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I have a battery charger that charges at a rate of either 2amp / 8amp / or 12 amp. my trollin motor battery is 875 ca / 675 cca. is it better to do a slow charge like the 2amp or a faster charge like the 12 amp setting? I have honestly out of habit just done the 12 amp setting, it works fine, just not sure if its better for the battery to charge it at a lower/slower rate. any advice would be great, thanks all, God bless.
With you in very little battery knowledge.
but have been taught that slow charge is best for the battery
my .02 cents
:)
12 amps is fine....that is really a low rate. I would not want to charge deep cycle batteries with anything higher than 15 amps. I charge mine at 5 amps...its takes it almost twice as long as your 12 amps does.Quote:
Originally Posted by jeepguyjames
Depends on how far down it is and how soon you need to use it again. Slow charge is better.
I charge my AGM batteries on the AGM setting on 2 amp unless I need to go fishing in a hurry. I do the deep cycle on the deep cycle setting and 2 amp as well. Again if I am in a hurry I bump it up to high.
The 2 amp charge is finished generally by the next morning, but I generally just hook it up and forget it for a day or 2. My charger stops and trickles charges as needed to keep it at 100%. On high it is finished pretty quick.
Slow is better and should give you a longer battery life. That is what I hear anyway.
Darin
Faster is better up to the point where the batteries overheat. Anything under 20A is well within the safe range, so charge it as fast as your charger can go.
The longer it takes to recharge the batteries, the more sulfation occurs and the shorter your battery life will be.
If you just have a conventional automotive charger, you are far better off to get a multistage charger like an onboard charger or a portable Black and Decker Black & Decker Power Tools which is available at some Walmarts or Schumacher "Smart" charger like this one which is available at BPS Ship'n Shore 12 Volt 2/10/15A Charger.
Your batteries will charge faster and last longer.
thanks for the input guys, God bless yall.