# Battery charging questions



## Gatorgrizz27 (Apr 4, 2015)

It’s a 4-5 year old battery, you’re overthinking it. Be happy if you get one more season out of it, then buy a new one (AGM if you’re willing to drop the extra $), and a newer multi stage charger.

I wouldn’t pull it out of the boat every time. I can see doing that once in awhile and popping the caps off to check the electrolyte level, but for normal charging just leave it in place with the caps on, especially when only charging at 10 amps. Clip the positive and negative charger leads to the battery first, then plug the charger in, and you’ll have no sparks.

No idea what voltages the lights indicate, but discharging to on,y 50% which is 12.2V will increase the life of the battery. Discharging to 20% which is 12.0V isn’t considered abusive, but the battery won’t last nearly as long.

I’ve never heard anything about waiting until the battery is run down to recharge it, quite the opposite. It’s best to recharge it as soon as possible. A car battery is charging every time it’s turned on. It’s not a deep cycle obviously, but it’s not harmful.

I’d recharge the battery every trip where you run your trolling motor more than 15 minutes or so. If you hit use it to hit 3-4 docks and that’s it, I wouldn’t worry about recharging, but if you’re running creeks I’d charge it after every trip. If for no other reason than you might want to use it a bunch the next time you go out, and if it’s half dead already you won’t be able to.


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

No need to haul that battery in and out of the boat. Just put it on a good charger every time you run the TM and at least once every few weeks when not running. When it dies, then take it out, go to Walmart and "get another one".


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## D-man (May 22, 2017)

Thanks for both replies! Checked the voltage and it's at 12.3. Is it safe to leave that 10 AMP charger on overnight or should I get a new one with auto shut off?


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I have an on- board charger to charge my 2 batteries for my 24v system. I usually charge overnight and their fully charged. Before I got this system I put a charger in the boat and ran it overnight or longer but that was a 3 amp charger. My 24v charger is 15 amps
I don't ever take off the caps don't know if the have them


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

Go get a smart charger that will reduce the amps as the battery gets recharged and then either goes into a float mode or shuts off. They are pretty inexpensive and the plug and play ability is a convenience totally worth it. Boiling a battery dry will shorten their life quickly by causing sulfating in the cells. When you spring for a new battery, consider getting an onboard charger if you have the room and not too wound up about a few extra pounds on the boat.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

failing to recharge deep cells immediately is the death of them, esp if they are older.


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## D-man (May 22, 2017)

The smart charger advice sounds good. So, I just need to hook it up after a trip and leave it on until the next trip (1-2 weeks for me). 

Does the charger below seem suitable for this application? If not, I am open to any others that have worked well.

"LST 12V 5Amp Battery Charger Maintainer Smart Auto Trickle Float"

https://www.amazon.com/Maintainer-C...pID=5153FUmYXeL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Thanks!


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

I have Dual Pro Sportsman series in both of my boats. Top notch made in USA. If you want to spend less and are ok with China made I hear good things about the NOCO Genius chargers.


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## wellmanj (Feb 4, 2013)

I have a Genius 3 bank charger on my Aquasport and I recently bought a Genius 2 bank charger for my Carolina Skiff. I couldn't be happier with them. You can get them off of amazon pretty cheap: https://amzn.to/2Gm32fq. They are waterproof also.


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## D-man (May 22, 2017)

Thanks to all!


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## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

When I had a single cheap everstart trolling battery I used a cheap smart charger. It got hooked up after washing the boat and stayed connected until it was time to go out again. That cheap battery lasted a very long time. I would leave a hatch open to help reduce the risk of gas buildup. I've personally seen a battery explode from the sparks setting off the gases.


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## D-man (May 22, 2017)

Yikes. Curious how the spark occurred... 

In theory, if the charging clips are put on snug before plugging in the charger, there shouldn't be a spark. Also, unplugging the charger first before removing the clips should hold true likewise.


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