What is the proper way to charge a deep cycle battery?

[aquaman]

From all us Inuits.. Thanks R.G I had it backwards. Stupid Batteries...... uh... i had it backwards!

[rgfixit]

Greek IS a beautiful language. 

RG

[pooley]

Does it have a water cannon? I always wanted to play with a water cannon

RG

it has about 2000 gallons per minute flow a the 2 nozzles on the bucket. one with a smooth bore, and one with a TFT, (fog pattern to straight stream).   you can make trenches in the pavement!

[rgfixit]

 2 cannons............Yeah baby!

That's some high tech toy.

RG

[trapper2000]

i just got 2 new  batterys  for my boat i was told on "marine batterys never  set charger higher then 20% of amps it could over heat battery ? is that cold amps or cranking? little confused there 750 amp batterys  thats a big charger

[KingPerch]

I think that would be cold cranking amps Trap. ??

[Jack Magnum]

I think its a trickle charge. But, since I just killed a battery, I thought I should ask.     

I charge my 12 volt trolling batteries at 10amps on an auto charger Penske.  I charge them every 4 weeks in the off season. My boat came with interstate 24 series and my boat and batteries are 6 years old. I have neighbors that tell me they only get 3 years . I use my boat alot more than they do so I beleive I've gotten great service from mine.I  think coast guard says change out every 3 years too. Anyway,I haven't heard guys talking about what kind of service life they're getting.

[slipperybob]

i just got 2 new  batterys  for my boat i was told on "marine batterys never  set charger higher then 20% of amps it could over heat battery ? is that cold amps or cranking? little confused there 750 amp batterys  thats a big charger

Batteries usually have an AH rating on them.  It's tested at a 20-hour discharge rate.  My Exide batteries says 100 AH.  My Optima battery says 66 AH.  I believe this is the number that's refered to the 20% of.

Cold Cranking Amps is the number of amps a battery can deliver for 30 seconds at 00 F or 32 F.  This number can change and the lower number is the result of 00 F.

Reserve Capacity is the amount of minutes a battery can be discharged to 10.5 volts by 25-amp discharge.  Most Marine batteries should get you 100 minutes easy.

[pooley]

bump! good thread.

[rgfixit]

This nice weather has charged MY batteries..the boat is fine too

RG

[stripernut]

I worked as the Custemer Servis Manger for ProMariner for years and have worked with many or the Battery Companys setting up charging analogs... Here is some info I hope you find helpful;

In the pass decade, battery charging technology has advanced. The older technology used for charging batteries was a Ferro-Resonant (FR) charger, often called a trickle charger. This type of charger is still very common in the automotive industry. These chargers work by charging at a constant output of 13.8 volts and as the batteries are charged the amperage drops. At 13.8 volts the batteries will charge the first 75% fairly quickly, but the last 25% takes a long time, as the amps trickle in. The closer it gets to being fully charged the slower it chargers. Holding a lead acid battery at 13.8 volt for long periods gases out the batteries, so electrolytes (distilled water) needs constant replacement. If the electrolytes are not replaced the cells will run dry and the lead plates will warp and cause a short, destroying the battery. All the major battery manufacturers recommend against using FR battery chargers. #

The style of charger that all the major battery manufactures recommend is a stepped or multi staged charger. The new stepped chargers charge at a higher voltage and as the batteries become charged, the voltage drops to a lower level.  Most all lead acid/ AGM battery manufactures call for their batteries to be charged at about 14.6 volts. At this voltage range batteries will charge quickly, fully and help to de-sulfate the batteries.  As batteries discharges sulfates builds up on the plates and make a barrier that current can not flow through. With a higher voltage the sulfate is “knocked” off the plates. A gentle bubbling you see when a lead acid battery is charging is helping to knock the sulfates off the plates. Some chargers even have an equalization phase that runs in the 15-17 volt range to help bring back badly sulfated batteries. The danger of having an equalization phase is that you must not have anything else hooked up to the batteries during this phase or the high voltage may damage your equipment. It is always important to quickly recharge discharged batteries, the longer a battery sits discharged the harder sulfate becomes, shorting the batteries life.

Tight Lines
Allan Butler

[stripernut]

Battery Types- Lead Acid, AGM and Gel.

Lead acid battery technology has been around for generations. They are made, in the simplest of terms, of sheets of lead hanging in a liquid electrolyte (acid). A well made and well maintained lead acid battery is still the cheapest and longest lasting battery. They do have some disadvantages; lead acid batteries can leak, they need to be checked, filled, mounted upright and self discharge when sitting unused.  Just to mention a few of the things that need to be taken care of. There are sealed lead acid batteries, but they are a poor choice, since the electrolyte can not be replaced, if any is vented out, as all “sealed” batteries are vented.

The first common alternative to the standard lead acid battery was Gel battery. The electrolyte in the battery is turned into a Gel and sealed, but still vented. This eliminates many of the problems of standard lead acid batteries. With Gel batteries there is nothing to fill and they can be mounted in any direction. One of the biggest differences of a Gel battery is that it must be charged differently from other batteries and should not be charged over 14.1 vols. If it is charged at much more than that, cracks can develop in the Gel and the battery will no longer work.

The newest common battery technology to come alone in the past decade is AGMs, which stands for “Absorbent Glass Mat”. This type of battery comes in two forms; with first manufacturing method, the lead plates are rolled up with a layer of fiberglass like material, so that it looks like a jelly roll to make each cell, giving the battery the “six Pack” look. The second type has the same configuration as standard a lead acid battery, but between each of the layers of lead is the fiberglass like material. In both styles the fiberglass like material is semi saturated with electrolyte, eliminating battery leakage. With each style of manufacturing the layers are compressed and kept under pressure.  AGMs are now the most commonly used batteries in electric cars, hybrid cars, military and aviation. Some advantages are;  unused they discharging very slowly, they are highly vibration resistant, and in some cases can be recharged and recharded faster than any other batteries. This technology may make Gel batteries obsolete, but only time will tell.

Please note there is a great deal of misinformation and confusion in regards to battery types. Almost all Gel Cell batteries will state that they are Gel on the battery housing and they need to be charged at Gel rates. Many AGM batteries that are sold are confused with Gel batteries; AGM batteries are not gel cells. If you have any concerns or questions about the type of battery you have, contact the battery manufacturer.

Hope you find this helpful
Tight Lines
Allan Butler