This past summer I replaced the battery in my 18ft ski boat and went
to a dual battery system with a selector switch. I had probably
shortened the life of my old battey by letting it sit discharged for
too long over the winter.

This year I'm being more carefull. Here are my thoughts on keeping
batteries charged:

Please feel free to add comments or suggestions.

1) Very important: Do not let your batteries get very low or you will
greatly reduce battery life. I have heard that regular batteries will
be affected by letting then sit below 75% charge and deep cycle should
not be left below 50% charged. Keeping them close to fully charged is
best for prolonged life.

2) Be sure wet cell batteries are full using only distilled water. You
can tell the water level is correct when you look into the cell and
the reflection of the water has a "fish eye" look to it and is not a
flat surface. (If you are curious, it is caused by the surface tension
effect when the water level touches to fill level guide)


3) Check the existing charge level

You can do this using a hydrometer. (under $5) The higher the charge
the more dense the liquid and more balls will float. 4 balls floating
= full charge

Question: How reliable are they? I can’t seam to get more that 3
balls to float (75% charge)

You can also measure the charge state using a voltmeter. Let the
battery sit for approx 3 hrs after charging before you take a reading.
You will get an inaccurate, and high, reading if you measure the
voltage at the battery right after charging it.

Question; I've seen different numbers used for full charge: 14V
13.8V 12.9V What is the best voltage to use for fully charged and
where did the number come from?


5) The max rate to charge a battery is 20% of it’s amp-Hour rating.
Example a 100 amp –hour rated battery should be charged at 20 amps
max. Some chargers automatically adjust the current and length of
charge according to the battery's state of charge and then shut off
when the battery is fully charged. If the charger requires manual
adjustment for current or shut-off, check the charger's instructions
to determine the proper current and length of charge based on your
battery's rating.

6) An automatic charger that reduces current as the battery becomes
charged is best and will give the fastest charging without damaging
the battery.

7) Do not leave a battey connected for over 24 hours to a charger that
does not automaticly shutoff even if it is a "trickle" charger. Some
trickle chargers will raise the voltage as the current drops to levels
that can damage a battery if left for extended periods.




Sources:

Charging Batteries

http://www.ibsa.com/www/faqs/tech_ta...e/charging.htm

Battery Tender

http://batterytender.com/

Kip

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 01 Jan 2009 22:02:36 -0500, Gene Kearns
wrote:

I'm told that it makes no difference what kind of water to use...
though I always insist on distilled water for my batteries.
I suppose it depends on your water quality but I won't even put
Florida tap water in my radiator. Too many minerals in it


There was a recent discussion here regarding antifreeze and the "fact" that
it's freezing point is lower when mixed with water. That comment intrigued
me, so I spent some time trying to find out why.
Although I never did find an explanation, I did come across a statement by
one of the antifreeze manufacturers that mixing it with water activates the
anti-corrosive additives in the antifreeze and the reason for that was due
to minerals in the water.

Eisboch

On Jan 1, 9:03*pm, kipmc4 wrote:
This past summer I replaced the battery in my 18ft ski boat and went
to a dual battery system with a selector switch. I had probably
shortened the life of my old battey by letting it sit discharged for
too long over the winter.

This year I'm being more carefull. Here are my thoughts on keeping
batteries charged:

Please feel free to add comments or suggestions.

1) Very important: Do not let your batteries get very low or you will
greatly reduce battery life. I have heard that regular batteries will
be affected by letting then sit below 75% charge and deep cycle should
not be left below 50% charged. Keeping them close to fully charged is
best for prolonged life.

