Technical Should a new batery be charged before installation?

I must be a battery because I like that action too!

 

I’ve never charged any of them but a battery that was shipped dry. I’ve taken batteries from a store shelf, put them in, cranked up and went my merry way. If it makes you feel better, go ahead and do it.

 

Me too they are $3.75 here.

 

Sure I'll try it, old cars usually don't get battery installed the same day I buy it. It could sit on a charger before install. They're on a trickle charger while parked anyway.

Daily drivers are late models with 145 amp and 160 amp alternators, yee hah.

 

That there is a real temptation. The other night Sherry and I wanted deviled eggs but couldn't afford them. We just had steak instead.

 

So some interesting answers here, - thanks !
So what do we need to look for in purchasing a new battery charger ?
I appreciate your comments.

 

I have 15 of them around here. Some I have had to replace on the road and didn’t get precharged. Most get run on a 6 amp charger until it’s reading full and go from there. The precharged ones seem to last a year or two longer. I charge the dormant ones briefly during the down time about half the winter through. I have a couple battery maintainers and they don’t seem to make a positive difference.

 

They told students enrolled in Arizona at MMI taking cl***es for 15 months that were trying to achieve “factory trained Harley Davidson mechanic” that the first time a load is applied to a fresh battery(NEW never used) that it has a memory, meaning after a load is applied, the voltage will NOT go any higher when recharging after resting from the charge. Yes, the surface charge will be higher, but once battery sits over night,it will return to that initial reading the first time loads are applied to it—-hence a battery(they say) has a memory built in2 it and will(supposedly) return to that same amount of charge the first time it is used!! In my opinion, a person would BENEFIT by charging 15-20 minutesa new battery b4 applying a load as the battery should(they say) return to that highest charge it was built up to b4 a load was applied.

 

clem, I'll probably get roasted for this and many people will probably chime in with disagreements, but:

I asked that same question a couple of days ago from my good friend Tom. Even though he's several years younger than me he's probably forgotten more automotive and hot rod information than I'll ever learn. My thoughts before asking were that I wanted 2 amp, 10 amp, some higher (starting) amp, and automatic shutoff when charging is complete. He agreed and said that to truly have starting amperage I probably needed to spend quite a bit more than I wanted to. With various locations and needs he has several battery chargers. His recommendation, based on his experience with the many that he has, was to hit up Harbor Freight and look for the one they have in the $80 price range, as it will come close to meeting my wants/wishes without breaking the bank.

So I moseyed on down to HF and they only had one model available in the store. With the 20% off coupon I dug up on my phone the bill came to right at $50. It does 2 amp, 10 amp, 50 (I think 50; it's out in the shop and I'm inside and I'm too old and lazy to go out and look) amp "start", and automatically goes to trickle charge when battery has attained full charge.

This thing might last a week or it might outlive me; who knows? So that's my solution; ymmv.

 

Ok, guys, batteries do not have “ memories”! That was proven several years ago on some tests! Also a ways back it was mentioned that batteries like to be exercised , that is charged and discharged! That is not true! Batteries are built to do different things! Hence the special “ Deep cycle “ batteries! Normal batteries do not like to be deeply discharged and then charged back up….that shortens their life! Deep cycle batteries are built differently to allow that to happen! If you let any typical car battery get totally discharged once or twice, it will decrease the performance of said battery! Just my experiences!




Bones

 

@atch
thank you !
the only one I ever bought was over 40 years ago, when there was only one choice. As a teenager I think it was around $30 then (1981ish).
Today there are just too many choices out there…….

 

It depends a bit on your needs, but in this day and age it'll be a smart charger, something that can turn off if it senses a serious problem and goes from charging to standby once the battery is full. That's a good start for the basics.

You need an appropriate size charger for your battery size. No rocket surgery there, just read what it says on the box. If you need to charge 6V batteries, you'll need a charger made for that obviously - they aren't very common these days.

Smart chargers will not start charging a battery discharged to a too low voltage, this is a safety feature (remember, serious problems makes it turn off), just as they won't start when they have been connected with polarity reversed. A battery that has been that deeply discharged will have taken damage, but how much depends on time etc, sometimes they can be brought back to life, sometimes not.

Some smart chargers has a supply mode, giving a constant 13.8V or something like that. This mode can be used to get an initial charge into such an empty battery so the normal charging mode can be used. It can also be an excellent power supply for running/testing 12V equipment out of the car - just keep the chargers max current in mind.

Some smart chargers has a reconditioning mode, that supposedly reverses some of the aging process in old batteries. Sometimes it may help, but let's just say I wouldn't bet any money on it, nor would I pay extra for the feature.

Not sure if this helps anyone pick a charger, or just confuses them more.

 

Man, some of you guys are wayyyyyyyy over thinking this imho, lol.....

I agree if it makes you feel better, go ahead. But I have a lot of batteries in a lot of cars and boats, I've never charged a charged battery, and I haven't had to replace but one in the last ten years.

To me more important than a first charge, is removing it and keeping it warm in the winter if you won't be using that vehicle till spring.

 

I’m pretty sure lead acid batteries do not have a memory. Lithium Ion batteries do, like in your cell phone.

 

I’d never heard about lead batteries having memory either. I’m not discounting it, but never heard of it before.
But I’m with @Boneyard51 on deep cycle vs regular batteries. With my tractor and forklift, they might sit for enough time then need a charge, so I use deep cycle batteries. They’re actually cheaper than a car battery at AZ. But last a few years longer than car batteries will for me. Never used a battery tender, etc. I just never got around to buying one. I’m only 61, so maybe next year

Edit: just to add relevance, one time when I bought a new battery a long time ago, I asked if I should charge it before using it seeing it was on a shelf for who knows how long. Guy said no, put it in and run it.
They warranty batteries, I’d think if a “pre charge “ was needed, they’d tell you to do so to not have to warranty it if it didn’t make the 3-5, etc years.

