Randy Flowers Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Hey yall I have recently bought my first Seven (2020 310R) and I have a unique battery dilemma Due to having turned our garage into an apartment for my parents, I had to park the Seven at a very close storage facility. I only bought the car in June and have been driving it a few times per week and haven't had any issues with the battery losing charge until now. I didn't drive the car for a week+ and went out to drive it the other day and it tried to turn over but it didn't have enough juice. I knew I needed to look into a battery tender soon, but that time has come. Note that I have a brand new AGM16L battery in the car right now. However, as I said, I have a unique issue. Since I have to park the Seven in the storage facility, that means that there is NO ELECTRICAL OUTLET where the Seven is kept. Ugh, hadn't thought of that issue until now. So, my understanding when I bought the Seven was that I would need to start hooking it up to a battery tender that kept the battery fully charged when it was parked in the garage. Now that I am needing to do that and given that I have no electrical outlet in the place I actually keep the car, how in the heck am I going to keep the Seven's battery fully charged such that I don't get in it to drive and the battery is dead or near dead? I have no place to plug the battery tender/charger into! Are there any elegant and simple solutions to keep my battery fully charged given no place to plug a battery tender into where it is parked? Maybe have two batteries and keep one of them fully charged at home (where I do have an outlet) all the time, and then switch them out when the battery in the Seven currently has lost its charge? We had thought of maybe running a small solar panel under the garage door and getting power to the battery tender that way, but the storage facility doesn't allow me to do that. Related Question: If the battery is low when I try and start the car (it was turning over but not able to start), when is it OK to jump the car with normal jumper cables? I have heard that it is not ideal to normally jump the Seven's AGM16L battery when it is almost dead. Instead, you should slowly and fully recharge the battery with a battery tender/charger. Thanks! Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayentaskier Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Install battery master switch: https://caterhamparts.co.uk/battery-cut-off-kits/1341-battery-master-switch.html?search_query=electrical+cutoff&results=7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Flowers Posted September 6 Author Share Posted September 6 I also posted this question to the Caterham Technical discussion on Facebook and got a bunch of responses already, all of them saying to install a battery cut off switch. I assume I need to install a Caterham specific cutoff switch like the one you posted above, right? The Facebook discussion is saying that doing that alone will keep the battery from needing to be recharged or kept trickle charged. Do yall agree with that? Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevensonjr Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 I would look into a solar powered battery tender(slow charge) and a cut off switch. The battery would be subject to a low amp maintenance charge and there would be no drain from the car’s systems till you switch on. This assumes you have access to the top of the garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Flowers Posted September 6 Author Share Posted September 6 I do not have access to any light. The garage will not let me run a cord out under the garage door to a small solar panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Flowers Posted September 6 Author Share Posted September 6 (edited) OK the plan is as follows: 1) In order to prevent the battery draining when parked, get this kill switch from Caterham and install: https://caterhamparts.co.uk/.../1341-battery-master... 2) In the meantime (until the kill switch is installed) just disconnect the positive cable from the battery after parking in the garage to prevent the battery draining while parked 3) Also get the following trickle battery charger for my Odyssey PC680 (AGM16L) battery. If I find the battery low despite using a kill switch, then take the battery out of the car and take it home (where I do have an electrical outlet) and recharge it up fully with this charger. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W46BX31... 4) Keep some motorcycle jumpers in the boot and if out on a blat and for some reason the battery is low, then simply jump it to get me home. Does a standard jump of this kind have the chance of hurting the AGM battery? Question: I would like to take the Caterham to a car show in the morning. My battery is still turning the engine over (i.e. not just 'click' when trying to start it) so since I don't yet have the trickle charger shown above, would it be OK to just jumper the Seven today and drive it long enough to get a good charge back into the battery so that I can drive it tomorrow to the car show. Or is it always advisable to use the trickle charger to charge the battery back up when/if it gets low in order to avoid harming the AGM battery? Thanks! Randy Edited September 6 by Randy Flowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomatva Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Might consider CTEK CS FREE, also a battery cut-out might be in order.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted September 7 Share Posted September 7 The negative cable is always disconnected first on negative ground vehicles to prevent damage, so you would disconnect the negative, not the positive. I would measure the current draw to see if it is reasonable (0.025 amps or less for something like this) or needs to be addressed. The immobilizer is probably about 15ma by itself. You could also install a standard automotive battery with more reserve for much longer storage time without a charger. Yes, jump starting is not good for the electrical system but necessary some times. If done improperly, (like connecting the positive last), alternator regulator failure is likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marek Posted September 7 Share Posted September 7 (edited) I suggest reading up on Odyssey's tech notes on charging these batteries. They have a list of approved chargers. https://www.odysseybattery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ODYSSEY_approved_12V_chargers.pdf The two I could find for sale at a reasonable price was the above mentioned CTEK and the Schauner: https://battery-chargers.