I did a bit of research before purchasing this product. If you want a quick charge, I have read that your battery won't last as long. For battery life, the ideal charge is low amerage. I appreciate that this charger provides a low amp charge to the battery. I had an older battery charger that I believe prematurely destroyed one of my 12v batteries, so I did my best to find the best value replacement. As a matter of fact, the way I saw the older charger behaving (according to my digital multimeter), I was concerned that it could cause the battery to explode or start a fire. I decided to get a new one. I looked at all of the battery chargers I could find on Amazon and other sites. Eventually, I settled on this particular model for these reasons:
1. Provides a low amperage charge, which is supposed to help prolong battery life.
2. Desulphination mode, which is supposed to help prolong battery life.
3. Safety shutoff features, so that it doesn't overcharge the battery.
4. Reads the battery polarity and illuminates a red light if you have it reversed.
5. Excellent review on Amazon and other sites that sell battery chargers.
I've only been using the battery minder for a couple of months, but I think it is working well. The recharges and maintenance modes seem appropriate. The batteries seem to last a long time after I charge them. This product seems to be living up to the claims and ratings. I am impressed.
Years ago a solid state battery charger would be ignored by most as unreliable and/or cheap. Times changed and now many solid state items represent those of the best quality. I've found this product line to be one of those lacking nothing and of the best quality. The five year warranty that comes with it helps re-enforce that idea.
Yes, this product is made in China to the American (USA) VDC company technological standards. I wish everything could be made here in the US as I am USA born. That's no longer the case with many of the product names I grew up with at least VDC is still an American company based in Huntington, New York. But still, I'm glad I purchased my BatteryMinder 12248 over a year back in 2011.
There-in was also something I found especially refreshing. When I opened the packaging, I wasn't greeted with instructions in some other language but in my own native English taught to every US citizen and recognized as the true one language of our country by most Americans. Seeing instructions in every language always tells me some portion of what I spent on a product went into all those other translations especially irksome when, to start with, the language is SUPPOSED to be English for products sold in the US. The small instruction manual is clear there's just 35 pages VDC would like you to look over first to improve your knowledge of this product. That's nothing excessive or unreasonable. I actually like to know the proper use of products just like I enjoy knowing the proper way to operate a vehicle I'm driving down the road. I find it safer that way, and my cars all last longer for my knowing how to drive and maintain them and I'm also sure other passengers, drivers, and pedestrians appreciate my responsibility.
I could have easily used the 12248 without the manual by just using a little common sense and knowing how batteries are sized and what type they are, but the manual does contain everything you need to know concerning the operation of the 12248. There are also printed instructions on the unit. Nothing difficult in use, and even if it was VDC provides a technical service number right on the manual. That number is also on the unit. They even answer it quickly I know, I called them to start the warranty on my purchase and to inquire about the free battery tester they will send you for registering your product.
Enough with the literature and literacy. The VDC BatteryMINDer 12248 will charge/maintain up to six batteries at a time with full-time desulfation. This is why I wanted it. It also has low amperage draw in use, and provides temperature compensation also important in my hot Southern US climate. An earlier purchase of a BatteryMINDer 12151 (engine compartment mounted style) proved to me the patented BatteryMINDer desulfation technology works and works very well (see my 12151 review here at Amazon "BatteryMinder 1.5A or BatteryMinder 1.3A? (chuckle) Like the "Tortoise and the Hare" When Compared To Some Chargers.").
The 12248 still isn't the fastest charger with only a top output of 8 Amperes, but it's not the tortoise the 12151 is either when recharging a dead battery. Is desulfation faster using the 12248 instead of the 12151? Possibly, but not necessarily. The 12151 just can't charge and desulfate more than one battery at a time, and it only charges with a reported maximum of 1.5 Amperes although I have seen a 12151 charge at 1.8A for short initial start-up periods. The 12151 is also designed to be permanently installed to a vehicle, whereas the 12248 is a "bench" charger that can either be hung from a bench or used sitting on a bench it also sits on four rubber pads for this.
This model 12248 comes with the $20 temperature compensator with ring terminal option supplied, and a ring terminal battery connector with 15 Amp fuse for a permanent charging connection to a vehicle mounted battery. All terminal connectors and fuses are also supplied with well fitted caps to prevent corrosion from moisture and to and keep out dirt. It also has the standard spring clip connector with 15 Amp fuse. Nice wire lengths have also been supplied to all cables that make connections simple in most any proper use of the unit.
The only caveat I've noticed is the temperature sender cable pins can be connected wrong if not paying close attention. If you look closely, you can see a minus and positive sign at each connection terminal that should be observed when making the electrical temperature cable connections. A red marking for positive would make this connection much easier, or pins that only fit one way.
I plan to update this review as more use is applied to the 12248 with various batteries. (chuckle) Nothing quite like an on-going accounting of product performance.
