I have a heated garage.

In your case I would pull the battery and bring it inside and put it on a charger once in a long while.

 

Ok, thanks Paul, I will do that

 

So what happens If you trickle charge in a cold environment?

 

The concern is that the liquid in the battery will freeze and the battery will not be able to vent. The charger manufacturers don't want to be liable for your 'sudden expansion event' so they recommend charging above freezing.

 

I'm not really sure. My original reason for getting the trickle charger was because I thought it would keep the battery maintained through the cold weather, but the warning about the operating temperature range that came with the charger caused me to question it. It's funny because when I get my boat winterized, they give it back to me with the negative lead removed from the battery and they tell me to let it sit all winter like that and just charge it in the spring before putting it back in the water. Not sure if there is something different with marine batteries or not but I just thought that trickle charging my bike battery through the winter would protect it from any potential harm from the cold.

 

I’ve been using the same brand name “Battery Tender” on my bikes in an unheated garage during subzero Michigan winters for the past 15 years or so without issue with the tender or the battery. Never pulled a battery from a bike and always kept it connected to the tender with the onboard SAE connector. I dunno...maybe I’ve just been lucky all these years.

As I understand it, the difference between a float charger (or battery tender) and a trickle charger is that a float charger will only sense and charge your battery when it has self-discharged below a certain level, whereas a trickle charger continuously emits a small current of electricity regardless of the charge level even if the battery is full. The potential for overcharging and subsequent battery damage are the reasons I stayed away from trickle chargers, if in fact those are legitimate concerns.

 

You’re not lucky, that’s what they are made for. I’ve been using a Battery Tender on my bikes, Kubota, and other battery operated power equipment for as long Battery Tenders have been on the market with no issues. I have 4 of them and let them run full time in my unheated Garage & Shed. We often get sub-zero temperatures during the winter months.

 

Thanks Ron. I think i'm using the term "trickle charger" incorrectly. I believe that the Noco G3500 charger I just bought "maintains" the battery exactly as you describe and is an intelligent charger as opposed to a trickle charger. I think I'm inclined to try leaving it in the bike with the charger connected as you have done. That was my reason for buying the maintenance charger in the first place.

 

I bough the same charger this summer. Seems to be a good one. I believe it is intellegent, because it lights up green and occasionally steps down to a lesser charge percent. I had a regular trickle charger I bought for $20 and I don't think it maintained my pc680 correctly, because I only got 2 years out of it. The noco has different settings for different types of batteries.

 

@Patg

The noco chargers are smart chargers because they will self-regulate the charge based on its measurement of the battery state. IOW it will go from charger to trickle charger to maintenance charger (there are actually 8 states of charge). They also include advanced modes like power supply, repair mode, separate modes for AGM batteries and lithium batteries. I have used the repair mode to revive a battery that two other chargers simply would not charge at all. It took almost two days but whatever, battery works fine now. Every once in awhile they have a decent sale and I buy another one and I give away one of my old chargers. I also live in Ontario, probably north of you (but cold is cold) and I leave several bikes, a tractor, and snowmobiles on noco chargers throughout the winter. As long as the battery is not frozen, you won't have an issue.

 

I suppose I could be doing it wrong, but have been charging my batteries on the bike in unheated garages for close to 20 years with no issues ever. Battery Tender Plus.

 

As long as your battery isn't frozen to begin with, it should be fine.

 

Battery Tender only for me never had a concern with temp. The unit catching on fire story in the amazon review - frightening!

 

I'm with Reid on this one.
Here is a video I posted this Spring:

Video is a bit long-winded but you'll get the idea.

Battery charger is over 25 years old.
The description in the video gives more details.

Of course; YMMV

Joe

 

Thanks for the great advice everyone, really appreciate it. I was looking at a review on the NOCO G3500 on youtube, and found this comment:

The manual says operating temp is as low as 0 degrees C, but I was looking for more info online and found this post on a forum. I would call Noco and speak to them directly if you're still wondering:

"Called NOCO and the reason it says the operating temp only down to 32 degrees is that that don't want people trying to charge a frozen battery. I was told it's been tested down to -20. I asked if it will work at -40 and was told yes. He did say it would be a good idea to leave it plugged in to the outlet at cold temps because just being on will keep it warm."

It was originally the "operating temperature" statement from the manual that caused me to ask the question in the first place, so I find this statement that is supposed to be from the manufacturer to be a good explanation for it.

thanks again,
Pat

 

The CTEK brand of chargers have a cold temp charge mode. That is what I use in Michigan

 

OP- If you store your bike in an unheated garage, I suggest not moving the bike at all in cold weather. A number of people have blown shock seals when taking the bike off the Center stand in cold weather. OEM shocks are $$$.

 

I haad the distinct pleasure of moving to Minot in February. When I was unloading the bike from the U-Haul trailer it was -10°F. Upon hitting the bottom of the ramp, the front shock shite out a small spot of fluid.

I managed to snag a brand-new zero-mile replacement for the $1,725 ESA strut for only $250. It is still in the box. Ended up not needing it... ~70,000 miles later that one little squirt was all that escaped.

:grin:

 

Wow, that is great advice @atc250r - I've never heard that before.

thanks,
Pat

 

I have the same GS3500 and so far so great even in very low temp in the garage. That charger got a very good review by many, so I got it. I pulled my batt out by last spring to check for cracks and zero issues. I never thought on bringing the batt to my house or basement. I had a same batt on my CBRXX for 6 years and some cold winters, not even one issues with charging.

 

The 0 to +40C spec is listed because the charger was manufactured using commercial grade electronic parts (cheaper). Industrial grade parts are spec'd from -40 to +70C.


Industrial grade parts are tested over the larger range but both grade parts are manufactured the same. So while the charger might not work outside the commercial range, it most always will with no issues.



I think the spec in the charger manual has to do with this and not whether or not you can charge a battery a low temps. It's just them doing a CYA thing and you will likely have no issues using the charger over a far greater range of temps.