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/model_CM6A_CM12A_charge_Master.pdf The chemistry on these batteries is such that few chargers support the charge cycle needed. The result is short battery life. I've been using the Schauner. I know quite a few others on the forum have used the CTEK as well. Edited September 7 by Marek Corrected my statement on the list of approved chargers and added documentation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBuff Posted September 8 Share Posted September 8 You could get something like this and either have it charged at home. Have it in the boot charging (depending on your 12v situation - cig lighter or if you have a 12v in your boot ). That way it’s there and always charged. Jump the car when needed. But agree it’s not a long term solution https://a.co/d/7AdSgNj battery cut off would buy you much more time. I don’t believe you need to get the caterham one which is much more complicated (connecting to a variety of things in the car). https://a.co/d/3y6OsRG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbcollier Posted September 8 Share Posted September 8 Jump starting is just fine but continually discharging the battery is not good for battery longevity. So, yes to the cut off switch. Please disconnect the negative cable until you get your cut off switch installed. Now the bad news, even with the cut off switch, the battery will self-discharge if left a long time. You will need to bring the battery to somewhere it can be charged if the car is to be left parked a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pethier Posted September 10 Share Posted September 10 You don't need to send to England for a cutoff switch. Summit and other racecar suppliers here in the USA will be happy to sell you a switch. External system switches are required in many different kinds of motorsports, so even your local circle-track suppliers should have them. There is a special style for cars with alternators, but you don't need that; this has to do with turning off the switch while the car is running, which is something you will never do. The simple switch is all you need. I don't have to install a cutoff switch in my current Caterham since the original owner in Northwich specified one in his complete car kit from Caterham in 1991, but trust me on this, Summit and the like on this side of the pond will sell you the same thing. Looks the same and mounts the same way. Whether you put the required-for-racing decal on your car is up to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowdude Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 Jump box? Why not carry a jump box with you? Stops having to carry around a battery and theyre easier to plug in etc. Grab a master cutoff. As long as your alternator is charging, your battery will charge as the car is running. Saves you from having to carry around jumper cables, an extra battery etc etc etc. Just one item, you take it with you and re charge it. etc. Fairly cheapy one linked below? Stanley, Jump Starter and Power Station, Amps 600 Volts 12 Model# J309 | Northern Tool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamScotticus Posted September 15 Share Posted September 15 (edited) A drained battery needs a full recharge before its reliable. You can jump a car, it will (usually) run off the alternator, but the battery may not get the charge it needs, especially an AGM. As it has already been mentioned, AGMs chemistry needs specific cycles, I doubt the alternator is doing that for you. With any dead battery, you don't know how dead it is. So going out on a jump and hoping to be topped off at your destination isn't a good bet. What is a good bet is you won't have any problem finding someone to give you a jump. For this, make it as easy as possible to get jumped without having to take the car apart for the gushing admirers. Make sure you have good terminals to clamp onto or even better, have auxiliary jump connectors routed to the cockpit. This advice is not considering any specific protections for engine and other electronics that may get fried from a jump. I like taking the battery home. It makes stealing the car a little harder. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=1335 Edited September 15 by IamScotticus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovchandr Posted September 15 Share Posted September 15 Also an alternative solution which I've been using is Lithium Ion car battery. Super light and has its own built in jumper... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Flowers Posted September 16 Author Share Posted September 16 6 hours ago, IamScotticus said: A drained battery needs a full recharge before its reliable. You can jump a car, it will (usually) run off the alternator, but the battery may not get the charge it needs, especially an AGM. As it has already been mentioned, AGMs chemistry needs specific cycles, I doubt the alternator is doing that for you. With any dead battery, you don't know how dead it is. So going out on a jump and hoping to be topped off at your destination isn't a good bet. I charged the car on the Noco Genius1 to full charge and the car is functional again. The plan is to only use a jump for emergencies to get me home. Anytime the battery is low, I plan on a full trickle charge. And the Caterham kill switch arrived a few days ago, and until that is installed I am disconnecting the negative terminal on the battery when leaving it for awhile. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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