Hi folks. I'll be heading out to UK and Europe soon for work and vacation for over 2 months. As such, I'm getting trickle chargers for my cars in my absence. I've never used a trickle charger before. I'm considering getting the NOCO Genius 5 as most of my motorhead friends have recommended it. To those of you who have experiences with this product model, I would appreciate your advice. Kindly share with me with your thoughts and experiences. All of my cars will be parked indoors, so I'm a bit concerned about fire hazards (I'm in SoCal so we've been a bit sensitive to fires given our recent experiences this year). Are my concerns warranted or am I just being paranoid? Many thanks in advance.

Stay safe.

 

I have one and it is a really good product. I've left cars charging overnight without any issues. Have read others who have left cars plugged for months as that's what it is designed for.

Another option you could consider is to use a smart plug that you put onto your wifi network and can control on your phone, such as a Govee, to plug the Noco into. That way you could cut the power to the trickle charger for say a week, turn it on for 24 hours, then turn it off again.

Have a safe/productive/fun trip!

 

I’ve used this charger many times, but I’ve never used it as a long-term trickle charger. If you’re truly worried, you could always pull your batteries. Generally the danger comes from overcharging a battery and it not having any venting. As long as the drain tubes are clear on those batteries and there’s no kinks in the tubing, I think you would be fine, but you could always pull the batteries out as well.

 

I own several Noco chargers and they're excellent products. My X7 is currently parked in my garage, stored for the 6 winter months for the fourth time, and its battery is connected to my Noco 2A charger for the fourth year. These chargers are intelligent devices that won't overcharge your battery, and they have thermal and overcurrent shutdown protection. Every May 1st, my car starts up right away without any hesitation or low battery advisory. I also trickle charge several other machines that get reduced use during the winter. Never a problem with any of them.

 

Hi @Hodog16 . It's nice to hear that the most knowledgeable participant on this board has experience and uses this product. I am ordering them today. As for the concept of having a smart plug, that sounds great. However, I will probably just get a surge protector. My concern is that if I cut off the power completely remotely, the Noco would then need to be physically reset once I power up the outlet again - which I obviously won't be able to do. As always, thank you for sharing your candid and thoughtful views on the G63 on this board. It is well appreciated.

Stay safe.

 

That's really good to know. Your input is greatly appreciated. I'm ordering the Nocos today. Thank you, @streborx .

Stay safe.

 

Good point--I just checked and the Noco does turn on by itself when you power cycle but it'll be fine to leave on.

Depending on how your garage is set up, you may want a stool of some sort to have the device sitting on.

Also thanks for the kind words--I actually think streborx is the most knowledgable poster here .

 

Yes, I read that as well. However, I believe the G63 is equipped with an AGM battery as opposed to a standard 12V (please correct me if I'm wrong). The Noco upon a power recycle would require someone to be physically present to select the AGM mode on the Noco module - at least that's my thinking.

P.S. You go through G63's like us women go through our stockings...

Stay safe.

 

I like my Noco 1A maintainer -- more than adequate current and it's a wall-wart that plugs into a wall receptacle. The Noco's I have remember the battery setting (AGM) once selected whether disconnected from the battery, disconnected from AC or both.

 

Well, that just sounds like voodoo magic... Thank you, @streborx . I will go with @Hodog16 's original recommendation and get a smart outlet. Much appreciated.

Stay safe.

 

Sounds good just be sure to test it before you leave and report back

 

This is what I use Amy. I put it on 12V AGM setting and that's it. Saves last used setting too.

 

Hi folks. My Govee Smart Outlet arrived today, and I've already downloaded the app and plugged one of them in. I'm waiting for delivery of the Noco Genius 5.

Just a heads up - I had my company's IT department do some research on Govee Smart Outlets. To my surprise, they told me NONE of the existing Govee products have a surge protection feature, except for the "Govee Smart Plug Outlet Extender With Night Light", which is a new product recently released by the company. My IT guys told me it's a common misperception people have that all smart outlets have surge protection capacity, but apparently that is far from the truth. Here's the link to the model I ordered: https://us.govee.com/products/outlet...1wYtQHZZMm7TNO

I just wanted to share this information with those of you who're currently using a Govee Smart Outlet. As I indicated in one of my earlier posts, I'm in SoCal so we are all a bit sensitive to electrical items and potential fire hazards due to the fire(s) we experienced earlier this year.

