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Should I Trickle Charge?

jeepster345

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Hi.

I am going out of town for a month, and my Jeep will be sitting in my driveway. I’m a little concerned with the battery as I have had issues in the past with bad batteries.

Would anyone recommend using a battery tender, or just winging it and hoping for the best? :)
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Arterius2

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Yes, use a battery tender. Too many electronics on the JL to leave it for a month.
 
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00Sebby

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As long as nothing is left on and your battery is ok, a month shouldn't be a problem. I would wing it. I've left vehicles for a couple of months at a time (overseas travel, started driving a different car, etc.) and never had a good battery lose its charge just from setting. Even my John Deere lawnmower starts right back up in the spring after setting for 4 months.
 
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jeepster345

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As long as nothing is left on and your battery is ok, a month shouldn't be a problem. I would wing it. I've left vehicles for a couple of months at a time (overseas travel, started driving a different car, etc.) and never had a good battery lose its charge just from setting. Even my John Deere lawnmower starts right back up in the spring after setting for 4 months.
Thanks for the reply. I’ll unplug my dash cam, and leave it at that.
 
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jeepster345

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Yes, use a battery tender. Too many electronics on the JL to leave it for a month.
Which brand would you recommend and how long did you use it for?

I’m still on the fence about it.
 

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Arterius2

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I just used a cheap one off amazon as a precautionary measure, it does it's job. I left it at most for about 3 weeks, probably didn't need it but I didn't unplug my dash-cam and wanted this for a peace of mind after being lectured by others on this forum about why I should have one.

Also lead-acid batteries don't like to be empty, could potentially damage the cell walls if it's sitting there for too long.

@jeepster345
For $25 right now, I don't see any downside, you can always just return it if you didn't like it.
https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=battery+tender&qid=1579834482&sr=8-4&th=1
 
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jeepdabest

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Two batteries to worry about AND do you know how healthy they really are? Charger/Maintainer is good insurance. I love Battery Minder which also has temperature compensation.
 

Reactor111

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Battery tender will extend the life of a battery especially when the car is not driven for weeks at a time. They are cheap ins for a battery.
 

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Errick

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I just used a cheap one off amazon as a precautionary measure, it does it's job. I left it at most for about 3 weeks, probably didn't need it but I didn't unplug my dash-cam and wanted this for a peace of mind after being lectured by others on this forum about why I should have one.

Also lead-acid batteries don't like to be empty, could potentially damage the cell walls if it's sitting there for too long.

@jeepster345
For $25 right now, I don't see any downside, you can always just return it if you didn't like it.
https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=battery+tender&qid=1579834482&sr=8-4&th=1
Battery Tender Jr. Is great! Bought mine 11 years ago to keep my 08 Corvette charged between outings and for winter storage. Sold the Vett to get my 2020 JL, now keeping my Wrangler topped up. Still working fine.
 

Arterius2

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Battery Tender Jr. Is great! Bought mine 11 years ago to keep my 08 Corvette charged between outings and for winter storage. Sold the Vett to get my 2020 JL, now keeping my Wrangler topped up. Still working fine.
Wow 11 years, good to know it's still working!
 

Beowulf

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Go big and get the PowerMania M240V. Designed to dual battery permenent mounting. Then you are ready for dual AGM+ batteries. If you don't really need the amperage, maybe just the M220V.
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