Aircraft Battery Tender - In both types, there are cells where the energy is stored, and these are filled to the proper level (which is the split ring on the flooded battery) with electrolyte, a mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water.
While the Concorde sealed battery is considered maintenance-free, don't think that it won't require proper and periodic servicing. It still has to be maintained and most importantly, correctly charged. Worth noting is that Concorde says the popular Deltran Battery Tender product (commonly used on automobile, motorcycle and marine batteries) should not be used with its aircraft batteries because the charging voltage is set too high.
Aircraft Battery Tender
I'm getting six to seven years doing the same thing. I'm glad to know I'm not alone with the results. Batteries aren't cheap and keeping one for a long time is a good thing. Thanks for the update.
The Only Aviation-Specific Battery Maintainer
I changed it because it failed a capacity test during a cold February annual. I didn't want to start a problem away from home so I think swapping it out was the right move but it still seems to be doing OK.
The BatteryMINDer® is a 3-mode charger/maintainer/conditioner that extends the performance and life of aviation batteries—without overcharging. Ideal for keeping your sealed or wet-cell aircraft battery in optimum condition. If your flying is limited, especially during the winter, a BatteryMINDer will keep your airplane's battery charged up and ready to operate with peak performance.
Batteries are sensitive to temperature and perform best when warm. Additionally, a battery will not take a charge when it is too cold. Ever have a dead battery on a cold day, get a power cart started and then go for a quick trip around the pattern or sit idle in the runup area, thinking that it's charging up?
In many instances, that just isn't enough. But doing nothing at all is a killer, too. It's when a sitting battery is completely ignored that the real problems begin. Don Grunke, an electrical engineer with Concorde Battery Corp., told us that the simple key to long battery life is keeping it fully charged.
The Only Aviation-Specific Battery Maintainer
Sounds easy, right? Wrong. What he means is that it must be cycled, charged and discharged, kept relatively warm and never stored in a discharged state. One trick to warm up a battery in cold temperatures is to first apply a draw to a battery.
Turn on the pitot heat, the landing light or even crank the engine. Preheating the battery, of course, is best. That's because a discharged battery will begin to sulfate. While it's not uncommon for crystals to form, these are usually harmless—unless the battery is stored in a discharged state.
Lead sulfate will convert to crystalline deposits on the negative cells. Larger crystals will form and eventually short out the plates. If the electrolyte is allowed to evaporate, usually by overcharging, and the plates are dry, they will permanently sulfate.
This results in a dead cell, a weak battery that cannot charge to capacity and generally, one that will not crank an engine enough to get it started. Then it is time to replace it, and without the proper maintenance, this vicious cycle starts over.
Batteryminder Simple Smart Safe
Using the device is simple. Connect it to the battery and then plug it into a wall socket and observe the annunciators on the face. The first battery icon indicates the battery is fully discharged, evident by a steady amber light or flashing red light, which indicates zero volts.
The second icon to illuminate indicates that the battery is constant-current charged to 80 percent. When the battery reaches full capacity, the solid green icon illuminates, and the device maintains and desulfates it indefinitely. There is even an annunciator that senses a load/draw on the battery, plus one to indicate that there's a bad cell.
The device sells for $240. Don't rely on a cheap car battery charger—only the BatteryMINDer is specifically made for use with aviation batteries. Features a weatherproof enclosure and a five-year warranty. Measures 4.9”l x 7.3”w x 2.1”h;
weighs 2.2 lbs. A flooded battery will have caps that are vented, allowing gas to escape when the battery becomes too hot from both charging and ambient temperature. If the battery is being overcharged (a common mistake), then distilled water generally needs to be added every three to four months to keep the cells submerged and active.
Charging Systems
A sealed battery can also overheat, and there are vents built into the case to help counteract. the condition. However, there is no replenishing the water. For that reason, consider that it's only maintenance free if the average ambient temperature is moderate, say, below 77 F. And it's about temperature and controlling the rate of charge.
Simply apply a charge at a relatively slow rate until its capacity is reached, and then keep the battery warm, but not hot. Most lead-acid batteries take longer to charge than you might think. Usually, a solid eight hours is required for a full charge.
How do you know when it's charged? Consider that the traditional way to test a battery's state of charge is with a hydrometer. It's tempting to use, but consider that a VU meter/tester will only reveal the battery voltage.
Don't rely on a cheap car battery charger—only the BatteryMINDer is specifically made for use with aviation batteries. Features a weatherproof enclosure and a five-year warranty. Measures 4.9”l x 7.3”w x 2.1”h; weighs 2.2 lbs. As technicians, we know for certain that pilots have problems maintaining the health of aircraft batteries, with expensive consequences.
Charging Testing
If you're among the crowd that buys a new one every two years—or sooner—you know that a new battery will set you back at least $165 for a Gill flooded model to well over $200 for a Concorde sealed model.
These are entry-level prices that do not include labor. Like previous BatteryMinder models, the CEC1-AA smart charger is calibrated specifically for aircraft use, which is different enough from automobile chargers to be consequential. Using lighted icons on the face of the device, the BatteryMinderer shows the condition of the battery's charge, plus it charges at a rate that compensates for temperature.
Also, it automatically cycles into a maintenance mode, which is concurrent with desulfating the battery. The BatteryMINDer® is a 3-mode charger/maintainer/conditioner that extends the performance and life of aviation batteries—without overcharging. Ideal for keeping your sealed or wet-cell aircraft battery in optimum condition.