 

Eggs... the new $1 bill... right along with TP and a single 9MM round...

I wouldn't charge a battery first unless I put a meter across the terminals, know what you got before you mess with it.

 

Bear in mind also that "dumb" chargers haven't changed in design since the sixties; they'll have some heft to them and feel about right. Modern smart chargers feel like they're cheap and nasty and full of air.
They're simply a lot more efficient. Times have changed. We just swapped out a 450 amp AC-DC rectifier unit at work that charges a large lead acid battery bank. It took a fork lift to shift. The replacement 1200 amp unit was carried inside by two guys and held in place while it was screwed into the rack.

As for the original question- are you just gonna stick the battery in and drive every day, or crank it over, go for a 5 minute run around the block and then forget the car for a few weeks?
If the latter, put it on charge when you get back from having a drive instead!

 

Battery warranties are a scam. Battery manufacturers and retailers know pretty damn well how long a battery in regular use will last, they've got it down pretty damn good (kinda like the guys that set the odds in Vegas, they aren't always right, but they are far more than they aren't). They warrant the battery for just long enough that it will usually fail with about a month or 2 left on the warranty. Which means when it fails you're going to come back for warranty; and they'll gladly warrant it, only they're going to prorate it and give you a small amount of credit toward the purchase of a new battery, which you're going to buy, because you need a battery, that's why you're there. They got you, for at least two batteries, maybe more. It's a scam, they want the battery to fail under warranty, just not too soon. Admit it, we've all been ****ered by that scam at least once.

 

I don't think that applies just to batteries either..... Lol.

 

Working at the Muskogee fire Dept for thirty three +years, I dealt with a lot of batteries! Some of our vehicles had six batteries! Plus much of our support equipment were battery powered , such as the Streamlight SL20 flashlight! Back in the previous century those flash lights were powered by what I remember NiCad batteries! Well somehow out on the left coast (CHP), word got out to exercise these batteries, let the run completely down and charge them up several times! This spread all over the nation and just about put Streamlight under, warranting batteries! The “Memory “ was a myth, for those batteries! I do not know if the new lithium batteries can develop a memory, but none of the old stuff can! Just some of my memories! Lol




Bones

 

So this is getting quite a bit off topic, hope the mods have a little patience with us here, but according to Leo Laporte, aka "The Tech Guy", who has a syndicated radio show on all things consumer IT, the old nicad or nickel metal hydride batteries did indeed take a memory, if you consistently recharged them before they were completely drained they would begin to fail to discharge completely when in use. You do need to drain them all the way down and then recharge them all the way back up. Having a lot of personal experience with nicad/nickel metal hydride batteries in everything from cameras to cel phones, lap tops and even RC cars this was my experience as well. However, with lithium ion batteries that is not the case, they do not take a memory and you do not have to drain them all the way down, in fact you should not because lithim ion batteries have a net number of cycles that they can be recharged. Everytime you drain the battery all the way down and recharge it that is 1 cycle gone. For longest life it is best to keep them charged up all the way as much as you can, leave them on the charger if possible. You will get the longest service life out of them that way. That is according to Leo Laporte, the Tech Guy anyway; and my experience agrees with that. YMMV...

 

I had that happen to my dept in about 1980s/90s. We tried the exercising , to no avail. Then we received a letter from Streamlight advising us to discontinue that practice as it actually damaged the batteries. Just my experiences! Not 100% sure what type of batteries they were, too many years and too many beers!




Bones

 

I picked up a basic charger at Harbor Fright about 12 years ago, as simple as it gets. I use it when I need to.

 

Well, I kinda can agree. But in another thread I advised (based on recent experience) that the OP charge his battery, take it in and have it tested.
Reason was I bought a new battery first year as I recall, free replacement, prorated after that.
6 months or so later, truck wouldn’t start. Charge the battery, fires up, I go to the store, dead battery. Damn, call the kid at home, get a jump, head to AZ I pop the hood, guy puts this little meter thing on it (not load tester like I know of) and says yep-alternator is good, battery is toast.
He brought a new one out, installed it, I signed and left.
Had it not been under warranty, I’d have spent 140-150 again.

 

I remember reading in a wiring kit information that you should charge the battery so you don’t over heat the wire from the alt to battery by full fielding the alt for a long time. Don’t know, that what I remember.

 

Well, I have no science in this game, but I have been running "off the shelf batteries' in everything that needs a battery for over 55 years. Never had one that didn't last 7+ years. My wife's OT OEM battery lasted 13 and my Ford tractor's battery is going on 10 as we speak. Just Walmart,etc. Nothing fancy. Guess I am lucky.

 

The last battery I got, I used a Mastercard. I guess it was indeed charged when I got it...

 

And like the battery in your car, you didn’t leave home without it.

 

Yup, took an AMERICAN EXPRESSway to get there.

Clerk musta been on a VISA, had a little language trouble.

Then a I DISCOVERed a little DINERS CLUB so I stopped to grab a bite.

Had to CHASE a damn socket under the car putting it in.

Then momma came out and wanted some money, you know, asking "WHAT'S IN YOUR WALLET?"

Ok, I'll stop...

 

These Forums give a whole new meaning to " baffling with ********" ( as opposed to " dazzling with brilliance"