garage only during the winter, could i set the trickle charger to a higher charge for 10, 20, 30 minutes once a week? I could watch over to make sure it isnt a fire hazard, and it would be a better situation that sitting in the car for 20 minutes running the engine. would that create more of a charge than running the car?

SamDoe1

Yes, but you'll need a more powerful charger. The trickle charger I linked is more of a "maintain" rather than a "charge". Also, I think it would take a lot longer to charge than 20 minutes a week depending on how quickly it depletes.

Also, that wiring situation looks like a prime candidate to just rip that box out and replace with a proper breaker panel. If the rest of the wiring is good, it shouldn't be too big of a job to get that up to current.

CCColtsicehockey

So since a trickle charger doesn't seem to be an easy option for you and you can't easily remove the battery as it would not be easy for your wife to drive in an emergency then I only have one idea left. How about a quick disconnect battery terminal. You install it and then you don't need tools afterwards to disconnect battery power. You just unscrew the knob and the power is disconnected. You would obviously need to use a key to get into the trunk each time and you would lose your clock and radio presets. It would however probably be the easiet solution at this point.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

that's actually not a bad idea at all... i remember these types of switches on the back of drag cars...

ThermonMermon

oh, that makes a ton of sense. i need to see how that would work with the battery cover though. there is a top plastic cover with a strap that wraps around the battery. the strap keeps the cover tight to the battery, and the battery in place. the leads are totally concealed in the trunk, and there are additionally exposed leads under the hood. but i would have to make remove the cover, or cut holes in it, to install this.


this is more motivation to do this garage project next year, which includes updated electric. when the audi bites the dust i am replacing it with something more fun / weekend use, and that will absolutely require a trickle charge.

putting the whole trickle charger topic aside, and i get a new battery, how often should i run the car? 1x a week, 2,000-3,000 rpm, 15 minutes? I heard leaving it longer at idle actually could drain the battery.

00TL-P3.2

Alternatively, why not just drive the car 1x a week?
That was my plan prior to the F150, when I was going to keep the Civic & buy an ND Miata.

ThermonMermon

I commute to work via train, and work long hours. our driveway is also a single lane, with no overnight street parking. so the last thing i want to do at 8/9pm is jockey my wife's car to the street, to take out the second car and drive around for 30 minutes aimlessly. thats a decent % of my free time for that given evening. although, i should probably drive it during the weekends more often.

the thought is to fund this garage project next year, then the following year gift the A6, and get a 997 Targa S / S5, or something to that effect (fun dad car w/ emergency baby seat accommodation). then i will have no problem driving 1x a week

ThermonMermon

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

I don't care about your battery issue but your place looks awesome!

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

i'll trade you jersey for socal

wackjum

Actually the alternator of most cars is not really meant for recharging a depleted battery. The SL55 is a battery destroyer. If I don't drive it every two weeks, or keep it on the tender, it will go flat. Even if I can squeeze an ignition out of it, driving it at highway speeds for 30-45 minutes is not enough to charge it fully.

Car batteries get permanently damaged from being depleted too deeply. The thin lead plates become coated in lead sulfate as they get discharged. This is the chemical reaction that generates electricity. If you let the sulfate get too thick, or stay too long, it crystallizes and will not reverse itself even with a charge. A new battery will sort of help this because you're starting with fresh lead plates, but if you continue to let the car sit with just occasional startups, you won't get the full lifespan out of the battery.

I would personally try to make a battery tender work.

ThermonMermon

Thanks. Even if i get 2 years out of the battery for $200 a pop, its not the end of the world. Still way less than triggering a major renovation to rehab the garage, add paver access, and get a license electrician to upgrade the box and electrical. Hopefully, Ill have the garage up and running in 2019, and maybe the Audi will be gone for a weekend toy that will get proper storage and tender.

Rocket_man

CTEK makes some chargers that can work off a DC source like a solar panel....

https://smartercharger.com/battery-chargers/

coykiam

+1 ! lol..

I'm on a similar boat...I have to keep jumping my 3G that's been sitting unused. Wife wants me to get rid of it but I want it for emergency.

ThermonMermon

yeah. for many in the outer boroughs / suburbs, that commute to work via train, a family could EASILY get by with one car. It seems like most in my neighborhood that have two cars, a newer/nicer car on lease, and then an older car for emergency duty that never gets used. But truthfully, most could easily get away with 1 car and an uber ride here or there.