Can we talk about battery boosters in condos and other areas without a wall outlet?

[mr00jimbo]

I used to keep my car in a garage but now it's in a condo underground. This recent snowfall meant I wasn't able to get it out for 3 weeks.

There's the idea of disconnecting the negative terminal, but I've found a lot of modern cars don't seem to enjoy that too much and it can cause issues. I knew somebody who did this and when they reconnected it, the immobilizer went haywire and it had to be towed.

Thankfully after 3 weeks the car fired up (new battery installed recently) and I was able to drive it around. But I don't like to let my car sit that long without charging the battery.

Soooo what's one to do when they don't have access to a wall outlet?

I do have a trickle charger but there's nowhere to plug it in.

One suggestion I was thinking is some kind of electric portable power station like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/Jackery-Genera...76596395&psc=1

It couldn't be plugged in all the time, but say you plugged one end of the trickle charger to the car, and plug the power outlet end into the portable power pack, leaving it plugged long enough to top off the battery then remove when charged again. Hell my car has a live 12V outlet, I could plug the trickle charger in once a week and plug that into the power pack and leave the battery pack sitting on the passenger seat.

Does that make sense? How big would you need a portable power pack to be to make this feasible?
Seems kind of complicated but I hate dead batteries.

Unless there's some compilation I am missing.

TL;DR - If you lack an outlet for a trickle charger, can you just plug the trickle charger into the car and instead of a power outlet, plug the power cord end of it to a battery-powered portable power pack once a week to charge, then unplug again when topped up.

[whitev70r]

What about taking the car battery completely out of the car and then keeping it warm indoors or charge it with trickle charger in your basement if you know you won't be using it for 3 or more weeks.

[mr00jimbo]

Originally Posted by whitev70r

What about taking the car battery completely out of the car and then keeping it warm indoors or charge it with trickle charger in your basement if you know you won't be using it for 3 or more weeks.

My only issue with that, is whether some newer cars tolerate having their battery removed and if they are fine to just be reconnected, or if they somehow need to be "reprogrammed". I did know somebody who disconnected the - terminal and left it for a month and when he came back the security system wouldn't let the car start and it had to be towed to be reprogrammed.

[underscore]

I think the main issue is ignition off draw (IOD). I know in my 07 Jeep there were two fuses that the manual said you should remove to minimize draw when parking it for a while. That was another one of those vehicles that can have issues when the battery is disconnected (it would fry the CD changer and make it search for discs endlessly).

Messing with fuses every time you want to drive would be annoying though. I know these "memory saver" things exist that you plug into the outlet to supply power to the computers so you can disconnect the battery without messing anything up. I think they're usually just meant for battery swaps, so you might need to measure the IOD and give it more storage capacity, but one of those and a quick disconnect for the battery negative should do what you're trying to do.

[coneZONE]

I believe most newer cars have storage/transport fuses that you can pull for long term storage. You can still start the car without pushing it in; it basically disconnects the ignition-off draw like radio and clock and BCM (so no keyless entry). Gotta push the storage fuse in when PDI Nissans.

[Manic!]

How much light does the garage have? Maybe you could use a solar powered trickle charger.

[bcrdukes]

What options do you have for charging your vehicle? I know some vehicles have the ability to charge through the cigarette lighter port. If you have that capability, you can use something like a Jackery in there or one of those smaller portable battery/jumper packs. Check to see if your 12v port actually supports battery charging before you make a decision.

There are several risks to this approach and some food for thought:
1. Weather - How cold is it where you are and how will it impact the battery pack you end up using? If it's very cold in your garage, the drudgery is having to recharge your battery pack regularly, or at least it translates to more routine visits to your car to check on the battery pack.

2. This is unlikely, but will the battery pack explode in your car or invite thieves? The risk is relatively low but your insurance company (I presume ICBC) may not like it.

3. This might not apply to you based on the age of your vehicle, but how far are you away from your vehicle?

When I was in a condo, my battery would die pretty quickly because I found out that the security algorithm used in my Boxster would keep searching for the key for 2-way communication and the cold weather accelerated the battery's death being so far away from the car. My car was in P4 which was as far as it goes. I'd have to have a battery pack on standby to jump start the car when I took it out of storage for spring maintenance or at least a set of jumper cables to get the car going and it was pretty annoying sometimes.

Ever since I moved into a townhome with a garage, the battery hasn't died without doing anything and it's currently in storage and I'm still able to fire the car up. I've since connected it to a Noco battery charger/maintainer, so I don't have the same problem anymore. I don't think you need a massive battery pack to achieve what you're looking to do but it's perhaps a question of how often do you want to invest in checking up on your battery, or if you prefer a "set it and forget it" solution.

Hope this helps.

[68style]

I think your friends experience is an anomaly or he did something he’s not admitting like reconnected the battery backwards or something.

