We are taking in a short weekend in the mountains and I'd like to top off the battery before the Winter break of two months. Is it safe to put an additional charger on the battery while we are plugged in to shore power?
I still have the "Buzz-Volt" and it won't top off the battery on such a short turn around.
And the long distance thru the umbilical from your TV alternator probably won't recharge the battery on the trip home. I'd probably put a charger on bare terminals just to be sure -- more out of lack of knowing about a reliable recharge if you leave it hooked up.
It should be 'safe' to connect a charger in parallel with your converter. Whether it will really top off the battery depends upon the charger. Even a capable 3 stage charger should be applied for ten hours or so to assure a full charge.
For 2 months storage, you need to make sure the battery has a full charge and then disconnect it and make sure it is cleaned of any corrosion or surface dirt. If the battery is kept cool, it shouldn't discharge more than 20% or so and shouldn't suffer too much. (wet cell batteries just don't like sitting still, especially without a full charge as that allows slow but sure sulfation)
It is much better to put a trickle charger with desulfation capabilities on your battery when it is not in use. The Battery Minder plus or the PD/Charge Wizard converter or the MFCO converter are examples of devices that do this. Care is needed to make sure this charging does not cause significant electrolyte loss.
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