Do I have to plug this into a wall socket to "tend" my Jeep battery? Will outdoor condensation ruin it if kept under the hood?
1239286
I use mine in my garage in Central Florida where the humidity is very high most of the year and not had any problems with it. Mine appears to be completely sealed against weather but I suspect it may leak around the contacts where it is plugged in, so never use it outside and exposed to the rain. I use stainless steel bolts, washers and nut on my batteries because they do rust/corrode.
1239287
It does require a plug to get current. I would not put it outside, but if you have to, why not completely wrap it in a plastic bag and seal that bag with duct tape. That should keep condensation out.
2243432
I mounted it to the hood of my work car that had a battery drain. Works fine but in the winter sometimes it would freeze so I drilled a hole ina spray paint can lid and glued it to the red key and that works great. Been like that for a verylong time and I don't park it in a garage.
1805095
I don't have a clue. However, I never had a problem with it plugged into the Jeep even when it had been parked for up to 2 hours. The same applied for using it with wall sockets for over 12 hours.
1160018
No, mine was under an eave and the battery dies within a day or two when it's wet out. The moisture must be shorting it.
744137
Hi there, I use it to power my 15 Amp chainsaw and it is great but I do not leave it sitting out in the weather when not in use. The plug and socket are normal heavy-duty and do not have anything I would call weather proofing around them. For my purposes, it was a great buy.
1665363
I would have it plugged into my truck 12v outlet all day while driving, but I would unplug it in the evening and let it maintain whatever coolness it had. However, I didn't want to run down my truck battery, so I never attempted to leave it plugged in for too long without the truck running. Sorry I can't answer your question.
1670488
My charger is weatherproof. The j connector is waterproof. Sometimes I use my garage space for projects and the car stays outside. I just route the cord under the garage door.
2192575
If you are asking if you position the adapter for the radio in front of the a/c vent to keep it cool, then yes, it will keep the affixed adapter and radio cool, but the problem is that the wiring between the dc outlet adapter and the battery adapter is not heavy enough to handle continuous duty on transmit.
1274624
Yes - you can use a bolt/washer-battery terminal/ring terminal-washer/nut assembly to connect your wires to the battery. Spray with a corrosion resistant spray before assembling and after if the battery assembly will be exposed to moisture or moist outdoor conditions. Good Luck!
1018943
Yes it will. You can leave it hooked up during the winter, and it will keep your battery good as new. As your battery discharges it will kick on and maintain it to a full charge. Hope this helps.
18691
OldAmazonian says:~{Gadgets like this can typically be kept topped up with a jumper from the car's lighter socket to the gadget's lighter socket. The better cords for the purpose have fuses in their plugs. The car's own voltage regulator maintains adequate level for intermittently charging the sealed lead acid battery without damage.}~While this more than likely should work, I'd let someone else try it before trying it on my own unit. Unless I tore it appart an investigated how things are wired inside and did some actual electrical measuring, I'd not try it unlesss I was willing to chance that something might get toasted. OldAmazonian says:~{Gadgets like this can typically be kept topped up with a jumper from the car's lighter socket to the gadget's lighter socket. The better cords for the purpose have fuses in their plugs. The car's own voltage regulator maintains adequate level for intermittently charging the sealed lead acid battery without damage.}~While this more than likely should work, I'd let someone else try it before trying it on my own unit. Unless I tore it appart an investigated how things are wired inside and did some actual electrical measuring, I'd not try it unlesss I was... » Read More OldAmazonian says:~{Gadgets like this can typically be kept topped up with a jumper from the car's lighter socket to the gadget's lighter socket. The better cords for the purpose have fuses in their plugs. The car's own voltage regulator maintains adequate level for intermittently charging the sealed lead acid battery without damage.}~While this more than likely should work, I'd let someone else try it before trying it on my own unit. Unless I tore it appart an investigated how things are wired inside and did some actual electrical measuring, I'd not try it unlesss I was willing to chance that something might get toasted. « Show Less
531706
I leave mine plugged in all winter and it's fine. I don't think it's a drain on the battery to leave it plugged in.
2175659
You have to loosen the nut on the battery terminal and strip the wire and secure it under the nut. I went and bought an open terminal instead of using bare wire.
77770
It is all a contained unit and there isn't room for another battery in it. I would imagine you could wire one externally and have it beside the unit or behind it in the wall for better appearance. Hope this helps.
1509737
Yes - you can use a bolt/washer-battery terminal/ring terminal-washer/nut assembly to connect your wires to the battery. Spray with a corrosion resistant spray before assembling and after if the battery assembly will be exposed to moisture or moist outdoor conditions.Good Luck!
1792259
no, it needs to be wired directly to the battery with a 30 amp inline fuse added.
1363239
Bob, I think any electrical component with the contacts exposed to the weather would not be suitable to be used outside. You would have to use parts specially designed for outside use.