Best Battery Charger?

[Alan N]

Only slightly bus related.
I need a new battery charger for the shop. It seems that I buy a new one every year or two.
Does anyone have a  automatic 12 volt charger that has held up well?
What has worked for you all?
Thanks.

[Iceni John]

The Schumacher SE-40MAP has worked well for me.   10 amps, auto or manual, 6 or 12 volts, deep-cycle or start batteries, and the second one was only $43 new (the first worked fine for years until it was stolen).

John

[GilligCrown]

On a similar note, upon having good luck with 4 so far, I've just ordered another battery maintainer/desulfator: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332201_200332201 . I have no financial interest in this, but for what I think is a good deal, currently with free shipping.

[eagle19952]

On a similar note, upon having good luck with 4 so far, I've just ordered another battery maintainer/desulfator: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332201_200332201 . I have no financial interest in this, but for what I think is a good deal, currently with free shipping.

just curious, how well does the desulfator function work ? the input of the unit is only 1.3 amp/140 watts.

[GilligCrown]

All I know is during down-time, they have maintained my little-used batteries in cars, motorcycles, and buses for many years. Not sure about "stacking", I currently have the two new 8Ds in my 24V bus disconnected with a maintainer on each battery. I'm kinda poor and need to protect my investment(s) 

[bigred]

On a similar note, upon having good luck with 4 so far, I've just ordered another battery maintainer/desulfator: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332201_200332201 . I have no financial interest in this, but for what I think is a good deal, currently with free shipping.

Refresh my thinking please!!! On a Prevost 12/24 system .are the batteries considered to be series or parallel??? I have a 24v charger that I bought from NAPA but that thing really seems to be slow,so I am looking for something that might be a little faster!!!

[luvrbus]

Refresh my thinking please!!! On a Prevost 12/24 system .are the batteries considered to be series or parallel??? I have a 24v charger that I bought from NAPA but that thing really seems to be slow,so I am looking for something that might be a little faster!!!

They are in series it takes a long time to charge 4 batteries @10 to 20 amps,I bought a Lester 24v charger for a floor sweeper or golf cart at a flea market for 50 bucks it works good but is only 21 amps 

[DoubleEagle]

On a similar note, upon having good luck with 4 so far, I've just ordered another battery maintainer/desulfator: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332201_200332201 . I have no financial interest in this, but for what I think is a good deal, currently with free shipping.

There is a big catch to the 12117 model, which explains why Northern Tool is the only seller of that Battery Minder model. I have four of them, and I discovered that if they are hooked up to the battery, but not plugged in, they will draw current out of the battery until it is dead, which is also what will happen if the power goes out while they are hooked up. The higher models have a shut-off feature which prevents this. The cost of this model is low and amounts to the same cost as adding the connection wires to enable charging one more battery off the one charger. If I had realized this, I would have just ordered Y connectors to enable charging off the larger one I have (2-4-8 Amp). All of these Battery Minder models charge well, and are one of the few that desulfate all the time, but everyone who has that model (and maybe some other older ones) should be aware of it's limitations.

[eagle19952]

All I know is during down-time, they have maintained my little-used batteries in cars, motorcycles, and buses for many years. Not sure about "stacking", I currently have the two new 8Ds in my 24V bus disconnected with a maintainer on each battery. I'm kinda poor and need to protect my investment(s) 

me too, that's why i asked 

[DoubleEagle]

On a similar note, upon having good luck with 4 so far, I've just ordered another battery maintainer/desulfator: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332201_200332201 . I have no financial interest in this, but for what I think is a good deal, currently with free shipping.

To update my last post on this charger (it discharges the battery if it is hooked up and the power goes out), I contacted the company that designed them and asked whether there was any switch that could be added to it to shut if off if the power goes out. Their short answer was no, and that "the 12117 BM went out of production in 2013, we now have solid state MCU BatteryMINDers that now shut off completely if A/C power is interrupted. Model 1500/1510 BatteryMINDer [is the] upgrade." 
Per Wayne Boerem, VDC Electronics.

These newer models cost more, but they have slightly higher charging current, and will shut off if the power goes out. For those of us who have the 12117, there does not seem to be an easy way to protect it from power failure.

[Oonrahnjay]

... These newer models cost more, but they have slightly higher charging current, and will shut off if the power goes out. For those of us who have the 12117, there does not seem to be an easy way to protect it from power failure. 

    Not even a diode in the "hot" wire?

[DoubleEagle]

    Not even a diode in the "hot" wire?

They did not offer any solution, or refer to some add-on device. They figured out how to handle the problem on the newer models, so there is definitely a way to do it, but unless you have electrical circuit knowledge, there is no easy answer. Their new arrangement cuts the power drain from the battery when the power goes off, but then turns it back on when the power resumes. The company simply dumped their remaining inventory into Northern's hands, who sells them cheap without any mention of the drain problem if the power goes off.