Extended Battery Charging (SIX+ MONTHS)...???

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Paul Rahoi, Dec 17, 2015.

  1. Paul Rahoi

    Paul Rahoi New Member

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    2007 Prius
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    My wife and I just bought our first Prius (used). We tow our trailer to Florida for the winter, and driving our 17 MPG diesel truck each winter was getting old, so now we hope to do much better with the Prius, while the truck mostly sits still.

    We were hoping to leave our Prius in Florida while we are gone in the summer (May-Oct)... there are folks in the RV park who also leave for the summer, and we can use their shaded carports. But we hadn't taken into consideration any special battery requirements. Our car back home in Illinois has a Sears Die Hard Charger on it all winter... we come back and the batteries are perfect. Not sure if that would work on a Prius...?

    QUESTIONS: Any suggestions on the best route for battery maintenance for SIX+MONTHS in Florida heat? Are there any special charging kits available specifically for Prius? Anything that might include (or work with) a small solar panel?

    Thanks in advance,
    Paul
     
    #1 Paul Rahoi, Dec 17, 2015
  2. Stargazerwa

    Stargazerwa Junior Member

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    If it was my car I would just disconnect the 12v battery and do nothing else. If you have an electrical outlet handy you could connect the battery to a "battery maintainer" they are very inexpensive, I would not reccomend using a charger they will likely boil the battery
     
    #2 Stargazerwa, Dec 18, 2015
  3. Paul Rahoi

    Paul Rahoi New Member

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    The "Sears Die Hard Charger" we use through the winter in Illinois is a 3A "trickle" charger. Description below....

    [​IMG]

    DieHard 6v Battery Charger and Maintainer with its 3-amp charge keeps batteries for cars, trucks, ATVs, boats, motorcycles and lawn mowers charged and maintained for you-even on those vehicles with intermittent use. Easily charge your battery by following the precise instructions on the easy to read digital display. The charger is designed for you to connect effortlessly to your battery with multiple connector choices including 50-amp clamps, a 12V accessory plug or ring connectors. This unit is controlled by a microprocessor and programmed to not allow overcharging.


    With safety in mind, DieHard Platinum 6V provides reverse hook-up protection which shuts the charger off if the clamps are inadvertently placed incorrectly on the battery. Float-Mode Monitoring maintains your battery charge by keeping your battery at normal voltage.

    Has anyone used this successfully over a long period of time on a Prius?
     
    #3 Paul Rahoi, Dec 18, 2015
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'd remove it from the car, fully charge it with a smart charger, store it in a cool dry space (basement, what have you), then cross my fingers.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Dec 18, 2015
  5. jeff652

    jeff652 Senior Member

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    You should charge the Hybrid Battery with one of our Prolong Chargers at the end of the storage period before driving the car. The NiMh hybrid battery will self discharge while in storage. Driving the car after a period of non-use on a depleted battery without charging & balancing it first is very hard on the battery and will contribute to premature hybrid battery failure. A single charge at the end of the storage period will fill & balance the battery and return it to the same (or better) condition as the day you parked the car. We have many customers who are already using our products for hybrid battery long term care after use our battery systems on vehicles that are stored for long periods of time with great success.
     
    #5 jeff652, Dec 18, 2015
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