battery charging?

[mrpike1973]

hi i have a standard car battery charger. i charge my trolling battery on trickle charge for about 4-6 hours is that enough time? i dont really understand amps per hour etc. i just know i have to charge it and should i do it every time i'm out or just every other time thanks.

[Whoaru99]

Without knowing the load/how much you've taken from the battery it's pretty tough to make any conclusion.

However, if your trickle charge is of the typical 1 to 2A variety, they're probably not being fully recharged.

After removing the charger and any load, allow the batteries to rest for some hours then measure the voltage. There is plenty of info on the internet about the approximate correlation of battery resting voltage vs. charge level.

The best way is by hydrometer reading, but pretty tough to do in the case of sealed (typ. AGM) or gel batteries.

[Pat K]

To keep the math simple: If you are using your trolling motor on a low setting and are using 10 amps of power for 1 hour you would have used 10 amp hours of the reserve capacity of your battery. With a 2 amp charger it would take 5 hours of charging to charge the battery completely.

If you used your trolling motor for 4 hours at a rate of 10 amps you would use 40 amp hours of your reserve capacity. With a 2 amp charger it would take 20 hours to recharge the battery.

[mrpike1973]

would it be better if i charge on the 15 amp setting faster charge?

[harvey lee]

The best thing you can do for your battery is charge it as soon as you are done using it that day.

A smart charger if possible would be a better option for you as it would go into maitainance mode when it is fully charged or very close to it, no need for any testing after you charge it and you will know for sure the battery will be ready to go on your next outing.

Only big issue I see is if you charge at a higher rate not knowing when the battery is fully charged, I believe you could damage the battery if you overcharge it or charge it too long after it is at 100% for a charge.

[amateurfishing]

i have an all purpose charger from wallys ($40-50) that lets you choose different settings when charging. it shows you % of battery used whenever hooking up and will show 100% charged (will not automatically turn off however). it can be used for automotive, smaller lawn care batteries, deep cycle or AGM as well as slow trickle charge to full blown fast charge (choice of 2, 10, 25 A). yes i do have to charge each battery individually but it works great for myself and not just stuck to the boat.

[drewbop]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but what does everyone else use for a "smart charger". I also bought one from wallyworld a handful of years ago that has a 6amp or 2 amp charging cycle to choose. My problem is I always forget it's charging and a day later it starts to smell up my basement and I remember to disconnect it.

I know I'm probably damaging the batteries by doing this, hence why I'm thinking a move to a "smart charger" might be in my best interest...

[MN Shutterbug]

This reminds me of the time, many years ago, when I bought a trolling motor for my fiberglass canoe. I charged the battery the first time for about 8 hours with a trickle charger, thinking that would be plenty. A friend and I took the canoe to the Redwood River in North Redwood and headed downstream with the idea of using the trolling motor against the current to get back. It didn't take long to figure out the 8 hours wasn't near enough to charge a new battery, especially when planning on fighting a current. The current was much too strong for paddling so we ended up floating to the motel near Morton and calling for a ride back to my car. My point is, if the battery is pretty well drained, 4 - 6 hours won't be near enough.

[delcecchi]

Just for reference, the reserve capacity is the number of minutes the battery will supply 25 amps. So the amp hours is RC/60 times 25, more or less. So if you have a 175 RC battery, that is about 75 amp hours.

[Whoaru99]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but what does everyone else use for a "smart charger". I also bought one from wallyworld a handful of years ago that has a 6amp or 2 amp charging cycle to choose. My problem is I always forget it's charging and a day later it starts to smell up my basement and I remember to disconnect it.

I know I'm probably damaging the batteries by doing this, hence why I'm thinking a move to a "smart charger" might be in my best interest...

I use a 3-bank, 10A per bank, on board charger. It's an older model from MinnKota, hasn't been made for many years. Very high tech at the time with individual, per-bank settings for conventional, AGM, or gel battery, and included a selectable de-sulfation mode for each bank, along with the per bank multi-step charge indicators in 25% increments.

[Kyhl]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but what does everyone else use for a "smart charger". I also bought one from wallyworld a handful of years ago that has a 6amp or 2 amp charging cycle to choose. My problem is I always forget it's charging and a day later it starts to smell up my basement and I remember to disconnect it.

I know I'm probably damaging the batteries by doing this, hence why I'm thinking a move to a "smart charger" might be in my best interest...

I would not charge a battery in my house or basement. Lead acid batteries give off hydrogen when charging. Think Zeppelin.

Definitely do not charge them near an open flame like a water heater.

I have an onboard charger and I open the hatch to the batteries when charging.

[mrpike1973]

can i buy a battery gauge that would tell me my volts? are they spendy

[harvey lee]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but what does everyone else use for a "smart charger". I also bought one from wallyworld a handful of years ago that has a 6amp or 2 amp charging cycle to choose. My problem is I always forget it's charging and a day later it starts to smell up my basement and I remember to disconnect it.

I know I'm probably damaging the batteries by doing this, hence why I'm thinking a move to a "smart charger" might be in my best interest...

I had a Guest 2 bank 6 amp charger, so 3amps per battery and it worked great for the past 4 years but, it took some time to charge them up.

This spring I went with a Guest 2 bank 12amp so I am charging both batteries at 6amps each, twice the rate I was charging with the other charger. It is the smart charger and I plug it in when I get back from fishing and then unplug when I go again and my batteries are always ready to go.

With this smart charger, one can set it if you are charging AGM or whatever style battery you have or set 1 style battery for one option and the other battery for another option depending on the style of the battery.

I have had awesome luck with the performance of this brand charger.

I also leave the lid to my batteries compartment open while charging in the garage or by a dock. Also helps to remove heat from that compartment.

[gunner55]

Just get yourself a cheap ohmmeter.We just got a new ad from Harbor Freight there's 2 of them in there for less than $10.

[Whoaru99]

can i buy a battery gauge that would tell me my volts? are they spendy

Yeah, can be for a high quality brand like Fluke.

However, a few years back, in a pinch, I used an inexpensive meter I bought from Wally Mart. It worked fine for basic measurements although didn't seem particularly rugged. I think I paid about $15. Something like that will work fine for basic measurements like voltage, ohms, and maybe low current.

[Pat K]

I would not charge a battery in my house or basement. Lead acid batteries give off hydrogen when charging. Think Zeppelin.

Definitely do not charge them near an open flame like a water heater.

I have an onboard charger and I open the hatch to the batteries when charging.

+1

drewbop that smell is hydrogen sulphide gas. Extremely flammable and very corrosive.