*Not a Battery Debate* - Just a Battery Question

Ya, I ordered a NOCO Genius 1. So I've never dealt with this scenario before, do I just leave the battery in the truck and charge it or disconnect the truck terminals then charge it? Last thing I want to do is mess the truck up.

 

As long as the ignition is off you can charge the battery without disconnecting it. You won't mess up anything with the truck.

 

Oh ya, nothing would be on if I hooked it up. Didn't know if having the terminals still connected it would mess with the newer electronics in a vehicle or not.

 

Well....my battery can beat up YOUR battery.

 

I drilled a hole in my lic plate, but you can just hook up a pigtail from your battery, and let it hang behind the grill. The extra top off charge is not needed during summer.

You can leave the battery in the truck, but don't charge if the engine is running.

 

That is a nice setup you have for it. Might have to look into that.

 

I like it, but its a CTEK outlet/plug. When my Ctek failed, I got the NOCO.

 

^ This. I've used Deltran and Point S battery tenders on our dailies and classic cars for years. Last battery I replaced was 8 years old and was still going strong, but we were taking it on a cross-country trip to a car show and didn't want to risk it.

Like @Benny22 I ran the lead from the battery down through the grill. Tuck it back inside before I leave. (Left once without disconnecting it... it disconnected itself. No issues later though. )

BTW, although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a serious difference between a "trickle charger" and a battery tender. Trickle chargers continue to charge no matter what and can overheat and damage a battery. A battery tender slowly brings the battery to full charge and then enters a float mode until it senses a drop. A good battery tender can last for years and so can a good battery when they're used correctly.

 

Started using the NOCO G1 few weeks back. Seems to be helping the battery. Since it has been cold the past few weeks, how often should I charge it? Right now I am sticking with every other weekend, just letting it charge as much as possible during the weekend. I am not expert on batteries/charging intervals/etc., just curious what you guys think. Do it more often with the cold weather moving in, keep it the same, or less?

 

If you’re referring to this model, it maintains the battery as described above. So there’s no reason to disconnect it until you’re ready to drive. Hot, cold or in-between it’ll keep your battery charged and ready to go. I connect ours whenever I know I probably won’t drive it for a few days or if I’ve taken a bunch of short trips where I had to start it up several times.

FWIW I have a permanent lead on the battery terminals. Makes it very easy to connect and disconnect. You can see it in my photo above. Looks like this one will work with yours:

https://no.co/gc002

Hope that helps!

 

I would trickle charge it overnight. Wake it up before using it.

My Battery is 6 years old, and I plan on doing the same before the super cold nights arrive.. (I live for danger).

I also a carry around a 1500 mini booster pack, which I will also charge pretty soon for the winter.

 

For those of you reading this thread considering a charger...I will add my $.02 and agree with the above posts for NOCO. My travel trailer has a Noco Genius GEN5x2 that has worked flawlessly and I am buying a couple of Noco Genius 2x4 to keep my classic car batteries topped in the cold months. You don't need a GenPro waterproof unit unless you will have the box exposed to the elements or in an RV or Marine situation. If you are dry and inside, one of the less expensive Nocos will work fine.