Need advice--Boat battery charging

[muskymatt]

I bought a brand new deep cycle marine battery, and a brand new deep cycle charger.

I have had it hooked up to charge for about 8-9hrs (approx) and judging by the level indicator it is only about , not quite 3/4 full charge.

And the level indicator isn't moving up anymore towards full charge.

How long should it take to charge a battery ?.

I charged it on the 12Volt 6 amp setting

[mikemicropterus]

muskymatt+ with a 6 amp charger it will take a while.
How much was the charger???????????????
Good deep cycle battery chargers will be putting out a minimum of 10 amps to get the battery into a state where it wants to take a charge.

Check the fluid level, some places fill them on site and don't always get all the cells topped up. Distilled water ONLY

If the battery was filled and not charged right away chances are it will be an 80% battery all it's life.

Deep cycle batteries like to filled charged and used as quickly as possible.


What I suggest you do is, get a better charger and go out and ALMOST drain the battery and then try the charging again.

I have a built in charger in my boat and it takes about 6hrs to fully charge 2 31 series deep cycles from almost flat to fully charged. It costs $350 but it does the job when it's asked to. Also deep cycles get better after about 10 to 20 charge cycles.

And charge your batteries RIGHT AFTER YOU GET BACK NOT THE NEXT DAY, by waiting the next day takes 15% of the life of the battery.
I've had deep cycles last up to 8 years if you get 5 from heavy use you have done well.

[muskymatt]

Thanks Mike.

You sure know a thing or two about batteries.

With what you have told me , i"m all set.

Thank you so much.

Matt

[Joey Rat]

That's the one thing I don't have yet. Any advice on where I can get a decent price in the Ottawa area.

[plowjock]

Just had my Minn Kota Battery charger die on me. Have had it hooked up on board for 7 years. All the lights went screwy and kept flashing. Decided to bite the bullet and bought a new Charger, not a Minn Kota this time. I went to Total Battery sales on Sunderland Dr. in the Bentley Sector off of Merivale Rd. Picked up a Smart Charger for $276.00 Taxes in Guaranteed for life does 12/24 volt charging and can leave it hooked up all winter long in the garage and keep the batteries charged.It has the recycling program for storage and long time not in use. It also only weighs about 3 lbs at the very best as compared to MinnKota that weigh up to 15-20 lbs and cost the same price. Some food for thought, those 2 -31series batteries aren't getting any lighter each year dragging them into the house and back out in the spring up the stairs.

[mikemicropterus]

The reason they weigh so much is to tske the vibration, I've seen some real chinsey chargers, I have used Guest for the past 10 years and find them to be good quality and after sales warranty issues handles within 24hrs. I also sell them

[ady]

pj,

is that an on-board charger, my christmas list year includes a 2 bank on-board and am looking for a good one.

[Boosterman]

I have a question a little off topic but I didn't know where else to post it. Wouldn't a person just be able to hook up there battery to the motor and use it as a charger. The only reason I'm thinking that is because I Like to keep my boat as light as possible. We where talking about that this weekend. I realise your playing with your motor not starting after when it comes time to fire it up. Also if a person did decide to do that how long would take to charge the battery threw the motor.

[Haybay Larry]

Boosterman,
You can charge batterys that way. Depending on the rate of charge it could take a while depending on how discharged the battery is.
Also you should not charge a deep cycle battery while on the fly because they are meant to be completely charged to full. Chances are in the boat you wouldn't get it to full capacity running to a new location....larry

[jiggy2006]

well, i parked my boat and removed the battery of it, its sitting on the workbench. Should this be charged once in a while or leave it until spring and just charge it before use?

another question is, is there such thing as overcharging a battery?? ie, you leave it on the charger for a week, what are the disadvantages if there any!?

[Tomcat]

Here's a copy of web sites that may be helpful.

http://www.batteryweb.com/faqbw.cfm#q4
http://www.marine-electronics.net/techa ... /b_faq.htm

[karma]

Trickle charging a battery over the winter with one of those 2.5 amp trickle chargers is bad for the battery. They can boil dry and warp the plates. Better off giving the battery a good strong charge every couple months with a charger that can charge at 12 amps at the very least.

[orrsey]

fella's,
Again this is off topic, but going back to boosterman's post I think he is fefering to an alternator type device..?? Is this possible? I know generally your runs will not be long enough to charge but it wouldnt hurt would it? Do alternators exist in boat motors?