Batteries Again grrrrr

[JOHNFAK]

Working all day on truck had keys in ignition - guess it was on ..., ? Go out later this evening after shower and it's dead. Now got to get jumped. Didn't think it could draw down that quick ....Thinking might get some battery tenders but they are so expensive for 1 time every other year Bang head

[flagmanruss]

I often leave the keys in the switch when working on or around it... I unlock BOTH sides... I pull the keys part out to stop the 'ding-ding'. Has to be off to do that. Just don't bump the door plunger getting out.

[War Eagle]

Working all day on truck had keys in ignition - guess it was on ..., ? Go out later this evening after shower and it's dead. Now got to get jumped. Didn't think it could draw down that quick .... Thinking might get some battery tenders but they are so expensive for 1 time every other year Bang head

Not sure what price constitutes expensive but I use a Deltran Batttery Tender jr that Wally World sells for $35. Comes with a 5yr warranty. It is less than 1 amp but it will keep your batteries toped off. I used it on my gen 2 rig because I didn't drive it all winter. Went out last week after it had been sitting since November and if fired right off. If you want to recharge dead batteries then this little unit would take days to do the job so this would not be the best unit to do that job.

[Mopar1973Man]

Thing is discharging a battery below 11.0 or so really takes a huge chunk of life out of it. since I got a weird habit of keeping my key on a belt clip and I feel naked without the keys rattling on my hip so being locked out of my truck or house is not common for me. Same goes leaving my key on in the ignition. What's odd though is that I spent all last fire season doing road guard duty at night with the ACC mode on and listening to the radio for over 12 hours through the night. No issues here. But I've never really measured the load on the ON position.

[ISX]

I think the trick is to charge them back up quickly, don't let them sit drained for a month. My brother does that. I have 2 of those everstart MAXX batteries, one was in my ford and stood the test of 2 minute cranks daily, then threw it in the dodge, it actually has corroded the terminals off but the damn thing still works. Brother took the other everstart, killed it, left it dead for a while, its junk now. So I think extremely draining the battery down to <11 volts will slowly kill it, but not as bad as leaving it at that voltage for a long time. I mean that everstart in my ford was drained to barely cranking before it would start but it would start and charged it back up, that went on for years and the thing is still good and its like 9 years old.