Reply With QuoteGarage kept here. Check water levels going into storage mode and charge once a month. Then check water levels again before getting boat ready for warmer weather and one more good charge.
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Trophy King II
Charger question
During the winter, do you guys continue to use the trickle charger or wait until a few days before going? What about those of you that do not have a garage but the boat is covered?
"Insanity is inherited, you get it from your kids."
Mike Epperson
Crappie.com 1K Star General
Garage kept here. Check water levels going into storage mode and charge once a month. Then check water levels again before getting boat ready for warmer weather and one more good charge.
You can't finish what you don't start
Crappie Wall Hanger
"Garage kept here. Check water levels going into storage mode and charge once a month. Then check water levels again before getting boat ready for warmer weather and one more good charge."
X2.
As far as leaving outside, last year I somehow forgot to pull them out before covering the boat up for the winter. That's a good way to claim to your wife you need new batteries cause they'll be no good come spring if they freeze and only marginally good if they don't freeze.
Crappie.com Legend
+3 but mine boat/batteries stay in an unheated garage. Read somewhere that batteries could freeze solid because of the acid in the water, but never been able to confirm this. I also use a "trouble light" on a timer to generate a bit of heat in the battery compartment to ward off a bit of the cold.
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I meant to behave, but there were just way too many other options available at the time.
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Leave them on 24/7. Thats what they are for and they will prolong the life of the battery.
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Bill H. PTC USN Ret
Chesapeake, Va
Crappie.com 2K Star General
* Crappie.com Supporter
24/7/365, check the water occasionally. Not with a trickle charger though. You want a float charger.
A fully charged battery won't freeze until it gets about 95 below zero F. A discharged battery will freeze around +32F.
Slabmaster II
Discharge vs. Temperature
The temperature which a battery will freeze is related to the discharge percentage:
At 100% charge, a battery will freeze at -77F. At 75%, -35F. At 50%, -10F. At 25%, 5F. At 0% (totally discharged), 20F.
Freezing damages the plates and connectors, even if the case does not break.Undercharging will also cause electrolyte stratification, which can result in loss of capacity from sulfation. Large batteries use bubblers for avoidance.
Conventional lead-acid batteries discharge at a rate of 1% per day at 77 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bit more than three months, your battery is dead, even with no parasitic load (unhooked).
Sulfation will begin occurring as soon as the battery is not fully charged. Cold will slow the process down and heat will increase it. An increase of 20 degrees doubles the above discharge rate. Cold storage is always better, providing the battery does not freeze.
Heat kills batteries, especially sealed maintenance free batteries. Cold reduces the battery's starting capacity. Summer storage care is more critical than winter.
Concrete floor storage does not harm batteries, in fact if the floor is cooler it helps.
Use a "smart", microprocessor based three or four stage charger or a voltage regulated float charger to continuously charge your battery during storage. Do not use a cheap, unregulated trickle charger or a manual two-stage charger which was not designed for float charging or you will overcharge your battery.
If you plan to periodically charge during storage, recharge at 80% state of charge to avoid excessive sulfation.
The only place success comes before work is in the Dictionary.
Guppy
Thank you Talon
Trophy King II
Yes, thanks for the info. I have an 05 Pro Team 175 Bass Tracker and I cannot find anything on the charging system on my boat. I believe it is 2 banks of 4 amps but I'm not sure what that means. Any help?
"Insanity is inherited, you get it from your kids."
Mike Epperson
Crappie Wall Hanger II
2X4 is saying it can charge 2 batteries putting out 4 amps to each battery. In another words, very slow charging. To properly charge a battery overnight it should be a 10 amp per bank. If you have 3 batteries on the boat you should have a 3 bank charger. One bank for each trolling battery and one for the starting battery. Even if your motor has an alternator, you would have to make a lot of long runs to recharge it. Add now the electronics constantly discharging, 5 to 15 minute runs wont due it. Hope this helps clear the mud.
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