Trolling Motor Batteries

Post by **Tony** » Tue May 11, 2004 10:48 pm

Well I just got in from my first real day out with the new boat not counting the day we tested it. We fished Buckham's Bay mostly and caught a couple pike and lost a walleye.

After the long day, the trolling motor battery was telling me to recharge. So when I got home, I stuck it on the charger.

My question is, "If I leave it on the charger too long will it fry the battery?" If so how do I know when so stop charging, because as soon as I plugged in the charger the battery thinks it's full, but I know it isn't. Also, is it ok to run the trolling motor if the battery has only been recharged half way, or will this affect the life of the battery?
The battery is a 12V deep cycle.

Post by **Cancatchbass** » Wed May 12, 2004 5:33 am

If your charger is telling you your battery is fully charged when you know it isn't- you might have a bad charger or a bad battery.

If your charger is an "automatic", there is no fear of frying your battery. If, not an " automatic" (automatically switches to trickle charge when full charge is reached), you should consider getting an "automatic".

Always try to recharge to full charge ASAP after use. Every time a battery sits for any length of time- even several hours- you are reducing its lifespan.

Here's a link to everything you ever wanted to know about batteries, but were afraid to ask:

http://uuhome.de/william.darden/index.htm

CCB

Post by **M.T. Livewell** » Wed May 12, 2004 8:16 am

GoneFishin, had the same thing happen to me.

I used the trolling motor all day, but when I plugged her in for a recharge, she read full. So for fun, i left her on 2amp charge overnight. Woke to find she was sitting around 40% recharge. So I fired the charger right up to 15amp charge. Was good by evening. Must have really drained her.

I have an 'automatic' charger. For $50 or less, it is cheaper than replacing deep cycles every year. I can forget about it (which I have) without worrying about frying my batteries.

M.T. Livewell

Post by **eye-tracker** » Wed May 12, 2004 8:24 am

Just an observation...

Not all chargers are made the same...I had a low cost charger in the past that distroyed my Batteries. Overtime a good quality charger will save you the cost of new Marine batteries and memory/charge problems.

Post by **Tony** » Wed May 12, 2004 9:50 am

Thanks guys I'll go do that, last thing I wanted is to fry my battery. It's off to CT for me.

Post by **toobinator** » Wed May 12, 2004 5:27 pm

Before you lay down your hard earned cash for a charger, make sure that it is one for deep cycle batteries. Even an automotive charger with a deep cycle setting gives a less than optimum charge and can shorten your battery life. Ideally, an on board charger is designed for trolling motor batteries and would give you the best and fastest charge. I can think of two tackle shops that can help you out with this.

Ed Toobinator Puddephatt

Post by **seahawk** » Wed May 12, 2004 9:15 pm

Could you guys who has the right chargers give a few names here for reference? thx

Post by **Xenos** » Wed May 12, 2004 9:21 pm

I know one thing, Call ED and what ever the name itâ€™s going to be top shelf.

Post by **Kingmann** » Wed May 12, 2004 9:52 pm

Hey Xenos, you lookin' for a sweet deal the next time you visit Paddletales (the best fishing store in the region) or somethin'?

JasonM

Post by **bass ackwards** » Wed May 12, 2004 10:20 pm

Some auto chargers have do not start to charge until it detects a battery, if the battery is deeply discharged, the charger will not start. You then have to trick the charger into starting. Use the manual mode for a short period, or I have used the start mode monentarily (seconds) and then back to auto mode. Failures of batteries are most often caused by physical shock to the battery which damages the plates. The battery life is determined by the number of cycles (charge /recharge). If you use the battery till it is 90% discharged you will get less cycles than if the battery was discharged only to 50% before recharging. I don't think there is much difference in auto chargers except the sales pitch, that's my opinion anyway. Lead acid batteries do not have memory.

Post by **Mr.J.** » Thu May 13, 2004 5:57 am

I'm getting ready to pick up my first deep cycle battery and I have read a lot of conflicting information about charging rates.

Some of what I have read and some of my friends tell me to use the lowest amp setting to charge and some of what I have read and some of my friends tell me to use the highest amp setting.

What amp setting do you use? There's already one post that said he used 15 amps to boost it up.

Post by **toobinator** » Thu May 13, 2004 7:26 am

B.A. two years ago, my on board charger failed, and I had to use 2 automotive style chargers for a month until I could get a warranty replacement installed. Both auto chargers (I have a 24 volt system) were high quality and had deep cycle settings. when going out fishing after charging with these units, my batteries would be pretty much dead by about 2 or 2.30 in the afternoon. After replacing the onboard charger (15 amp per bank) and charging the batteries, my guage was still showing a 60% charge after a full day of fishing. Same batteries, same trolling motor. There is a difference. At least in my experience.

Ed Toobinator Puddephatt

Post by **topwater** » Thu May 13, 2004 7:51 am

I am ususing an automative style charger with automatic and deep cycle settings and last year the automatic feature failed and I fried my deep cycle battery

luckily it was within a year of purchasing and they replaced both the charger and the battery

point being don't depend on that auto shutdown to much and if you start to smell a rotten egg smell around the batteries its too late

I would purchase an on board charger if I was to do it again

Post by **Cancatchbass** » Thu May 13, 2004 8:03 am

Not having owned (or felt the need to own) an on-board charger, there is one thing that strikes me as odd.

Almost every thread concerning onboard chargers that I've ever read contains comments about how good customer service from "XY Charger Company" was when their unit failed

It seems that you can almost expect your unit to fail, usually in the first year, and often more than once. Why is this? I have had the same stand-alone unit for over 10 years, used it maybe 150 times a year, and it's still going strong.

The three guys I fish with that had their boats come with onboards all have had problems.

The onboards are supposed to be sealed, shock-resistant, etc. Why do they fail so often?

CCB

Post by **M.T. Livewell** » Thu May 13, 2004 9:02 am

The onboards are supposed to be sealed, shock-resistant, etc. Why do they fail so often?

Probably because of moisture and shock.

M.T. Livewell

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Trolling Motor Batteries

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