My first (far reaching) trial:
settings: 8 Amp, Standard lead-acid, temperature sensor clamped to the negative battery post
A thirteen year old, 75DG size group, Grand L 3010 HST Kubota diesel tractor standard lead acid battery that somehow still hangs on despite it would no longer start the tractor it came with. After about nine years of good service, up until it wouldn't start my Grand L, this battery was replaced with a new one and forgotten in a corner of my garage. This battery had a swollen case and plates, and had been sitting idle and untouched for roughly five years in that corner. One month back, I had put a quick charge on this battery and had it reading 12.6 volts when I immediately started using it for some very light electrical duty. Over the next several weeks I continued using it a few times to power a car radio system I was working on in my garage. It was still showing 11.4 volts when I connected the BatteryMINDer 12248 and made the proper settings. The 12248 accepted it and began charging it. After 30 minutes, I used an Amprobe digital meter to check the voltage and amperes being put out by the 12248 at the battery they were; volts@14.01-14.02, amperes@.10-.12 with a solid green charge indicator.
July 28 (eight days after connection) voltage while connected was at 13.22 volts, the same as when checked after the initial 24 hours of connection. Since day two, the voltage has remained the same and the charge indicator has been flashing. Amperes are at .16 and are the same as they were when checked on day two. Visual inspection of the plates shows the normal coloration of light and dark plates returning. The case end swelling is also diminishing. Of course, I don't expect this 13 year old battery to ever be capable of supplying the heavier amperage loads it once could without self-destruction, but it will be interesting to see what it can withstand. For my purposes, this battery will only be used in my garage for temporary power on a work bench with light loads it may even be usefull for some boost starts on equipment with weak but still marginally functioning batteries. For these purposes it should be fine, as it continues to charge and desulfate well on the 12248. A standard charger would have simply burned and cracked all the plates, and boiled the battery acid solution away long before now leaving the battery useless with dead, shorted, and open cells. As it is, the 12248 is rebuilding a lot of capacity to this old battery.
August 5 On August 2nd I had checked this battery with the 12248 connected using my Amprobe digital meter. I noticed the voltage was varying slightly between 13.20 and 13.24. A check of the supplied amperage showed rapid changes occuring varying from .08 to .94 amperes. This peculiar amperage behavior in maintain mode is different from the 12151 BatteryMINDers I have installed to two of my vehicles. I removed the charger and checked the battery after a twelve hour "rest". The battery showed 12.70 volts. I reconnected the charger and saw the voltage initially increase to 14.5, and then begin dropping. Amps were initially steady at .10. After two hours, I checked and found the charger back in maintain mode and again at 13.20-13.24 volts and amperage varying from .08 to .94. I checked again today and saw everything the same except the case swelling now appears almost gone. During the time the charger is off this older battery, I've been putting it on a year old 78DLG Duralast Gold 800 CCA battery from Auto Zone. This battery now shows 12.88 volts after a twenty-four hour rest after each time it has been connected to the 12248. Once I'm better satisfied with the charge condition of the old Kubota battery, I plan to connect it and the Duralast battery in parallel and make use of some of the multiple battery charging capability of this 12248. Even if these two batteries do have a large difference in age, they still match in type and are close in size group.
August 23 On August 12th I finally felt secure in how stable the condition of the old battery was and connected the much newer Duralast in parallel. There had been no changes in the BatteryMINDer output on the older battery alone, the plates in the battery were looking good, and there was no longer any case swelling. Afterwards, I fairly well forgot about the two batteries connected in parallel to the BatteryMINDER 12248 until today. Again, I had checked the BatteryMINDer output when I first connected the batteries. The voltage was staying about 13.23 and amperes were steady at .10 when first checked. Today, the voltage was varying slightly between 13.21-13.23 and amperes were varying up and down between .12-.15. A look inside, to see those 13 year old Kubota battery plates, revealed plates that now look almost new in coloration and conformation. Could it be the BatteryMINDer 12248 is restoring this formerly dead and unused 13 year old battery, that lay useless for almost five years, to an almost new condition? From just looking into the cells at those plates, it appears so after a month on the BattryMINDer 12248. After a few more weeks on this BatteryMINDer, I'm going to load test this old battery out of pure curiosity. I have the thought that it would start my Kubota diesel tractor, it came new with, right now with no problems.
Update 10/24/11:
I finally got around to load testing the 13 year old Kubota battery. IT PASSED! I also used it to start my Grand L Kubota, and it started the tractor just like a brand new battery. This is an amazing recovery that makes me wonder how many "bad" batteries I could have saved and continued to use through the years, if I had only had this BatteryMINDer 12248. It's great to find a tool, and a company, that truly saves you money.
