Went out to my van tonight, turned the ignition, and nothing. First time since I bought the van over 10 years ago.
The battery is new (2 months old) and I called the auto club (BCAA). The guy came out and checked the cells with a hydrometer and they were showing a reduced charge but all were identical in the reading. He ruled out a faulty battery.
He used a booster on it and when it started we noticed some idiot had left an interior light on. :mrgreen:
He recommended I get a trickle charger. I went searching for a Walmart special and discovered that I have become technically challenged, even though I am an electrician, technician, computer expert. Apparently the new kid on the block is a jumpstarter but the assortment of different types is mind boggling.
Walmart does have trickle chargers, one a Duracell 6 amp charger they claim is no longer available. I would appreciate some pros and cons with regard to which way I should go.
The booster the auto club guy used was impressive but apparently you need at least some juice left in the battery. I had about 7 volts left but who knows how many amps it could deliver in that state.
One of the jumpstarters I saw does everything but make coffee. It has a 400 watt inverter as well as a heavy duty air compressor. Some of them claim to deliver up to 1400 amps starting current.
Being an electrician, one of the first things I learned is that you can't get something for nothing. Therefore, the jumpstarters likely have an expensive battery in them that will likely burn out one day. Of course, for $100 - $150 it's equivalent to carrying a spare battery around that can blow up tires and charge your cell phone.
The battery is new (2 months old) and I called the auto club (BCAA). The guy came out and checked the cells with a hydrometer and they were showing a reduced charge but all were identical in the reading. He ruled out a faulty battery.
He used a booster on it and when it started we noticed some idiot had left an interior light on. :mrgreen:
He recommended I get a trickle charger. I went searching for a Walmart special and discovered that I have become technically challenged, even though I am an electrician, technician, computer expert. Apparently the new kid on the block is a jumpstarter but the assortment of different types is mind boggling.
Walmart does have trickle chargers, one a Duracell 6 amp charger they claim is no longer available. I would appreciate some pros and cons with regard to which way I should go.
The booster the auto club guy used was impressive but apparently you need at least some juice left in the battery. I had about 7 volts left but who knows how many amps it could deliver in that state.
One of the jumpstarters I saw does everything but make coffee. It has a 400 watt inverter as well as a heavy duty air compressor. Some of them claim to deliver up to 1400 amps starting current.
Being an electrician, one of the first things I learned is that you can't get something for nothing. Therefore, the jumpstarters likely have an expensive battery in them that will likely burn out one day. Of course, for $100 - $150 it's equivalent to carrying a spare battery around that can blow up tires and charge your cell phone.