2) Be sure wet cell batteries are full using only distilled water. You
can tell the water level is correct when you look into the cell and
the reflection of the water has a "fish eye" look to it and is not a
flat surface. (If you are curious, it is caused by the surface tension
effect when the water level touches to fill level guide)

3) Check the existing charge level

You can do this using a hydrometer. (under $5) The higher the charge
the more dense the liquid and more balls will float. 4 balls floating
= full charge

* Question: How reliable are they? I can’t seam to get more that 3
balls to float (75% charge)

You can also measure the charge state using a voltmeter. Let the
battery sit for approx 3 hrs after charging before you take a reading.
You will get an inaccurate, and high, reading if you measure the
voltage at the battery right after charging it.

Question; I've seen different numbers used for full charge: 14V
13.8V *12.9V *What is the best voltage to use for fully charged and
where did the number come from?

5) The max rate to charge a battery is 20% of it’s amp-Hour rating.
Example a 100 amp –hour rated battery should be charged at 20 amps
max. *Some chargers automatically adjust the current and length of
charge according to the battery's state of charge and then shut off
when the battery is fully charged. If the charger requires manual
adjustment for current or shut-off, check the charger's instructions
to determine the proper current and length of charge based on your
battery's rating.

6) An automatic charger that reduces current as the battery becomes
charged is best and will give the fastest charging without damaging
the battery.

7) Do not leave a battey connected for over 24 hours to a charger that
does not automaticly shutoff even if it is a "trickle" charger. Some
trickle chargers will raise the voltage as the current drops to levels
that can damage a battery if left for extended periods.

Sources:

Charging Batteries

* * * *http://www.ibsa.com/www/faqs/tech_ta...e/charging.htm

Battery Tender

http://batterytender.com/

Kip

Do NOT store ANY battery on cement. It has a bad effect on them. A
piece of plywood works ok to store them on.

wrote:
On Fri, 2 Jan 2009 08:44:28 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Jan 1, 9:03 pm, kipmc4 wrote:
This past summer I replaced the battery in my 18ft ski boat and went
to a dual battery system with a selector switch. I had probably
shortened the life of my old battey by letting it sit discharged for
too long over the winter.

This year I'm being more carefull. Here are my thoughts on keeping
batteries charged:

Please feel free to add comments or suggestions.

1) Very important: Do not let your batteries get very low or you will
greatly reduce battery life. I have heard that regular batteries will
be affected by letting then sit below 75% charge and deep cycle should
not be left below 50% charged. Keeping them close to fully charged is
best for prolonged life.

2) Be sure wet cell batteries are full using only distilled water. You
can tell the water level is correct when you look into the cell and
the reflection of the water has a "fish eye" look to it and is not a
flat surface. (If you are curious, it is caused by the surface tension
effect when the water level touches to fill level guide)

3) Check the existing charge level

You can do this using a hydrometer. (under $5) The higher the charge
the more dense the liquid and more balls will float. 4 balls floating
= full charge

Question: How reliable are they? I can’t seam to get more that 3
balls to float (75% charge)

You can also measure the charge state using a voltmeter. Let the
battery sit for approx 3 hrs after charging before you take a reading.
You will get an inaccurate, and high, reading if you measure the
voltage at the battery right after charging it.

Question; I've seen different numbers used for full charge: 14V
13.8V 12.9V What is the best voltage to use for fully charged and
where did the number come from?

5) The max rate to charge a battery is 20% of it’s amp-Hour rating.
Example a 100 amp –hour rated battery should be charged at 20 amps
max. Some chargers automatically adjust the current and length of
charge according to the battery's state of charge and then shut off
when the battery is fully charged. If the charger requires manual
adjustment for current or shut-off, check the charger's instructions
to determine the proper current and length of charge based on your
battery's rating.

6) An automatic charger that reduces current as the battery becomes
charged is best and will give the fastest charging without damaging
the battery.

7) Do not leave a battey connected for over 24 hours to a charger that
does not automaticly shutoff even if it is a "trickle" charger. Some
trickle chargers will raise the voltage as the current drops to levels
that can damage a battery if left for extended periods.

Sources:

Charging Batteries

http://www.ibsa.com/www/faqs/tech_ta...e/charging.htm

Battery Tender

http://batterytender.com/

Kip
Do NOT store ANY battery on cement. It has a bad effect on them. A
piece of plywood works ok to store them on.

