battery problem

[tray]

I bought a new battery (fleet farm) on May 30 2011for my boat .I used it that day for a few hours. When I got home I put it on the in boat charger. It took a full charge and I unpluged it. I did not use the boat untill today when I found out the battery was dead. I mean dead, It would not take a charge. The light on the charger was flashing. Which means the battery is no good. The master switch in the boat was off. My question is with every thing still hooked up to the battery ( All boat fuctions, electroics, radio) could the battery be drained so bad as to kill the battery? Or do I have an electrical problem some where. Thanks for any advice

[Thundy]

If your trolling motor is hard wired into the boat, it draws a little juice all the time. Its takes a few months to kill a battery but eventually it will. I killed 2 batteries before i found that problem on mine, now i just unwire the trolling motor every fall

[tray]

The trolling motor is hooked to two differnt batteries. That can not be my priblem. But thanks

[Esox_Magnum]

This is a case where an onboard charger would have kept things charged, plug it in when you get home and unplug next time you go fishing.... If anything is bypassing the master switch it could be draining it.

[tray]

When I charge the battery, the charger gets very hot. I'm afriad to

leave it on any longer then I have to.

[RebelSS]

Sounds like a junk battery...maybe a dead cell. Charger will get quite warm, but should NOT get HOT. Bad charger? I'd guess the battery.. take it back. Date code is etched or punched out on battery. Possible you have a parasitic drain somewhere. If battery is not going to be used for awhile, month or more, always disconnect everything. I had two Wally World Neverstarts like that. I won't use anything but Interstates now. I see a lot of bad batteries out there. Not uncommon.

[Esox_Magnum]

Did the charger get hot last time you charged the battery?? Bad charger will kill a good battery to....

[Superduty]

Depending on your electronics, the gps puck could cause the drain if there is not a switch between the puck and the battery.

[Fever]

Sounds to me like a slow drain is the most likely sinerio. Yeah the battery could be the problem, and probably what you should go with and see if you cant get it replaced from where you purchased it.

More likely though with you buying it, using it (That Day) which I wouldn't recomend, then having it sit from May till The end of July in your boat is the cause. The extreme heat can also speed up the drainage of a battery and we had plenty of that; Unless your garage has AC. Anyway, I would have fully charged it first before using it, then after using it charge it again, then if you plan on letting it sit for months at a time, be sure it is grounded and not hooked up to anything that could slowly drain it. Good luck.

[T-water]

I had a dead battery (wouldn't take a charge) from FF, they took it back without an issue. One reason to buy a store brand, you don't have to keep the receipt!

[grasshopper]

Take it back.U only had it for couple months and it has the date u got it.

[BassNut33]

I think the problem is the crappy Fleet Farm Battery. I love the store, but their batteries are terrible.

[jwmiller33]

What kind of charger are you using [brand and amp output]? I would first figure out if the charger is bad or not. Sounds like it could be a possibility. If you come to the conclusion the charger is not the issue, then you have some type of slow drain on the battery. If it is indeed a bad battery, bring it back to FF. When you bought the battery, the cashier should have etched the date and a number code on the battery while you were checking out. They use that etching to reference when you bought the battery, and if it is within their warrany period, they should replace it for you at no cost.

Just like every product out there, you will sometimes get a lemon. I have a FF battery that is over 4 yrs old and still works like the day I bought it. Proper charging plays a huge role in maintaining the life of a battery. Do NOT let it sit for longer than a day after using the battery before you recharge it. Never store batteries with anything but a full charge.

[PierBridge]

Just so were are clear here some chargers including Minkota's will not charge a battery that is completely drained"voltage to low" as the charger thinks its a bad connection. I would try another charger I use a vex-charger when mine is completely drained to get it going and then throw on my Minkota to finish the charging cycle.

[tray]

Sorry I haven,t got back in awhile, but it was a bad battery. FF took it back with no questions asked. I will disconectfrom now on if it<s going to sit for awhile. Going to Big Winni on Fri night for a week. Thanks for all the input. Good fishing to all