I'm also attaching a photo of my newly activated plug. Stay safe.

 

If you're concerned about surge protection, you can have a "whole house" surge protector installed at your circuit breaker box ( ). I have one installed in my house and another in my out-building, and they do work.

 

Hi G folks. I'm back in town after a couple of months working/traveling in UK and Europe. I'm delighted to tell you that all of my cars started without a hiccup. The Noco Genius 5's worked without a hiccup, as well as the Govee smart outlet/surge protector. I had it set so that the trickle charger wasn't constantly on in my absence. Instead, I set it up so it turns on at regular intervals of 16-hours-on/8-hours-off per my Dad's recommendation.

Everything worked well and it was fun to see it operate from halfway around the world. One quick note about the Govees - the timer schedule you set up on the Govees will follow the timezone of the device you have downloaded the app. So for me, I found out that when I set my Govees to kick in at 7:00 pm Pacific Time, it will actually start at 7:00 pm Euro Time when I'm in Paris. It took me a few days into my trip to realize this. I was actually wondering about this aspect of the device when I set the timer but none of the instructions/manuals addressed this issue. In short, the Govees will follow the time zone of the cell phone if that's where you downloaded the device. No big deal as I simply remotely changed the start/off time on the Govees after I realized this was happening.

Hope this thread helps those who travel often or spend extended periods of time away from home.

Stay safe.

 

Thank you so much for the update! I hope you had a wonderful trip and welcome back!

 

Cycling a trickle charger on and off won't damage anything, but isn't necessary. These chargers are internally regulated and won't overcharge a battery by continually shoving in unwanted/unnecessary electrons. My X7 has been in winter storage for the past 3.5 months (for the 4th year) with a 2A Noco charger connected continuously, and its battery has never suffered.

 

Many thanks. My Dad advised me anytime you are charging a battery, you are reducing its lifespan. So for trickles, he told me to never leave it on consistently for over 24 hours. He is somewhat of an avid car collector, so I deferred to him on this.

Stay safe.

 

xThanks, @Angus4x4. Even though the trip was work related, I did manage to jump around and had a great time over the continent. Just an FYI, the folks in UK and Europe are not currently very fond of the US right now... I'll refrain from my comments as this is not the proper forum for politics, but it's just something I want to bring to everyone's attention on this board who may be traveling to that part of the world this year. Nevertheless, they generally seem to be able to distinguish between the average American and our current administration.

I was able to spend some time with my executive friends at Mercedes and AMG, as well as visit the Ferrari headquarters and factory in Maranello - which was a real treat. I highly recommend the Ferrari tour if you are able to do it. Maranello is a bit difficult to get to, but the drive there is totally worth it. I also visited several coachworks, as well as some vintage and restomod shops, which were all a blast.

Stay safe.

 

I don't want to contradict your dad, but since I'm probably old enough to be his dad, allow me just a bit of latitude here. Charging a battery does not reduce its life -- a battery gets charged by a car's alternator, regulator and battery management system all the time. Over-charging a battery will reduce its life. I have an old Sears Roebuck (don't ask) battery charger that's nothing but a big transformer and selenium rectifier (don't ask about this either). It dump charges a battery without any regulation, and leaving it connected without human intervention is not a good thing (I have no answer why I still have it). New trickle chargers such as Noco, CTek and others are designed around voltage regulators that limit the charging voltage to that required by the battery. When the battery reaches that voltage, the charging current tapers off to zero. When the battery subsequently discharges due to all the stuff that's being powered while the car is parked and locked, the charger senses the voltage drop at some point, and kicks the charging current back on to maintain the battery's full charge. So the charger has its own "on/off" switch. Using a timer switch or human to disconnect it periodically isn't necessary.

(I just remembered why I keep the old battery charger. I used it a couple years ago to remove rust from the inside of a motorcycle gas tank -- another long story.)

 

That sounds like an amazing trip! Thank you for sharing some of the details and the cool places you were able to visit. I have not been to many places in Europe, part from the UK and Ireland many times for work. I do have various people from Europe on my team, so I definitely hear about their thoughts of the current situation in the US and they have lots of questions. ;-) I am actually heading to the UK the week of 16 March for work meetings, so it should be interesting. I will also be visiting Spain in early May, as I am doing a transatlantic cruise from Florida. I am not a big fan of traveling, but looking forward to seeing Spain. Welcome back again and look forward to your continued contributions on the forums. Take care!