vexilar battery ?

[Ryan Berger]

Is it best to drain the battery the whole way before recharging? If so what is the best way to do so,, besides fishing till its drained, will running it out of the water harm it at all, I am thinking no, but never hurts to ask.

thanks

[huntnfish]

You shouldn't drain a lead acid battery all the way. That will shorten the life of the battery. You should charge it after every use for the best results. Even in the summer or when it is not in use, it should always be kept at a full charge. I usually charge mine a few times in the summer, just to be on the safe side.

[Whoaru99]

I second the other post. I think I remember reading somewhere that running a lead acid battery below 50% charge is very hard on it.

[Ryan Berger]

Thanks for the responces!!

[Giant_Jackpot]

Looks like you already got the right info, but just in case you need more:

Here is the scoop on the Vexilar type batteries. Since I used to work for a company that made smart chargers for these types of batteries, I can say the info I am giving you is good stuff.

First of all, the batteries are sealed lead acid and just like the battery in your car, they like to be charged. Charge the battery after each use and you can get them to last 4 or more years. The worst thing you can do to a lead acid battery, is run it down and not charge it as soon as possible. Also charge the battery every month or so during the off season.

With that said the cheap chargers that come with these batteries will cook the battery and shorten its life if you leave charger on the battery for extended periods. The advice someone was giving Ebass about leaving the charger on the battery for 3 days is poor advice (unless the charger is a smart charger). If you really want to take care of the battery, connect a voltmeter to the battery during charging. When the battery reaches about 14.8 volts disconnect the charger. Otherwise don’t leave the charger connected for more than 24 hours.

The smart chargers are a good idea if they are doing the right thing. They should charge the battery to about 14.8 volts and then drop into a maintenance or float mode at about 13.2 volts.

As far as the LED battery indicators go, don’t believe everything you see. The components used in an inexpensive device like this can have tolerance swings of up to 20%. On a properly charged battery, one indicator may read fully charged while another might say ¾. Just something to keep in mind.

Let me know if you have any other questions.........

[Ryan Berger]

where can I get one of these "Smart Chargers"

ty

[TRITC]

Gander definitely has them and they are nice to have. Just connect your charger and forget about it. Plus they are easy to switch to other batteries real quick.