Racinbob 12,547 #1 Posted Thursday at 02:21 PM Yes, that's a 12 volt battery. Obviously not a tractor. The generator was due for a walk and yesterday I figured it was as good a day as any to do that. I turned the key and listened to silence. I don't think we're going to gut much of that storm that's fixin to hammer areas south of here but I'm glad I found out under better conditions. 5 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Terry M-(Moderator) 2,286 #2 Posted Thursday at 03:02 PM Lucky you didn’t need it at that moment… 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 76,835 #3 Posted Thursday at 03:37 PM How old is the battery vs its expected life? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 12,547 #4 Posted Thursday at 03:51 PM 12 minutes ago, ebinmaine said: How old is the battery vs its expected life? It's just over a year old. Usually the life of these are similar to what we use in our tractors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 12,547 #5 Posted Thursday at 03:52 PM 48 minutes ago, Terry M said: Lucky you didn’t need it at that moment… I had a couple other options to start it so it wouldn't have been a disaster. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeM 9,469 #6 Posted Thursday at 04:16 PM I know my better maintainers have a AGM setting. That might help? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 12,547 #7 Posted Thursday at 06:16 PM This battery isn't AGM. I'm inclined to think something went haywire inside the battery. Just to get me by for now I ordered another cheap sealed non-AGM battery. I'm just using a NAPA 1.5 amp charger/maintainer that will operate when the generator is running or, of course, if I plug it in to house power. I'd like to go with a AGM battery but it would mean a different charger. I decided to go the 'just get by for now' route. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 45,153 #8 Posted Thursday at 10:18 PM (edited) We recycle dozens of these batteries every year at the hospital and they are still good. Emergency lights and UPS's. The e lites are mandated to be changed every 2 years just like the Generators. I have one in the UPS under my desk at home now that's over 2 years old. I need an odd ball one for the back up on my garage door opener. Luckily we have one bldg that has an E lite with the correct size! The battery I took out of my garage door this fall had .6 of a volt! Edited Thursday at 10:20 PM by squonk 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 12,547 #9 Posted Thursday at 10:55 PM That's what this one is Mike. I bought it for a UPS only to find that the UPS was actually bad. I never put a battery on the penny but instead installed an Anderson pigtail on it and cut a cheap set of jumper cables in half and installed Andersons on those. A quick plug in and hook to a tractor and I'm cranking away. I also have the yank cord thingy but the shoulder really fights that idea these days. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wh500special 2,371 #10 Posted 11 hours ago Is that just one of those little 7 A-hr sealed lead acids being used to crank a generator engine? I had no idea they could push that much current. Any specs on that little guy? I did a quick Google search and found a few that show they might be capable of 70A. Those terminals don’t look sized for prolonged cranking. steve 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 12,547 #11 Posted 3 hours ago (edited) 8 hours ago, wh500special said: Is that just one of those little 7 A-hr sealed lead acids being used to crank a generator engine? I had no idea they could push that much current. Any specs on that little guy? I did a quick Google search and found a few that show they might be capable of 70A. Those terminals don’t look sized for prolonged cranking. steve That's exactly what it is. 7ah. I purchased it when my puter ups signaled a battery issue. Turns out the ups was bad. The engine on the generator is a 420cc and it calls for a minimum of 9ah. I had the 7 on the shelf so what the heck. It worked fine......until it didn't. I had been starting it with the yank rope and didn't even have a battery in it since I purchased the generator. I also installed a pigtail with an Anderson connector and cut a cheap set of jumper cables in half and put Andersons on them. Now, as an option, I could plug the cables in and jump to a car or tractor. I just decided to install the battery and now I like it in there so I have another 9ah cheapie on order. I went cheap because I'm planning on modifying the battery holder and installing a real battery this summer. I just recently charger it with a NAPA 1.5a charger/maintainer and I'm wondering if it's working properly. That's something to look at on another day. You're right, the terminals are cheesy but it starts with little more than a bump. Edited 2 hours ago by Racinbob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
