Battery Charging...

[Rob G.]

Ok, I'm at it again with battery issues.....I know I've asked this question before, but I need some more of you to weigh in on this.

I bought a Optima deep cycle battery last year, and I use it on my Livingston with a 50Lb thrust MinnKota. It never really held a the charge all that well. I just ended up keeping it cuz I spent like $150 on it and I was being stubborn. Well, I charged it up a month ago and it didn't last me more than 4 hrs trolling! I started talking to people about it and I got two answers. One person said to drain the thing completely and then charge it up, the other said he charges his after every outing no matter how long he's been on the water.

Well I outsmarted both of them because I bought it from Sam's Club and they just replaced it! However, I don't want to have the same problemos this time. What's the proper way to take care of this lovely battery? I know my good friends on here wont let me down!

[BassinBomber]

I have an Onboard Bank Charger for my BassBoat and no matter how long I'm out as soon as my boat is all secure I plug the Charger up,..I used one of the batteries for my Pontoon yesterday and as soon as I got home just hooked it up and plugged it in,..works great,..I've never really had any issues with battery life but if I were you I'd just go on an outting and as soon as you return charge it up,..I really don't think there's a need 2 run your battery all the way out before charging it! JMHO!

BB

[Rich McVey]

Im agreeing with BB. I charge mine as soon as I get home. I use the 2Amp slow charge setting. Its usually a couple days in between my trips to the lake so the Batt is full by that time.

One thing I have heard is slow charging is better than fast charging, for the overall life of the battery. But a batt should not have any issues the first year.

Did you check the fluid level in it? Specific Gravity? Makes a huge difference if either is off.

[Bisk1tSnGraV]

I think the only reason to charge all the way down is because of memory issues like with NiCad Batteries. I went to the Optima website and this was on their FAQ page ...

"Does the OPTIMA Deep Cycle battery have a "memory"?

No. The performance of both deep cycle and starter batteries will be reduced over time, but OPTIMA Deep Cycle batteries do not suffer from "memory effect" such as NiCad batteries do."

http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/faq.html#6

[G-Man]

Lead acid batteries, including the Optima, have a longer life when kept at full charge. Now your Optima once fully charged should hold a charge for a long, long time when not in use so there is no reason to keep it hooked up to a maintenance charger unless you intend to store it for more than 1/2 a year. Slow charging is best and do it right after use, this will keep your battery working it's best for a long time. My Optima is now more than 9 years old and it is still working well. If any of you need a more technical explanation as to why lead acid batteries need this type of care, follow the link below.

http://www.batterytechsolutions.com/art ... aintenance

I have 20+ years in aircraft electronics and I can vouch for the data provided in that article. A very helpful tool for battery maintenance and health is a voltmeter. I know what you guys are thinking, not another piece of stuff to buy! Fret not, if you have a newer depth sounder/fish finder chances are that you have one built into the unit. Keep an eye on it and don't let the charge run too low or you are going to shorten the life your battery.

[BentRod]

Another good place for battery info is The 12 Volt Side of Life. This is a must read for people with RVs who like to camp without hook-ups, but there is good info on general battery maintenance for boaters too.

[Anglinarcher]

Top of the line batteries only loose 1 to 3 % of their charge per month at normal room temperatures, so maintenance charging only benefits you in non-standard conditions, like winter storage or hot summer garage storage where the charge drops faster then the 3%. I also have a charging system on my boat, a 3 bank system I use that I bought from Cabelas and installed myself. My batteries seem to have lasted forever. I really believe in the specialty chargers designed for boat batteries. My old single bank was obtained at West Marine, and even though it is only a few years old, technology has improved so very much, and yet it too was the life blood of my batteries.

For example, I have a 24 volt trolling motor. About 3 weeks ago, I forgot to add oil to my 2 cycle engine so when the warning sound hit, I shut it down. I don't remember having used my emergency quart of oil, but it is no where to be found, so............... I came back about 3 miles at full speed on my electric. I took it home, plugged it in, and it showed full charge in only 20 minutes. What batteries do I use, I have a pair of Optimas. They take a great charge, and they last forever. I use my electric for most of my short movement and wind control, and I have never run out of charge in two days of fishing.]

I suspect one of two things is going on with your battery. One, you had a bad battery. It happens, even to the best of companies. Or, Two, you have a short in your boat systems.

Take an Ohm Meter and disconnect your batter completely. Now connect to both battery terminal ends and see if you have resistance. The resistance should read infinity or open circuit. If it does not, you have a short. If you do have a short, you are loosing charge all of the time, and may be damaging your battery. If a short exist, locate it and fix it and your problems will be solved.

