Suzuki V-Strom (VStrom) Owners Club DL250, DL650, DL1000 & DL1050
V-Strom specific discussion => V-Strom specific discussion => Topic started by: nigel s on December 02, 2023, 12:19:10
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As the bike is not going to get used this weekend due to the ice/snow I popped it on the Optimate 3.
All good ,been using it for years.My only concern is that the trip for my garage is very sensitive and being rural we get a lot of small powercuts,sometimes just a second or two.This is enough to throw the trip .
My question is will leaving the optimate connected to the bike and plugged into the wall at the socket that has no power drain the battery.
A quick google gives differing views.Usually I put it on for an hour or two till charged then disconnect it.But on a longer layup it would be nice to leave it on and not worry?
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If your problem that the house is on ELCB trips and the garage on more sensitive RCD trips then buy a plugin RCD and use it with an appliance (TV?) that you use everyday and if it trips then the garage one will have tripped.
Would that help?
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Good advice ,ta.
My set up is I really don't have 240v in the garage, I have a 16 amp extension lead permanently run out with an earth leakage detector . That is what "trips" and then is not live.So I end up with no power to the optimate and unless I happen to check I don't know.
A worry if the optimate is connected?
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I would take the battery off the bike and charge it indoors.
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Agreed...
And ... taking it indoors would mean you'd only need to give it a little boost a couple of times a week using less electricity.
Leaving a battery on a charger 24/7 isn't good , even if its an "intelligent" charger.
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All good , ta.
The most the bike doesn't get used where I live is a fortnight maybe three weeks ,if I am snowed in (no salting down my road), so taking the battery off is an option but a bit of a faff.
I was more worried about my going away for work for a few days ,getting a power cut and coming back to a flat battery due to "leakage" down the unpowered optimate?
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Would a diode 'twixt Optimate and battery prevent that?
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Ta Rusty
But that is beyond my capabilities, I have heard of "diodes" but what they do is a mystery :whistle:
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Intelligent machines "my Axxx" My washing machine on a RINSE CYCLE won't use enough water to rinse and won't spin fast enough to chuck out the water. The Dryer often can't be persuaded the washing is still wet. I have found some work arounds but intelligent machines will destroy humanity.
I have three Optimates for three bikes and I put them on for two days every two weeks a.k.a. red bin 'cardboard' recycling Thursday to Saturday. I check the voltage before connection so as to understand the rate of voltage drop. The XJ without the benefit of modern electrickery holds 12.4 volts for up to three weeks.
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cooltshirt,
I have reread your post and think you may be onto something..ta.
My garage is on the same feed as my chromebook charger so if I swap the RCD over to cover both I would spot that :thumb:
My only worry was if I go away on work for a few days would the disconnected optimate shag the battery?
Brockett,
Ta for that,
I agree so called "smart" devices are not nearly smart enough :whistle:
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If left long enough, I think it would drain the battery.
My charger has an digital Volt reader and a light that lets you know it's connected even when it's unplugged.
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Yeah I think you are right ta.
As brockett just said smart is not really that smart.
Ho Hum
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Simulate.
If you can't find the answer elsewhere take a voltage reading leave the optimate connected to the battery but not to the mains for a few days and then take another voltage reading :shrug:
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Not a bad idea ta.
I have a multimeter and (just about) know enough how to do that :thumb:
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Mmm…battery chargers,a lot of people have lots of varying ideas of how they work.I was a generator engineer for about half of my working life and the chargers are powered permanently on emergency gensets,but…an Optimate will charge up to around 14.2 v.and then back down to 13.8volts when it goes into “float” mode.Emergency genset chargers are set to 13.6 on float as this is just below the gassing level,or 27.2v on a 24volt set of batteries.I say a “set” of batteries as some very large gensets have a set of 12 x 2volt batteries,these can be as big as 2ft high and about 9 ins.square each.I built a charger a couple of years ago using an old Optimate in a plastic box with an interposing relay.This is run on a timer so it comes on for 30 minutes every week,when the timer energises the charger it switches on the 4pole relay which then makes the contact to feed the charger mains input and also another set of contacts in the relay connects the 12volt charger output to the battery.So when the power is off,the 12volt is also isolated from the charger and will never discharge the battery.So if the charger is set up correctly when it is on,the batteries just stay in what is called a “float” condition,neither charging nor discharging.Another bonus I have fitted is a cheap Chinese programmable timer that has a built in battery so if the mains goes off it keeps its timer settings for about 100 hrs.so you don’t normally have to reset it.They are as cheap as chips only a couple of quid each from memory.
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If the trip in the garage is so sensitive, why not simply replace the trip switch? Or else swap the trip out for a similar amp trip currently serving in the house where you can monitor any trip failure. Another alternative is to connect a light somewhere that you can monitor remotely (at night or overcast conditions) if the power is out to the garage.
During Covid lockdown, many of my vehicals seldom were used. I bought an Optimate charger for each of my rides, to help keep their batteries on charge when not in use. My Optimate 3s are connected their respective bike batteries 24/7, without any problems and same applies to the Optimate 5s that are used to maintain the car batteries.
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I could run the lead without a RCD but am wary of doing so.
Many times working on boats with 240v leads a trip has saved me.
I remember having an apprentice with me one time.I was standing in a flooded hull moulding in my wellies and the apprentice, not thinking, threw over a live lead that landed in the water next to me.Talk about time slowing down.
Since then and plenty more incidents involving cut leeds/wet hands I stick with a trip.
I think it is the monitoring bit that is key,while I am at home ,no problem.I will just have to remember to disconnect the charger(If I am using it) when I am away.
Ta all
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I should say the offending apprentice got it back a week later.
Fitting engine beds to the same boat he was inside pulling the mount in ( a 15mm thick 3 meter long heavy piece of steel) I was on the outside pushing them up.We did the first 3 then instead of passing him the full length for the last one I passed up the foot long piece I had cut off the end.
Lets say he was surprised and leave it there. :violence-smack:
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For what it's worth this is from OptiMates own faqs.
"All OptiMates from OptiMate IIIsp onwards have virtually no reverse drain so cannot drain your battery, but they are designed to be left connected to mains power and operational when it is connected to a battery"
So I'd take it that any model before OptiMate lllsp will drain your battery.
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Ta, good to know.
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If your battery is normally on the Optimate, or if not, put it on for a week before you go away, then disconnect it before you go away. It will be OK for a week or two, then, when you get back reconnect it.
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If you want to be certain as to whether there's any drain while the Optimate is unpowered, use your multimeter set to mA (and in series not parallel (as when checking voltage)).
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Ta Gents,good advice :thumb:.
What with the ridiculous price of batteries at the mo,the days of replacing my battery every other year as a matter of course (Whether it needed it or not) are long gone.
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You could always check the charger with a multimeter on the “diode check“ setting on the clips when they are off the battery and the mains switched off.
That would tell you accurately whether there is anything feeding back.
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:thumb:
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Got no complaints about Optimate chargers apart from they only seem to last about 10 years :) my bike's been parked in the garage on one for the last 3 years without any issues, it started OK a few weeks ago so the battery must be good.