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I just got my new battery maintainer/charger by Schumacher for my '55 Patrician. While I didn't see anything in the instruction booklet forbidding it, can you leave the wires hooked up to the battery (un-plugged from the wall outlet) while running the engine/driving the car? Since the wires to the battery from the unit have ring terminals suggesting permanent installation I figure one doesn't have to connect and disconnect every time I run the car. However, I thought I'd check with users here to make sure.

Thanks in advance-

I have two of the Schumachers permanently hooked up. One on the Packard and one on a 99 Ford Ranger.

Since my battery replacement, the Packard is mostly kept plugged in now so not a good reference. The Ranger used to sit long periods without being started when I had a company car. For the last couple of years it has been driven regularly so tender has been unplugged. It is still in the truck and connected as it has been since installation. No problems leaving either connected to the battery that I have noticed.

IIRC, in my original Schumacher instructions there was a mention of circuitry to prevent any current flow out of the battery and thru the unit when it was not plugged in and being used.

That would make sense to me as it would almost have to have that kind of circuitry for the "maintain" side.

Thank you so much Howard for this and all the other things you've helped me with.

Some I have seen have a connector built in to the short end harness that goes on the battery cable clamps, with big 1/4" eyelets on each wire and a polarized connector on the other end. That way you just unplug it and go.

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Thank you for that idea. It would eliminate any chance of a failure in the system - which I know can get nasty quick!

I think the thing is diode protected so current can only flow one way.