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I have purchased an Exide Power MF Battery 120 A/H for my home inverter. I need to use that inverter only when there is no electricity. That can happen once a month or like that. So my question is, If I don't use the above semi-sealed battery every day, will it have any adverse effect? I mean, will it do damage to the battery? In other words, do I need to use it every day with an A/C current charger?

Here are the 2 options which I have with my inverter and battery.

Option 1: Charge battery using an A/C current charger and use it every day. I don't like this option due to it making a loud noise. I mean the noise emitted due to the charger and inverter.

Option 2: Use my inverter and battery only when there is a power failure. I would like this option, but due to not using the battery regularly, will it damage the battery?

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  • Does the inverter not have a way to charge and maintain batteries? I guess this is a home-made device?
    – JPhi1618
    Commented Dec 7, 2017 at 16:46
  • It doesn't have. I have to use external seal type battery for it. Here is the inverter which I use: youtube.com/watch?v=ejk_O_CA20k @JPhi1618
    – Sampath
    Commented Dec 7, 2017 at 16:49

1 Answer 1

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Similar batteries are used for motorcycles, and many people don't use those very often at all. They sit in the garage for months at a time until the weather is just perfect for that 20 minute ride. Batteries that just sit in the garage loose their charge, and when the voltage gets too low, real permanent damage can occur. The situation is the same as yours, and there is a solution.

enter image description here

In the picture is a "Battery Tender" trickle charger/maintainer. It's a popular brand, but there are certainly others. This is made for car/motorcycle batteries that are not used often. It monitors the charge on the battery and "maintains" it. It's made to never overcharge, and keeps a idle battery ready for use. I've used this on motorcycles and cars, and the batteries start the car right up when it's needed.

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  • Oh. Perfect. Me too have a battery charger as I mentioned in my post. And my battery has an indicator where it shows need a charge like that. So that means I got the solution. Thank you so much for the right direction :)
    – Sampath
    Commented Dec 7, 2017 at 17:01
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    @Sampath, just be careful with your charger if it doesn't have overcharge protection. It's common in cheap chargers, and you can easily overcharge and overheat and ruin a battery with one. Honestly, I wouldn't even use one without it - I'm way to busy and forgetful to remember to unplug it. And you probably want to charge the battery before it says that it needs it. If it "needs" a charge, it might not power your inverter for any useful amount of time.
    – JPhi1618
    Commented Dec 7, 2017 at 17:04
  • Thanks for the info. Actually, it has all the protection features. Here you can see it. My charger has all the features like this. But the brand name is different (jongfa). All others are same. Even the color of the labels etc. Maybe product from the same company but delivered using 2 brand names. Please see this: suoer988.en.made-in-china.com/product/sofntIxGvVhb/…
    – Sampath
    Commented Dec 7, 2017 at 17:28
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    You can monitor the voltage of the battery, or just charge it once a week as a habit to make sure it's always close to fully charged.
    – JPhi1618
    Commented Dec 7, 2017 at 18:39
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    @Sampath - There's a huge difference between a battery tender and what you are showing in your link. The battery tender will keep the battery at tip top shape without you having to intervene. The only time you need to take the tender off of the battery is when you need to use the battery. Other than that, it's plug it in and forget it. If you read the fine print of your charger, it states it will ramp down the charging, but the float is only good for 1/2 hour. This means after that 1/2 hour, you need to disconnect it. You'd never have an issue with a tender.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Dec 8, 2017 at 0:29

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