"Battery on Cement" issue is a Myth

And to the OP - running a deep cycle battery down to 50% is okay to do
providing you PROMPTLY recharge it fully. Allowing any partially
discharged bbatery to remain that way is very bad for them.


I keep my Parker batteries on the lower shelf of my garage workbench in
the winter. Every month, I hook them up to my auto shut-off charger on
its low amp setting and top them up. I got five years out of a pair of
batteries on the first Yo Ho that way, and they were still good when I
sold that boat.

wrote:
On Fri, 2 Jan 2009 08:44:28 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Jan 1, 9:03 pm, kipmc4 wrote:
This past summer I replaced the battery in my 18ft ski boat and went
to a dual battery system with a selector switch. I had probably
shortened the life of my old battey by letting it sit discharged for
too long over the winter.

This year I'm being more carefull. Here are my thoughts on keeping
batteries charged:

Please feel free to add comments or suggestions.

1) Very important: Do not let your batteries get very low or you will
greatly reduce battery life. I have heard that regular batteries will
be affected by letting then sit below 75% charge and deep cycle should
not be left below 50% charged. Keeping them close to fully charged is
best for prolonged life.

2) Be sure wet cell batteries are full using only distilled water. You
can tell the water level is correct when you look into the cell and
the reflection of the water has a "fish eye" look to it and is not a
flat surface. (If you are curious, it is caused by the surface tension
effect when the water level touches to fill level guide)

3) Check the existing charge level

You can do this using a hydrometer. (under $5) The higher the charge
the more dense the liquid and more balls will float. 4 balls floating
= full charge

Question: How reliable are they? I can’t seam to get more that 3
balls to float (75% charge)

You can also measure the charge state using a voltmeter. Let the
battery sit for approx 3 hrs after charging before you take a reading.
You will get an inaccurate, and high, reading if you measure the
voltage at the battery right after charging it.

Question; I've seen different numbers used for full charge: 14V
13.8V 12.9V What is the best voltage to use for fully charged and
where did the number come from?

5) The max rate to charge a battery is 20% of it’s amp-Hour rating.
Example a 100 amp –hour rated battery should be charged at 20 amps
max. Some chargers automatically adjust the current and length of
charge according to the battery's state of charge and then shut off
when the battery is fully charged. If the charger requires manual
adjustment for current or shut-off, check the charger's instructions
to determine the proper current and length of charge based on your
battery's rating.

6) An automatic charger that reduces current as the battery becomes
charged is best and will give the fastest charging without damaging
the battery.

7) Do not leave a battey connected for over 24 hours to a charger that
does not automaticly shutoff even if it is a "trickle" charger. Some
trickle chargers will raise the voltage as the current drops to levels
that can damage a battery if left for extended periods.

Sources:

Charging Batteries

http://www.ibsa.com/www/faqs/tech_ta...e/charging.htm

Battery Tender

http://batterytender.com/

Kip
Do NOT store ANY battery on cement. It has a bad effect on them. A
piece of plywood works ok to store them on.

"Battery on Cement" issue is a Myth

And to the OP - running a deep cycle battery down to 50% is okay to do
providing you PROMPTLY recharge it fully. Allowing any partially
discharged bbatery to remain that way is very bad for them.

I had always heard that too, but when I checked to see what the battery
manufactures says, anytime you have a change in temp between the top and
bottom of the battery, it can cause the battery to discharge quicker.
So while they have improved the battery case, it is still good advice to
insult the bottom so all of the battery is kept at the same temp.

wrote:
On Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:56:39 -0500, Boater
wrote:

wrote:
On Fri, 2 Jan 2009 08:44:28 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Jan 1, 9:03 pm, kipmc4 wrote:
This past summer I replaced the battery in my 18ft ski boat and went
to a dual battery system with a selector switch. I had probably
shortened the life of my old battey by letting it sit discharged for
too long over the winter.

