Is My Monitoring Charger Actually Working?

Customers sometimes complain of instances where an indicator light shows a full charge but their bike still does not start. Monitoring chargers for motorcycles in Houston, TX are designed to return a battery to a charge that allows for normal operation. However, batteries are not perfectly designed, and each type has its own self-discharge rate, which may throw off the monitoring charger. Here are five factors to consider when determining whether the problem is with the battery or the charger:

• Discharge amount: Your battery may not hold a charge strong enough to power the starter if it is severely discharged. Leaving lights and other electrical elements on may drain your battery enough that it requires more charging effort than what is offered by most monitoring chargers. While monitoring chargers work well for minor drains on batteries, sometimes they cannot replace full power. If this is the case, you may need to have your battery charged by a service provider.
• Water level: Batteries that are low on water also fail to hold a charge. This is more common with car or boat batteries, but it can happen to motorcycles too. You can check the water level on your battery, and if you find that it’s low, top it off. Just be sure to use distilled water, as tap water contains impurities that can cause battery failure.
• Shorts/draws: Your battery may have shorted out, or there may be a parasitic draw on its power. In both of these cases, a monitoring charger will not be able to keep up with the power drain. Shorted batteries will never hold a full charge, so it’s possible that your charging monitor cannot give it enough power to function. In many of these cases, your only course of action is to replace the battery.
• Life expectancy: Batteries have a limited life expectancy. It is a fact of life—if your battery is designed to last seven years, chances are it will not be charging efficiently if you are still demanding a full charge at year eight or 10. If you discover this is the case, it is best to replace the battery.
• Connector condition: Sometimes, the issue may not be with your battery at all. Connectors become dirty or wear out, which affects the ability of a battery to charge. Fortunately, this is a fairly simple issue to fix. Clean the connectors and replace any worn-out ones and it is likely your battery will receive a full charge again.

Manufacturers are starting to install self-correcting mechanisms in batteries. Yuasa and others now realize it’s best to have a charger with a little more amperage and have it self-reset after 30 days. One of these brands will likely reduce your charging woes, but if not, see a battery specialist.

Texford Battery Co. in Houston, TX offers battery products for vehicles, marine, electronics, UPS systems and power tools, as well as monitoring chargers for motorcycles. Visit us today if you are in need of new batteries or battery products.

Categorised in: Motorcycle Batteries

This post was written by Writer