Sorry if this is a repost. Can someone recommend a good and reliable battery booster pack that will work well with the FIT. What should I look for specifically? I am thinking of getting one to standby in case of battery failure or discharge. Thank you in advance.

 

Sunforce 1.8-Watt Solar Battery Maintainer

Item #: 167264 | Model #: 50012


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Thanks for the reply. I am wondering if it is powerful enough to restart a dead battery. Someone also suggested that I also consider the Booster Pac ES5000. Will need to investigate more. Thank you

 

Schumacher Pro Series 2200Amp Jump Starter PSJ-2212.

I have one of these and it is nice.

 

Phogroian, thanks for the headsup. That model is also one that I was considering alongside the Booster Pac ES5000. They both sound real good. Good to know someone is using one and recommending it here. How long does the charge hold? I intend on actually storing it in my trunk. Thanks again to all who replied and will be replying.

 

I have the Schumaker (actually Sears Die Hard version) in my Fit as well. Obviously overkill for the Fit battery; yet you don't have to keep a corded plug with it (female plug inserts into the unit) and it seems to be built very well (battery is replaceable).

Buyer beware:

At least the Sears version was touted at one time as having a maintenance minder type built-in charger; which it very well might have.

I've never bought a Chinese fan yet that will run 24/7/365 without failing in short order; the fan runs continuously when plugged in...and there's no spare part for it listed that I can find.

Although I bought in heavily for this feature, I charge it like any other cheap Chinese battery (every month) so that it doesn't become yet another boat anchor (which is often luck of the draw anyways).

Good luck in your search...I've got the Sears 1150 amp model as well with inverter; yet this is built slimmer, more heavy duty and easier to store.

 

The Schumacher is really meant to be plugged into 120V continuously, as it has an excellent charging circuit that prevents it from overcharging (Yes, that internal (infernal?) fan runs continously when charging). However, it can be stored in the car and charged quarterly. There is a quick test button on it that will give you a digital readout of how much % of charge remains.

There are plenty of consumer grade units out that would probably do the trick (here's one at Harbor Freight tools)
3-in-1 Jump-Start/Air Compressor but I recommended the 2212 because with it, having sufficient starting amps is almost guaranteed.

 

phogroian, Perrenoud Fit and Fits Fine, thanks for the recommendations and information. Will research more into your suggestions. It is so good to be able to tap into experts' views and experience. Thanks again.

 

Not even close. Those size panels are trickle chargers at best. It would take days of full sunlight to put enough charge into a dead battery to start a car.

1.8 watts / 12 volts = 0.15 amps

About their only purpose for car use is to keep batteries from going dead in long-term storage where self discharge and small electrical loads like the clock will eventually run down a battery.

 

txmatt, thanks for the input. That makes a lot of sense. It has its uses, but I am also following the advice of the other members to look into a good portable booster that I can store in my car that will only require me to recharge it every few months at home. There will be times when I would need to keep my car in storage for a few weeks, so need to plan ahead. Would you have any recommendations? Thanks again everyone.

 

Well no it's not designed to start a dead bat. it's there to keep the bat. from ever going dead.

 

We have two of those where I work that get signed out to college students. That is WAAAY more than you actually need. the ES5000 will Jump a Frozen Cummins. With one charge , the ES2500 that we have will jump 10-15 average sized cars without needing a recharge. the 5000 is rated for 30 cars or for use on trucks.

Great Jumper pack by the way but for the Fit, I'd pick the smaller of the ES series as with the Fit's battery size, you are likely to get 15-20 jumpstarts between charges. Another bonus is that you can plug it into the 12V accessory socket and run your deivces off of it instead of the battery... Great for a "drive-in".

~SB

 

Specboy, thanks for the advice and insight. Good to know such information. So I can use the 12V socket to jumpstart the car, very cool if I did not misread it. Does the smaller ES prevent overcharging when I plug it into the wall? I am seriously considering the smaller ES now that you brought it up. Thank you everyone, you help to educate all of us newbies to the Fit world.

 

Me bad, I think I misread the 12v socket part. But thanks for all the great info.

 

"Infernal"...is right......this would be a great unit if the fan was simply replaceable...and maybe it is if one took the time to somehow dissect the case and run the part down elsewhere.

 

Not sure if there is anything to prevent overcharging but you just charge it once, then unplug it. It has a power level indicator button so when the charge gets low... plug it back in for another full charge. It is recommended that they aren't plugged in constantly (in the manual) but my staff has left these packs plugged in for days (or even weeks) at a time and never had any issues. we've also left these packs unplugged for multiple months without use and they haven't lost a charge. These packs jump Hundreds of cars per year where I work and most of them are V6 & V8 SUVs and cars. You'd have no issue with the smaller ES jumping your car a dozen or more times. Look at the size of the Fit's battery... The jumper pack is almost bigger than the fit's battery ;-)

You can't Jump/charge from the 12V accessory but you can plug something into the 12V accessory directly on the unit or use the included double-ended Cig Cable to connect your 12V Accessory to it's 12V Accessory port and run your car's electronics off of the ES.

~SB

 

specboy, thanks for educating me on the ES. I do have 2 questions if I may. Will the larger ES-5000 hold the charge longer before a recharge is needed, and any greater risk using the larger ES-5000 on the Fit than the smaller ES2500, getting fried, etc. You can tell how much I really know about car batteries Thank you once again.

 

The ES5000 is rated for twice the number of starts so it will likely last longer between charges. That said, with the size of the FIT's battery, you should likely never need to use even the 15 jumpstarts it could provide on one charge. If you hit that number of jumpstarts... you have a much bigger problem to address.

IMO, the 5000 is extreme overkill as the 2500 will jumpstart V8's without thinking twice about it. The 5000 is more environmentally wasteful and likely wouldn't last any longer than a 2500. There's no risk to using it on your Fit but it's like using a backhoe to plant flowers... wasteful. remember the pack has a battery status light and you can check it at any time so you always know what the power level is.

~SB