Charging the Trolling Motor Battery

[Bulls Bay]

Smart chargers eliminate the need to "Slow Charge" batteries........

This only came about because "Dumb" chargers cannot regulate voltage and current properly.

They do this automatically. It is fine to hit them with higher current at the front end of a charge. Smart chargers monitor this and automatically switch to lower current to top off and maintain the battery at the end of the charging cycle.......It also does this 3 different ways based on AGM, GEL, or WET type batteries.

The CTEK does this as does the Vector model I use.............They will keep them fresh........

High current actually helps the battery equalize the electrolytes......This is what you are referring to as "Waking" a battery. What has happened is that the plates have sulfated to the point they cannot work..........this High charging rate breaks it up a bit so that it will work again..........

The proper way to do this is Desulfation or Reconditioning a battery.......especially one that is deep cycled is also an important step. Both of the chargers mentioned above offer this option electrically as a high frequency pulse mode.

I noticed that Minn Kota also offers a chemical desulfation additive to go in the battery...........Dunno about this........I suppose it does the same thing by breaking down the crystaline sulfur on the plates and putting it back into acid solution.