Let us know what happens - I would hate for you to have another battery go bad.

[saltyseadog]

dont buy a cheap battery from wall mart :bom:

[Rob G.]

and that my friends is why I love this site...I'm goin out for the opener this weekend and will be doing some trolling with me and 2 homies...we all go 225+ so it will be interesting! I've got my battery charged and my boat is ready....gonna be eatin' trout for days soon! Thanks brothas...I'll keep you updated on this current battery.

[Rob G.]

Battery is working great...for now...thanks for all the tips!

[Trent Hale]

Rob charge after every outting. NEVER PLACE THE BATTERY ON CONCRETE this will kill battery cells.

[Bruce M]

Hi, I wrote an aarticle forr washingtonlakes.com all about trolling motors and battery care. It should explain everything yopu need to know about bateries. Oh, by the way, if your battery never seems to take a full charge in the first place take it back and have a pro check each cell of the batery to see if one os shorted out. this will shorten the life of the battery and the time it will work on any given day..Bruce Middleton

[BASSMAN91]

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[Bodofish]

Batteries and concrete is and old out dated wives tale / misconception. Modern plastic cases are not permeable. You could have problems if your battery is over twenty years old and made with an asphalt case but I seriously doubt that's the case. If anyone can explain the chemical reaction that occurs through a plastic case i'll bow out on this one.

[Anonymous]

Hey Bodo,
You are 100% correct.
Check this out:

Ask the Experts: Batteries on Concrete
By Dan Fink
Oct/Nov 2008 (#127) pp. 18
Introductory Level

Batteries on Concrete:

Question: Several folks have told me not to let batteries sit on concrete. Why is that? Is it because the cold concrete would cool the battery too much?


Answer: Your question is a frequent one. Many people have the impression that when batteries sit on concrete, energy "leaks out" or they are ruined. The short answer is that letting modern batteries sit on concrete does not harm or discharge them in any way.

However, this legend is historically based in fact. The first lead-acid batteries consisted of glass cells that were enclosed in tar-lined wooden boxes. A damp concrete floor could cause the wood to swell, breaking the glass inside.

The Edison cell (i.e. the nickel-iron battery) that preceded the rubber-cased battery was encased in steel. Those that weren't isolated in crates would discharge into concrete quite easily. Later battery cases used primitive hardened rubber, which was somewhat porous and could contain lots of carbon. A moist concrete floor combined with the carbon in the battery cases could create electrical current between the cells, discharging them.

None of this is a problem with modern batteries — safe in their hard plastic shells. In fact, concrete is generally an excellent surface on which to place a battery bank. The electrolyte in a battery sitting on an extremely cold floor with very hot air around it could stratify, causing damage from sulfation; whereas concrete provides good thermal mass to buffer any temporarily extreme temperatures in the battery compartment.

Energy can in fact "leak" out of battery banks — though in different ways. The first is from current between the battery terminals, caused by dirt, dust, and grime becoming carbonized (and therefore electrically conductive) from acid released from the cell. This is easily preventable. Use a clean rag to carefully clean the tops of the battery cases every time you perform your regular battery bank maintenance routine.

The second way happens to all batteries—it’s called "selfdischarge." Due to reactions within the plates, all lead-acid batteries will lose part of their charge over time. The warmer the battery compartment and the older the battery, the higher the self-discharge rate. An L-16 battery will lose 4% of its charge per week at 80 degF.

This brings us back to your original question, where you mentioned battery bank temperature. There are multiple electrochemical reactions going on inside any battery, all the time. Some are good (storing and releasing energy), and some are bad (self-discharge, sulfation). All of these reactions happen faster when the battery is hot, and slower when it's cold.

Cold temperatures don't damage lead-acid batteries unless the battery is heavily discharged and exposed to freezing temperatures. In that case, the electrolyte (which is mostly water when the battery is at a low state of charge) can freeze and crack the case. On the other hand, a fully charged battery can withstand -30 degF or lower without a problem.

However, since cold temperatures slow the desirable chemical reactions too, the amount of energy a battery can release at any given time is drastically reduced when the battery is very cold. That's why it's more difficult to start your car on a frigid morning. And it also takes more energy to charge a cold battery than a warm one — cold batteries are less efficient at both charging and discharging. At the end of the day, a good rule is that batteries like the same temperatures that humans do, between 60 degF and 80 degF.

Dan Fink, ForceField - Fort Collins, Colorado

[Rob G.]

wow good stuff!

[tommytitan08]

Thanks Big D for the information, i know some of us could use a refresher on battery 101.