Portable jumper box and best battery

[Andrewmx2955]

Well the battery in my M20K has seen better days. It's time for a new one after needing a jump at an airport without services... Not much fun. 

What's your favorite battery for this plane?

I've seen a lot of people carrying around portable jumpers and I really like the idea of a backup, but I haven't found 1 that has enough power to turn over an M20K engine. Does anyone have a portable jumper box that they like or a suggestion for a unit that has the power required to start a flooded hot engine? 

Does anyone know the peak amperage that the starter draws when running?

 

 

[carusoam]

Andrew does your M20K have only one battery?
 

Often, M20Ks have a two battery system...

Concorde batteries are Best for having enough power for a start...
 

If for some reason you left the lights on... and the battery is dead... a real charge is best for system health...

Charging a dead battery, with the ship’s charging system, is highly taxing and not recommended...
 

Finding out why the battery is dead is important as well... if it has an internal short... this can be hazardous to charge... boiling acid Can be bad for aluminum...
 

What battery do you have? (Does it say Gill on it)

How old is it?   (Did you get it at annual more than a year ago)

did it get its capacity checked this year?(An annual event)

Spare 24V batteries... are not too common...

Spare 12v batteries... are more common but have a tendency to be dead before you need them...

Search for lithium ion batteries around here... they may have been mentioned before...

Having a plug that matches your ground power socket is helpful... do you have one?

It helps if you describe what you have... otherwise you leave a lot to guess about...

PP thoughts only, not a mechanic...

Best regards,

-a-

[bradp]

No experience with the sealed Gills; i think 99% of the respondents would recommend Concorde. 

You may be able to desulfate your old battery with a Battery Tender.

[carusoam]

Or better...  BatteryMinder....

Best regards,

-a-

[GeeBee]

We had a presentation at our local EAA meeting in December by Concorde batteries as they are manufactured nearby. They brought with them cross sections and samples of material used in their batteries as well as competitors. There is no comparison in quality of materials and manufacture. Best of all....AGM

That all said I also want to say that AGM batteries as a technology. Nothing else compares. I first discovered them in one of the SEAL "go fast" boats in San Diego in 1999. They told me it could take a 30 caliber bullet through and through and keep working. About a year later I saw at a boat show someone drill a 1/2 inch hole through and AGM. No leak, battery was slightly weakened in capacity but kept on working. I put in three into my boat. My granddaughter some years later was playing at the helm, which I removed her from, but failed to notice she left on a bilge pump which overwhelmed the charger and depleted the AGM. The charger kept pumping in juice and the case on the AGM blew...very softly. No leaks, no electrolyte, no cleanup. Just pulled it out and replaced it. Later when I bought my PA-18 it had a very small yet powerful AGM. Maintenance people accidentally left on the master. It was well run down but I charged it and it recovered just fine. I have two personal watercraft that sit out on the dock all winter, albeit on chargers but I usually get 3 to 4 years out of those tiny AGMs. A wet battery lucky if I get 2 years.

Finally there is this. The Concorde AGM costs more upfront, but it is able to provide so many more start cycles it is the cheapest/cycle of any battery out there. When you couple that with the imperceptible issue of venting and corrosion and there is no other choice IMHO.

[RobertGary1]

Years ago Gill was a good battery.  No more. Last couple I bought were junk. 
 

this is what I use for jumping. 
 

GOOLOO 800A Peak 18000mAh SuperSafe Car Jump Starter with USB Quick Charge 3.0 (Up to 7.0L Gas or 5.5L Diesel Engine), 12V Portable Power Pack Auto Ba https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0748D8KT6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_y9ytSOSCnBPjW

 

-Robert 

[Dale Logsdon]

I use a Weego 44.1 for my jump starts and backup power. 2100A peak

  https://myweego.com/product/weego-44-1/

Edited June 5, 2020 by Dale Logsdon

[MoonFlyer68]

There is a YouTube channel that does lots of experiments with everyday products to really test them under real world conditions.  Here is his video on portable battery packs for starting cars.

 

[tmo]

Um, for 12 volt applications, why not jump start from the car? Most anything on the road in the US, with the possible exception of the smallest of Yugos, will have an alternator beefier than the plane...

[N231BN]

I bought a RG-35AXC when I got my 231 in August 2014 and it's still trucking along. I use a battery minder if it sits for more than a couple weeks. I also bought a Citabria in February 2012 and it had a two year old 35AXC that made it til last summer.

I have been recommending Concordes to all of my customers and have seen a drop in battery replacements, especially in Cessnas with the battery mounted in the engine compartment. No battery is immune to poor treatment so make sure your charging system is working properly and if your airplane has a small static drain(clocks, surefly) you should invest in a battery minder specific for the type of battery you have.

[hammdo]

Same one I bought. Excellent starting when hot... Kept mine on an 'aviation' approved trickle charger...  whatever that means... 

-Don 

[Hector]

The concord in my C is 5 years old. I see no sign that it needs replacement


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[jaylw314]

On 6/4/2020 at 8:41 AM, Andrewmx2955 said:

Well the battery in my M20K has seen better days. It's time for a new one after needing a jump at an airport without services... Not much fun. 

What's your favorite battery for this plane?

I've seen a lot of people carrying around portable jumpers and I really like the idea of a backup, but I haven't found 1 that has enough power to turn over an M20K engine. Does anyone have a portable jumper box that they like or a suggestion for a unit that has the power required to start a flooded hot engine? 

Does anyone know the peak amperage that the starter draws when running?

You don't necessarily need a high-current jumper battery.  if you were in the CB club, you could just keep a regular car battery or portable backup power supply that was 12v.  If your battery is drained, you just make sure your master is off and you hook it up to your plane batttery for 30 minutes or so to charge it up.  You don't need much charge in your plane battery to start the motor.  Hell, you could just carry around 10 AA batteries, although that might be pushing it since AA's only have about 1.5 Ah.  10 C's or D's should do the trick though.

If you think about it, it makes more sense to do it this way than a jumper battery because you want to know that your plane battery is only discharged, not completely toast.  Flying with a battery that is completely toast might be hard on your electrical system, since it acts as a voltage "buffer".  It's also unsafe since you have no backup if the alternator fails.  The ability to recharge it with another battery to the point of cranking the motor suggests it is at least healthy enough for flight.  If you cranked and started the motor with a jumper battery and you didn't have an ammeter in the plane, you'd have a tough time figuring out if the battery was actually charging.