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(I do not recommend trying to desulfate the battery because this involved about a dozen 2hr 15.5-16 V Charge cycles while monitoring the battery temperature).My recommendations for this, and all other battery-based Jump Starters is:1. My unit lasted less than 2 years. However, after sitting idle indoors for several months, it failed to hold a charge. With a 16V DC Power Supply, I was able to recover about 1/3rd of the 18Ahr Capacity which supports my theory that the battery became sulfated. This will dramatically reduce the life of this type of battery. The instructions warned me not to overcharge the battery, so I did not periodically recharge the idle battery.
Use a 'smart charger' to prevent overcharging.2. I successfully used it to jump start a few times and used the Air Compressor to top off tires. Recharge the battery at least 1x per month at room temperature. This probably led to battery sulfation, a common problem with idle Lead-Acid batteries. My experience with Lead-Acid batteries leads me to believe that the battery can be kept healthy only be recharging the battery about once a month. Don't deep discharge the battery.
It is possible to replace the internal 18Ahr battery; however a repacement unit costs between $42 and $75 (B B Battery: VRLA Rechargeable Battery BP17-12).
I have had this power dome for a year now, and I tried thrice to jump start my small car, and it never worked. All that this device is to me is an heavy air pump and flash light (torch).Eventually I traded in my beloved vehicle, but I only wish that I could trade in this piece-of-crap for something better or at least get my money back.
Just a jumper. I couldn't wait for that first dead battery. It was black and decker refurb but was like $25. but it wasn't something that happened too often. I even tried hooking them up in series but that didn't work either.I then found one of the smaller jumper cases, about half the thickness of the powerdome. So I pull out my trusty powerdome. no nothing.Give it a few minutes.Nothing.Few more minutes.Battery is half dead on powerdome.
hook it up, and I see my interiors pop on. Usually after a weekend of sitting in the garage and not used, by monday morning, the interior lights were either half bright or completely dead. Exciting.Run to the driver side, turn the key."click". The compressor takes about 10-15min but does the job, even in the cold.
I was so impressed when I first saw this item a few years back that I ran out and bought 3 more for xmas gifts (2006). still won't turn over.Back to normal jump. starts right up.I had a full winter with 2 different powerdomes. no compressor or light. nothing. The cranking amps and watts were lower than the power dome spec'd but it worked much better.The powerdome is still good for the air compressor and sockets. Then my remote start on my car started having problems and was draining my battery every 2 days. When my car died the next time, I tried this one.
"click". no turn over. "rrrrr.vroooom" started right up from dead. But I'm still in the market for a better all-in-one.
It is a very handy tool and will go on trips on my Trike (V6) this summer.Wagan 400-Watt Power Dome Jumpstarter with Built-In Air Compressor and LED Utility Light
I liked the unit and what it had on it, inverter, pump, 12v lighter plug, meters and the way it was setup in design. The ac and dc charging plug took forever to charge the battery and the unit with the 12v 18ah/20 hr battery might be underpowered. The unit on charging was a problem as you had to plug it into the front panel and the plastic clear face plate became easy to damage as it was up in the air on charging. The stickers showing the features were not glued on good and came off within a year. The unit is heavy and the plastic was good quality. It would not be a first choose for me if I had to do it over.
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