Upgrading battery any ideas for more capacity?

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alfa147x

alfa147x

Lifer
Jul 14, 2005
29,307
106
106
Currently my moped uses a UPG UT4L-BS battery which is a Dry Charge AGM battery that puts our 12v @ 3 AH.

Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.8 x 3.4 inches

The problem is that my rides are fairly short and the battery doesn't have a chance to recharge from start up and usage of lights. So I got a battery tender. Well I haven't had a chance to ride it in a few months and the current battery is dead.

Any ideas for a good replacement or how to find one?

When I get a chance I'll look to see if I can fit a larger battery or adapt the current battery mount to hold a larger one.

Thanks,
Alfa
 
tortillasoup

tortillasoup

Golden Member
Jan 12, 2011
1,977
4
81
you don't need a larger battery, you need a battery tender. This is a common issue for gasoline powered vehicles as well. One of the reasons why short rides are difficult for charging these batteries is that Lead acid batteries are only 50% efficient at charging and alternators used to charge the batteries don't exceed 63% in efficiency. So only a very tiny amount of energy goes from the gasoline directly into the battery for future use. Until they replace the charging system and the batteries themselves with something that is significantly more efficient and capable of faster charges, people will continue to experience this issue with their batteries if they don't drive long distances. Even the Prius has this issue with its 12V battery.
 
N

nedfunnell

Senior member
Nov 14, 2009
372
0
76
A lot of sporty motorcycle riders are switching to lithium batteries. You could get one of these batteries:

http://shoraipower.com/products

However, this will not likely solve your problem. You problem is that the energy going into the battery is less than the energy going out of it, minus efficiency. Did you use the battery tender these past few months only to find your battery dead? If so, you either have a bad battery tender or an electrical problem with your moped. If you didn't use the tender, then that explains it. Tortillasoup didn't read you post, but he's right that usage of the tender is the solution to the problem. The tender should be plugged in any time the moped is not being used, including storage.
 
T

tortoise

Senior member
Mar 30, 2013
300
12
81
Replacement resource.

Replacement is the best option . . but with proper safety precautions, you may be able to get a little more life out of the present battery by warming the top plastic cap strip with a hair heat gun, gently prying it off with a flat screwdriver, and adding about a tablespoon of distilled water to each of the cells (NOT covering the AGM battery plates). One method is to insert a plastic drinking straw into some distilled water, cover the top with your finger, and drain into the battery cell.

Test charging system volts.
 
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alfa147x

alfa147x

Lifer
Jul 14, 2005
29,307
106
106
I should clarify:
When I rode my moped a few times a week I would hook up the battery tender. Recently I forgot to plug the the battery tender in and left it sitting for a few months. Now the battery tender won't charge the battery. When I used the battery tender religiously it worked perfectly.
 
disappoint

disappoint

Lifer
Dec 7, 2009
10,132
382
126
Before you toss out that battery, I had a similar problem with an SLA battery. The batteryMINDer wouldn't charge it after the battery sat around too long uncharged and unused.

The problem is that the batteryMINDer will not charge a battery that is too low in charge.

The remedy is to use another charger that doesn't look at the voltage and will charge it regardless of what it's voltage is, even if it's low.

Mine was also a 3AH 12V lead acid battery btw.

I just used a 12V 1A wall wart brick power supply for a few hours, then swapped it out for the battery MINDer and the batteryMINDer then worked because it was in it's operating parameters.

Just about any 12 V power supply that can supply at least 1 A should work. Don't forget to use inline fuses to be safe. Let the battery tender desulfate the battery for a few days if you can.

I just looked at mine and it is the Battery MINDer Plus. Not sure what the difference is between this and the Battery Tender. Does yours desulfate as well? Good luck, let us know how it goes.
 
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tortillasoup

tortillasoup

Golden Member
Jan 12, 2011
1,977
4
81
alfa147x said:
I should clarify:
When I rode my moped a few times a week I would hook up the battery tender. Recently I forgot to plug the the battery tender in and left it sitting for a few months. Now the battery tender won't charge the battery. When I used the battery tender religiously it worked perfectly.
Click to expand...

If the battery tender won't charge it, then maybe you should buy a better battery charger. A 12248 batteryminder is twice as expensive as the batteryminder 1500 but it can handle all sorts of battery types while the 1500 is designed just for flooded lead acid.

disappoint said:
I just looked at mine and it is the Battery MINDer Plus. Not sure what the difference is between this and the Battery Tender. Does yours desulfate as well? Good luck, let us know how it goes.
Click to expand...

I doubt he has a battery charger with the specific function of frequency desulfation like our chargers do.
 
LTC8K6

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,576
126
Not sure, it says automatic, but that is sometimes used as more of a marketing term.
 
LTC8K6

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,576
126
tortillasoup said:
POS that doesn't last. If you buy a battery charger, it should be one that can recover batteries. A Batteryminder will work down to 3V where most chargers will not and will desulfate and can be left plugged in indefinitely.
Click to expand...

Are you following the thread at all?

I thought we were looking for dumb chargers because the smart chargers won't see his battery?

Did I miss something?

The BatteryMinder is the smart charger that disappoint said wouldn't charge a dead battery either. He had to get a dumb charger also.

And Schumacher chargers are great.
 
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alfa147x

alfa147x

Lifer
Jul 14, 2005
29,307
106
106
I've actually tried a cheap Schumacher from Walmart and it had the same problem. I guess they're slightly smart?
 
LTC8K6

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,576
126
alfa147x said:
I've actually tried a cheap Schumacher from Walmart and it had the same problem. I guess they're slightly smart?
Click to expand...

They make both types. You could have had a smart one, or your battery may be pining for the fjords.
 
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