Update 9/11/2012:
I have't lost a single battery since I put this 12248 in service, and all the batteries I mentioned above are still doing fine and in service. I also have purchased multiple 12151 BatteryMINDers, and have them installed to my stored vehicles. It's very nice to just turn the key on a vehicle that has been in storage for many months and hear the engine roar to life with just a turn of the key minus jumper cables. It's also nice to know all your batteries have been kept fresh and ready for good service by simply using a BatteryMINDer.
Update 12/23/2012:
The 13 year old battery finally developed an open cell condition causing its voltage to drop. At least the BatteryMINDer did give me another surprising year of use from it. I have also recharged a dead 9 year old "gold top" AutoZone battery and have its voltage back up. It was unable to start the old GMC pickup truck it was in, as I was unable to recover enough capacity using the BatteryMINDer on it for that purpose, but it's still maintaining proper voltage and usable for lower current draw applications such as quickly checking 12 volt parts for operation or temporary 12 volt lighting during a power outage. So, some batteries will just be too far gone in one way or another for help from a BatteryMINDer. However, I have recovered two expensive Odyssey batteries and a now 6 year old sealed Delco that are still working great. One of the Odyssey batteries is 8+ years old and used in a Trans Am with a high compression V-8 and strong Kenwood amplifiers in that car. The other sits in my antique '57 Ford 640 tractor. I was able to recover both of those batteries to 100%. The Delco had died several times in my 2007 Silverado before it was four years old (I replaced it with a new battery after four years). After recovering that factory Delco to 100%, I put it back in my Silverado and have had no more trouble from it. I did add a BatteryMINDer under the hood of that truck, as it has parasitic draws that had even killed the new battery I had placed in it. I brought the new battery back with this BatteryMINDer and placed it in the old GMC pickup. Overall, BatteryMINDer has saved me around $600 to date and I really like that.
made in china
Buy BatteryMINDer Battery Charger / Maintainer with Desulphator - 12 Volt 2/4/8 Amp, Model# 12248 Now
I've been using the small BatteryMinders (the 1.3 Amp maintainers) for the past few years and decided that for some of my larger batteries, especially the deep cycle setup used in conjunction with a set of solar panels, that I needed something that was capable of pushing much more than 1.3 Amps. Enter this product with its 2 / 4 / 8 Amp settings and the ability to automatically reduce the Amp "push" and start cycling the battery (or in my case batteries, as I have 4 large deep cycle batteries connected in parallel) with a maintenance charge.
So far I've been very happy with this product as I have been with the 1.3 Amp BatteryMinder in the past. The construction is solid, a direct-wire connector is included, the ability to connect directly with included clips is great, and there isn't that "it's going to break next week" cheap feel that some of the other competing products have (I bought a used bike and a competing product came with it now it is hooked up to a BatterMinder and the other charger is sitting in a box).
If you have need to keep a large battery or bank of batteries well maintained and on a steady charge, be they for your trolling motor or a battery backup for your sump pump (because the power always seems to fail during a rain storm just when you need that pump most), I strongly recommend this product.
Read Best Reviews of BatteryMINDer Battery Charger / Maintainer with Desulphator - 12 Volt 2/4/8 Amp, Model# 12248 Here
I installed this for my 4 very large house batteries on my RV. Since it cost about $1800 dollars to replace those batteries I am interested in getting as long a life as possible. It has been in place for about 2 weeks and so far it is doing what I expected. The batteries hold a charge longer than before. This type of battery in Arizona normally lasts about 4 years, and this set is 18 months old and beginning to show its age. But with this device installed they are back to about 95% of what they were when they were new. My only complaint is about the temperature sensor that can be used with the unit, it does not come with the device, but is an extra cost option. I think it should be included since it provides a feature of the device.
Want BatteryMINDer Battery Charger / Maintainer with Desulphator - 12 Volt 2/4/8 Amp, Model# 12248 Discount?
I attempted to use some cheep harbor freight 2 stage chargers and ended up ruining 6 batteries ranging from 40.00 to 125.00 each. They continuously overcharged and boiled my batteries dry. I purchased these Batteryminder chargers to try and salvage my batteries. It worked and saved 3 of the six. Thats about 200.00 worth of batteries I have been able to reclaim. I am very pleased with the product and also purchased their 2,6,8 amp model for my large deep cycle batteries. The instructions say that if after charging, your battery won't hold 11 volts they probably have a shorted cell. The three batteries that couldn't be reclaimed had bulged cases and only showed between 5 and 8 volts after bulk charging with a regular automotive charger. Hope this helps you decide if yours may be reclaimed. The three batteries that were reclaimed would charge past 11 volts but when load testing dropped off immediately to less than 6 volts. They must have been heavily sulfated because they are as good as ever now after desulfating for several days. I wish I had made this purchase years ago. I would have saved alot of money. Oh well live and learn.
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