AGM battery questions

[buffresources]

Just bought new exide AGM battery at Academy and have a few questions:

Do I need a special charger?

Right out of the box it shows a weak "fully charged" should I put it on the charger until fully charged light is a steady glow?

I assume from reading you need to charge these right away after a fishing trip?

Boy, with back problems I think I will really appreciate the lighter weight of the AGM and no more falling over in the boat when hauling having to deal with battery acid.

Thanks in advance

George

[fished-out]

See the answers I'd give below.

Just bought new exide AGM battery at Academy and have a few questions:

Do I need a special charger? Most automatic chargers will say that they can handle an AGM battery. If not, I'd talk with folks who know the charger. If it's a manual charger, make sure you keep a close eye on it, as you can damage an AGM battery.

Right out of the box it shows a weak "fully charged" should I put it on the charger until fully charged light is a steady glow? Always a good idea to keep it fully charged. I keep mine on an automatic charger that feeds them a trickle charge when needed, and they've lasted over 6 seasons.

I assume from reading you need to charge these right away after a fishing trip? I would, so that they don't develop a memory, and keep it hooked up (if it's an automatic charger that handles AGM's right up until your next trip.

Boy, with back problems I think I will really appreciate the lighter weight of the AGM and no more falling over in the boat when hauling having to deal with battery acid.

Thanks in advance

George

[buffresources]

thanks for the info

what automatic charger do you use on your AGM?

[Cray]

AGM and Glass Mat batteries take a slightly higher charge rate than standard lead acid batteries. To save your back I would buy a onboard automatic charger. Most have a set up where you remove a plug or slug or add one to set the proper charge rate for the type of battery you are charging. Your standard charger may charge at a high enough rate to recharge. Charge that new battery to full capacity before using. BBG Marine has a really good sale going on Minkota chargers right now. Think a single battery setup is like 69.00 and change. Need to call to get right pricing and Brian is a fine fellow to do business with.

[CatFan]

Just remember that when it comes to batteries, less weight translates into less capacity. An AGM of equal capacity to a flooded cell will always be heavier than the flooded cell. The Exide Vortex batteries only have about half the capacity of a typical group 27 TM battery.

[fished-out]

I have an onboard 4 bank charger made by Duel Pro.

thanks for the info

what automatic charger do you use on your AGM?