Jump to content

  • GUESTS

    If you want access to members only forums on HSO, you will gain access only when you Sign-in or Sign-Up .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member. ?

battery charging?

mrpike1973

By mrpike1973
in Open Water

 Share

Recommended Posts

mrpike1973 Veteran

mrpike1973

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Whoaru99 Grand Master

Whoaru99

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Pat K Experienced

Pat K

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
harvey lee Grand Master

harvey lee

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
amateurfishing Grand Master

amateurfishing

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
drewbop Enthusiast

drewbop

Posted
Posted

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...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MN Shutterbug Grand Master

MN Shutterbug

Posted
Posted

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. frown 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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
delcecchi Grand Master

delcecchi

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Whoaru99 Grand Master

Whoaru99

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kyhl Mentor

Kyhl

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
harvey lee Grand Master

harvey lee

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Whoaru99 Grand Master

Whoaru99

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Pat K Experienced

Pat K

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now ↓↓↓ or ask your question and then register. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      By The way that didn't work either!! Screw it I'll just use the cellular. 
    • Wanderer
      Just Food and Drink

      By Wanderer · Posted

      It’s done automatically.  You might need an actual person to clear that log in stuff up.   Trash your laptop history if you haven’t tried that already.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      😂 yea pretty amazing how b o o b i e s gets flagged, but they can't respond or tell me why I  can't get logged in here on my laptop but I can on my cellular  😪
    • Mike89
      Just Food and Drink

      By Mike89 · Posted

      I grilled some brats yesterday, maybe next weekend will the next round...  
    • Wanderer
      Just Food and Drink

      By Wanderer · Posted

      You got word censored cuz you said        B o o b ies….. haha.   Yeah, no… grilling is on hiatus for a bit.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      Chicken mine,  melded in Mccormick poultry seasoning for 24 hours.  Grill will get a break till the frigid temps go away!
    • Mike89
      Problems with Yetti

      By Mike89 · Posted

      good luck!!!   
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      we had some nice weather yesterday and this conundrum was driving me crazy  so I drove up to the house to take another look. I got a bunch of goodies via ups yesterday (cables,  winch ratchet parts, handles, leaf springs etc).   I wanted to make sure the new leaf springs I got fit. I got everything laid out and ready to go. Will be busy this weekend with kids stuff and too cold to fish anyway, but I will try to get back up there again next weekend and get it done. I don't think it will be bad once I get it lifted up.    For anyone in the google verse, the leaf springs are 4 leafs and measure 25 1/4" eye  to eye per Yetti. I didnt want to pay their markup so just got something else comparable rated for the same weight.   I am a first time wheel house owner, this is all new to me. My house didn't come with any handles for the rear cables? I was told this week by someone in the industry that cordless drills do not have enough brake to lower it slow enough and it can damage the cables and the ratchets in the winches.  I put on a handle last night and it is 100% better than using a drill, unfortatenly I found out the hard way lol and will only use the ICNutz to raise the house now.
    • Wanderer
      Problems with Yetti

      By Wanderer · Posted

      I haven’t done any leaf springs for a long time and I can’t completely see the connections in your pics BUT I I’d be rounding up: PB Blaster, torch, 3 lb hammer, chisel, cut off tool, breaker bar, Jack stands or blocks.   This kind of stuff usually isn’t the easiest.   I would think you would be able to get at what you need by keeping the house up with Jack stands and getting the pressure off that suspension, then attack the hardware.  But again, I don’t feel like I can see everything going on there.
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      reviving an old thread due to running into the same issue with the same year of house. not expecting anything from yetti and I already have replacement parts ordered and on the way.   I am looking for some input or feedback on how to replace the leaf springs themselves.    If I jack the house up and remove the tire, is it possible to pivot the axel assembly low enough to get to the other end of the leaf spring and remove that one bolt?   Or do I have to remove the entire pivot arm to get to it? Then I also have to factor in brake wire as well then. What a mess   My house is currently an hour away from my home at a relatives, going to go back up and look it over again and try to figure out a game plan.           Above pic is with house lowered on ice, the other end of that leaf is what I need to get to.   above pic is side that middle bolt broke and bottom 2 leafs fell out here is other side that didnt break but you can see bottom half of leaf already did but atleast bolt is still in there here is hub assembly in my garage with house lowered and tires off when I put new tires on it a couple months ago. hopefully I can raise house high enough that it can drop down far enough and not snap brake cable there so I can get to that other end of the leaf spring.

  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

  I accept