Literally never heard of a car going haywire just because the negative battery terminal is disconnected… I do it on at least 3-4 of my cars that mostly sit and it saves the battery for over a year that way.

[JDMDreams]

I have a portable jump starter, battery charger tender, and a volt meter. It really depends on the car, but I've noticed that if you store the car in a underground garage the temp actually doesn't drop much and stays pretty stable. Vs I've had the battery drain on a car in a about a week in winter weather kept outside. But usually the car should be able to last at least a month before voltage starts to drop in the battery. I will just start it up drive it around a few times to bring it back up, or plug into the tender. Luckily for the last few cars I've stored, battery held up for the 3 4 months I've stored them for winter. You can always unplug the battery terminal also but I do agree it's a bitch depending on the car and how much drain it has, you most likely will have to reset everything and loose memory functions.

[mr00jimbo]

Originally Posted by Manic!

How much light does the garage have? Maybe you could use a solar powered trickle charger.

I've thought about that. It's a small condo building, and it's relatively dim down there so I don't know if I'd get enough light to do it.

Originally Posted by bcrdukes

What options do you have for charging your vehicle? I know some vehicles have the ability to charge through the cigarette lighter port. If you have that capability, you can use something like a Jackery in there or one of those smaller portable battery/jumper packs. Check to see if your 12v port actually supports battery charging before you make a decision.

There are several risks to this approach and some food for thought:
1. Weather - How cold is it where you are and how will it impact the battery pack you end up using? If it's very cold in your garage, the drudgery is having to recharge your battery pack regularly, or at least it translates to more routine visits to your car to check on the battery pack.

2. This is unlikely, but will the battery pack explode in your car or invite thieves? The risk is relatively low but your insurance company (I presume ICBC) may not like it.

3. This might not apply to you based on the age of your vehicle, but how far are you away from your vehicle?

When I was in a condo, my battery would die pretty quickly because I found out that the security algorithm used in my Boxster would keep searching for the key for 2-way communication and the cold weather accelerated the battery's death being so far away from the car. My car was in P4 which was as far as it goes. I'd have to have a battery pack on standby to jump start the car when I took it out of storage for spring maintenance or at least a set of jumper cables to get the car going and it was pretty annoying sometimes.

Ever since I moved into a townhome with a garage, the battery hasn't died without doing anything and it's currently in storage and I'm still able to fire the car up. I've since connected it to a Noco battery charger/maintainer, so I don't have the same problem anymore. I don't think you need a massive battery pack to achieve what you're looking to do but it's perhaps a question of how often do you want to invest in checking up on your battery, or if you prefer a "set it and forget it" solution.

Hope this helps.

Thank you. I am 4 floors up from my car so I don't think it's communicating with the fob through all that wood and concrete. As far as charging options, my 12V outlet is always live. So I could plug in my phone charger and it'll charge it even when the power is off. I have used a Noco Genius to charge it via this 12V port back when it was garaged, and it would always charge up no sweat.

My plan was, every few days, to go down to the parking garage, plug the Noco charger to the cigarette lighter port, then plug the outlet end to the battery pack, leave said battery pack on the passenger seat, and come back in a few hours when the battery is fully topped up, repeat 1x weekly or 1x bi-weekly, and wouldn't that keep the battery charged indefinitely?

The garage is about 15 degrees according to my car's readout. It doesn't feel very cold down there.

Originally Posted by JDMDreams

I have a portable jump starter, battery charger tender, and a volt meter. It really depends on the car, but I've noticed that if you store the car in a underground garage the temp actually doesn't drop much and stays pretty stable. Vs I've had the battery drain on a car in a about a week in winter weather kept outside. But usually the car should be able to last at least a month before voltage starts to drop in the battery. I will just start it up drive it around a few times to bring it back up, or plug into the tender. Luckily for the last few cars I've stored, battery held up for the 3 4 months I've stored them for winter. You can always unplug the battery terminal also but I do agree it's a bitch depending on the car and how much drain it has, you most likely will have to reset everything and loose memory functions.

I was surprised to see mine fire up down there after 3 weeks idle. It's decently warm though compared to outside.
You had a car start after sitting for 3-4 months?

[JDMDreams]

Yes, 3 4 months if you're lucky and your car doesn't drain. Solar panels don't work, even when I park outside the cloudy wet weather isn't enough to keep it topped up. Unless you have one the size of a poster board then maybe. We just don't get enough light here in the winter, there's no way solar will work indoors.

[Eff-1]

It's a heated underground parkade, and if you live upstairs, then why not just start the car and run it for 5 or 10 minutes every 2 weeks? Shouldn't that do the trick?

In an underground parkade, I'd imagine a car should be able to sit idle at least a month, if not longer, without the battery dying, and assuming it's not a very old battery to begin with.

Sounds to me like you're overthinking it.

