Generator Battery Chargers and Maintainers
2023-08-11
Generators with remote start and electric start capabilities have a built-in lead-acid or lithium start battery, which is necessary to start the internal combustion engine and power the remote start electronics in standby mode.In order to make a generator as reliable as possible, it is very important that its battery is fully charged and ready for use. However, some people want to know how to charge the battery of the generator.First, the generator comes with a detailed user guide/manual, along with an explanation of how to maintain the generator and how to store the generator for a long time - if you have a generator but you have never read the user guide, do yourself a favor and read it.
Onboard Battery and Onboard Battery Charger
Every generator with electric and remote start capabilities is equipped with an on-board start battery - most of these batteries are lead-acid, but some newer generators are equipped with lithium start batteries.
Once the engine starts, the on-board battery charger (part of the generator's electrical/electronic system) begins to charge the battery and keep it fully charged.So, if you use your generator regularly, daily or at least weekly, your battery is actually always fully charged.
Lithium batteries are mainly lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) starter batteries, which are not cheap compared to similar lead-acid batteries, but they withstand vibration and mechanical shock well, they are quite light and must be charged using a dedicated lithium battery charger.
Lithium-start batteries have a relatively low self-discharge rate and should be recharged every 2-6 months, depending on the model, using a dedicated lithium battery charger or charging mode.When charging with an external battery charger, the lithium battery can be charged with a charging current of 0.1C-1.0C, and a charging current of 0.333-0.5C is usually recommended.When generators are stored for longer periods of time, their batteries are disconnected to prevent any parasitic load from discharging the batteries.However, all batteries have a certain self-discharge rate; The self-discharge rate of lead-acid batteries is usually faster than that of lithium batteries.
Therefore, when stored, the generator battery should be fully charged, and then connected to the battery automatic maintenance, so that the battery remains fully charged during storage.On the bright side, modern microprocessor-controlled automatic battery chargers are often designed as battery maintainers, allowing the user to store the generator, disconnect the battery from the generator, and connect it to the automatic battery charger/maintainer, which will first fully charge the battery and then keep it fully charged during storage.
Note: Some generators even have an additional automatic battery charger/maintainer. If not, a 0.75-2.0 amp battery charger/maintainer is fairly inexpensive and can be easily found at your local hardware store or can be ordered from an online store.
To summarize: To keep the generator battery fully charged, periodically turn the generator and let it charge the battery. If the generator is stored, using a dedicated battery charger/maintainer will keep the battery fully charged for the next use.
Similarly, the user guide/manual that comes with the generator describes maintenance procedures, including how to keep the battery fully charged when the generator is not in use for a long time.
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