If your flying is limited, especially during the winter, a BatteryMINDer will keep your airplane's battery charged up and ready to operate with peak performance. Finally, don't underestimate the damage a faulty charging system can do to your battery.
How We Kill Batteries
We've seen many owners insist on changing battery after battery when it was the charging system that needed attention, only because swapping a battery was easier. The latest-generation BatteryMinder—which was announced at this year's AirVenture—is the most advanced model yet, with a feature set that's been simplified for one-touch operation.
The device can be used when the battery is out or installed in the aircraft, using a quick-connect harness. The proper testing procedure is to fully charge the battery, allow it to sit for 12 hours at room temperature (around 75 to 77 degrees is best) and test it with a hydrometer that has also been at room temperature.
Cold balls inside the device can give false readings. Overvoltage can be worse than undervoltage, especially for a sealed battery. We witnessed a Concorde battery self-destruct when the charging system in a Cessna 210 reached nearly 30 volts, and stayed there for a multi-hour trip at cruise power.
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Lexington, Kentucky-based Advanced Flight has a PMA-approved quick-connect plug that's compatible with the VDC Electronics BatteryMinder line. Have your shop wire the harness to the battery and terminate the connector in a convenient location on the airframe.
When installed according to the instructions, it's considered a minor alteration and can be signed off with a logbook entry. The BM-ALK2 kit is priced at $69.95. There are all sorts of battery management devices on the market (generally called battery tenders), but very few are aviation specific.
Many owners go the cheaper route and use an automotive battery charger or trickle charger. For a long time this was the main reason aircraft batteries failed at a high rate. Then Bill Woods at VDC Electronics brought the BatteryMinder product to the market.
In our estimation, this could be the answer to longevity (perhaps four times the life) and optimal cranking power for any rechargeable lead acid or gel battery. I use a 12/24 volt charger connected to a smart outlet which runs for one hour each morning.
I also use smart outlets to control a Tanis oil heater and a small forced air heater, modified with a dryer hose pushed into the cowl flap of my 180K. A couple of hours before any winter flight, I turn everything on and at a warm, fully charged airplane.
I also use the charger for my 12v quad, motorcycle, etc. As we discuss above, the absolute best way to keep a battery healthy while you aren't using it is to connect it to a smart charger.
But in some aircraft, that could mean lengthy disassembly every time you want to connect it. I use the battery tender by Deltran on our Concorde and the C-175A all year. My last Concorde lasted 5 years and the reason I replaced it was that I felt it was time for it to retire before something unexpectedly happened to it and I kept it on the tender all year as well.
I would never go back to a Gill battery and like using the tender as a peace of mind for when I do go out and fly. I've found myself in a discussion lately about batteries and battery tenders and minders.
I switched from Gill to Concorde several batteries ago and I know that both companies make good, reliable batteries. The Concorde doesn't leak, however, and so I'm using them lately. Also, I use an automotive battery tender for $30 on my airplane over the last five years.
No issues, it works great. However, some members are pro aviation battery minders at $250. I've not felt the need to spend that much. What are you doing? My AME installed the socket for a batteryMinder next to the ground power outlet behind the plate of my 182T.
I just have to lift up the access plate and plug it in. The only thing is the Minder unit lies on the floor, but it's in a hangar. The good thing is that the plane can be locked and it's easy and clean.
Last, how much life can you expect from a properly maintained aircraft battery? As you can tell from reading this article, there are many factors and it's just impossible to say for sure. We've seen airplanes—in cold climates—with batteries that haven't been changed in five-plus years.
Those batteries may be on borrowed time, but they've also been cared for. Look for a report on a battery brand satisfaction survey in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. If the bus voltage is too low (maybe the voltage regulator is improperly set), the battery will never charge to its full capacity.
As a rule of thumb, a 12-volt battery needs a bus voltage of 14 volts to reach and maintain a fully charged condition. A 24-volt battery really needs roughly 28 volts. The reason folks have problems with batteries—and it's not just aviation batteries—is because they really don't understand them, or even know how to properly test them.
Moreover, with so many items using batteries these days, we have been conditioned to think that any battery has a nebulous and mysterious life-span and that when it gets weak or quits entirely, it's a throwaway item.
Not they are. First, some essential basics on charging an aircraft battery. Batteries store electricity in a chemical form and depend on the reaction between lead plates and the electrolytes. The energy is stored in each cell and is discharged when a draw is applied to the battery.
A battery will not create electricity, so any energy stored in the battery has to be placed there by a charging device. A battery can be slow-charged or fast-charged and even "kicked" with a high amount of charge to promote starting.
A long, slow charge using a charger that is specific to the type of battery is optimal because it can compensate for temperature, the rate of charge and allow for the conditioning of the battery. You should also understand some of the major differences between the two major types of aviation batteries.
While many non-specialty batteries are lead acid, in aviation we have both flooded lead-cell batteries and sealed batteries. In general, the Gill aviation battery manufactured by Teledyne Battery Products is a vented, flooded lead-acid battery. You can actually see the cells by removing the caps.
The city likely jumpy about battery tenders, battery chargers, as many big RV owners keep their big RV in hangar, there have been many hangar fires, from battery tender / chargers overcharging / overheating batteries of these RV's starting hangar fires.
Battery minder brand, don't over charge, and they have temperature sensors to vary charge rate depending on actual temp
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