[bcrdukes]

Wow, 15 degrees is pretty good haha

Mind you, I'm in Toronto, and was a block away from Lake Ontario so it got really cold down there in the negatives. Given that, I think you should be okay to leave it alone and not have to check as often but that depends on how long you plan on leaving the car there. I don't know which car this is for but I think your solution should work. I feel that a Jackery might be overkill for your application so I think a portable charger like another Noco will work. You'll have to do the math to figure out what works best for you.

I know a few people have advised to fire the car up to run for a bit or drive it around the parking lot, but the revs and duration will not be long enough for the alternator to charge the battery. Doing this would accelerate the battery wear and eventually kill it (@Eff-1 - this happened to my significant other who went through this and now the Yaris is dead haha)

[mr00jimbo]

Originally Posted by Eff-1

It's a heated underground parkade, and if you live upstairs, then why not just start the car and run it for 5 or 10 minutes every 2 weeks? Shouldn't that do the trick?

In an underground parkade, I'd imagine a car should be able to sit idle at least a month, if not longer, without the battery dying, and assuming it's not a very old battery to begin with.

Sounds to me like you're overthinking it.

On my 4 year old battery, it sat for 2 weeks and it was toast. This is a newer battery so 3 weeks and it fired right up.

Reason I don't let it idle underground, is it's a small parking garage. If I let the car idle for more than say, a minute, the C02 alarm starts blaring and the fans kick in, both don't shut off until the area's clear. I think the detector is right behind the post where my exhaust is lol

I have heard that running the car at idle doesn't charge it, and it needs to run

[Eff-1]

well, fans are one thing because that's what they are designed to do, but if a CO2 alarm is activated after 1 minute of idling, then either your car is emitting terrible fumes or your CO2 system needs to be checked by the strata because that should never happen.

I guess where I am coming from is i have lived in condos for almost 15 years and never had an issue with a car battery going flat, and there were times when I'd go 4 or 5 weeks without ever starting it. And all you have to do is start the car and run it for a few minutes or even just drive it around the parkade and the battery should be replenished plenty enough.

If you want to monitor your battery health and charging system, you can use an OBD2 scanner. Or one of these guys: https://www.amazon.ca/INNOVA-3721-Ba...000EVWDU0?th=1

[bcrdukes]

Wait, don't you have a Dodge Charger with a V8 or whatever? If so, I think your power consumption is pretty high.

[mr00jimbo]

Originally Posted by bcrdukes

Wait, don't you have a Dodge Charger with a V8 or whatever? If so, I think your power consumption is pretty high.

Mustang with a 5.0 V8

[Great68]

Originally Posted by mr00jimbo

C02 alarm starts blaring and the fans kick in, both don't shut off until the area's clear. I think the detector is right behind the post where my exhaust is lol

CO, not CO2.

Yeah your tailpipe proximity to the detector could be an issue.

I've installed these gas detection systems in parkades. In all the ones I've installed we configure them for two stages at separate trip levels. Stage 1 kicks on the exhaust fans but no audible alarm, Stage 2 is the audible alarm.

Unless something has mechanically failed, like the exhaust fan failed to start, the system should never normally hit stage 2. (Or the installer never properly setup the trip thresholds)

[JDMDreams]

I've never heard the alarm go off only the fans kick on and my cars may or may not have cats so talk about stinking up the place

[mr00jimbo]

Originally Posted by Great68

CO, not CO2.

Yeah your tailpipe proximity to the detector could be an issue.

I've installed these gas detection systems in parkades. In all the ones I've installed we configure them for two stages at separate trip levels. Stage 1 kicks on the exhaust fans but no audible alarm, Stage 2 is the audible alarm.

Unless something has mechanically failed, like the exhaust fan failed to start, the system should never normally hit stage 2. (Or the installer never properly setup the trip thresholds)

How loud is the stage 2 alarm? This is like a loud beeping and then the fans fire up. Not like a fire alarm but definitely enough to get your attention.

[Great68]

Really depends on brand. The ones I deal with are ~76dB.

If it's beeping before the fans start then either your units aren't capable of 2 stages, or they haven't been set up properly.

[GLOW]

Great68 - don't these systems also have offsite (or onsite) monitoring as well? or is that only for commercial systems?

76 db pretty loud, not quite fire alarm loud, maybe about 10db's below that.

[68style]

Just. Unhook. Your. Negative. Terminal.

You guys are totally overthinking this.

[whitev70r]

I kinda agree ... everything I read, even with new cars and some needing coding or whatever, it's fine. That's why I proposed just removing your battery and bringing it inside so you can put it on a trickle charger. I mean you have to reset your clock, your radio stations, etc. but not as complex this thread is making it out to be ... I think, but what do I know.

I mean it's not a BMW ...

[jcmaz]

You can get an adaptor from Lordco to switch off your negative terminal instead of unplugging it.

I found that certain cars with sensitive electronics don't like to be unplugged that often and might turn on error codes. That's what happened to my hybrid.