This year I'm being more carefull. Here are my thoughts on keeping
batteries charged:

Please feel free to add comments or suggestions.

1) Very important: Do not let your batteries get very low or you will
greatly reduce battery life. I have heard that regular batteries will
be affected by letting then sit below 75% charge and deep cycle should
not be left below 50% charged. Keeping them close to fully charged is
best for prolonged life.

2) Be sure wet cell batteries are full using only distilled water. You
can tell the water level is correct when you look into the cell and
the reflection of the water has a "fish eye" look to it and is not a
flat surface. (If you are curious, it is caused by the surface tension
effect when the water level touches to fill level guide)

3) Check the existing charge level

You can do this using a hydrometer. (under $5) The higher the charge
the more dense the liquid and more balls will float. 4 balls floating
= full charge

Question: How reliable are they? I can’t seam to get more that 3
balls to float (75% charge)

You can also measure the charge state using a voltmeter. Let the
battery sit for approx 3 hrs after charging before you take a reading.
You will get an inaccurate, and high, reading if you measure the
voltage at the battery right after charging it.

Question; I've seen different numbers used for full charge: 14V
13.8V 12.9V What is the best voltage to use for fully charged and
where did the number come from?

5) The max rate to charge a battery is 20% of it’s amp-Hour rating.
Example a 100 amp –hour rated battery should be charged at 20 amps
max. Some chargers automatically adjust the current and length of
charge according to the battery's state of charge and then shut off
when the battery is fully charged. If the charger requires manual
adjustment for current or shut-off, check the charger's instructions
to determine the proper current and length of charge based on your
battery's rating.

6) An automatic charger that reduces current as the battery becomes
charged is best and will give the fastest charging without damaging
the battery.

7) Do not leave a battey connected for over 24 hours to a charger that
does not automaticly shutoff even if it is a "trickle" charger. Some
trickle chargers will raise the voltage as the current drops to levels
that can damage a battery if left for extended periods.

Sources:

Charging Batteries

http://www.ibsa.com/www/faqs/tech_ta...e/charging.htm

Battery Tender

http://batterytender.com/

Kip
Do NOT store ANY battery on cement. It has a bad effect on them. A
piece of plywood works ok to store them on.
"Battery on Cement" issue is a Myth

And to the OP - running a deep cycle battery down to 50% is okay to do
providing you PROMPTLY recharge it fully. Allowing any partially
discharged bbatery to remain that way is very bad for them.

I keep my Parker batteries on the lower shelf of my garage workbench in
the winter. Every month, I hook them up to my auto shut-off charger on
its low amp setting and top them up. I got five years out of a pair of
batteries on the first Yo Ho that way, and they were still good when I
sold that boat.

We're all so proud of you!


Thank you! :) I feel so fulfilled now!

wrote in message
...


Do NOT store ANY battery on cement. It has a bad effect on them. A
piece of plywood works ok to store them on.

----------------------------------------------------

(this should be fun)

What, pray tell, is the "bad effect"?

Eisboch

"Boater" wrote in message
...


I keep my Parker batteries on the lower shelf of my garage workbench in
the winter. Every month, I hook them up to my auto shut-off charger on its
low amp setting and top them up. I got five years out of a pair of
batteries on the first Yo Ho that way, and they were still good when I
sold that boat.


I don't think I'd consider 5 year old batteries in a boat to be in good
shape regardless of how
well they were cared for. Don't like surprises.

Eisboch

"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in message
...

So while they have improved the battery case, it is still good advice to
insult the bottom so all of the battery is kept at the same temp.

There's plenty of bottom insulting here. We don't need more.

Eisboch

Eisboch wrote:

"Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq." wrote in message
...

So while they have improved the battery case, it is still good advice
to insult the bottom so all of the battery is kept at the same temp.

There's plenty of bottom insulting here. We don't need more.

Eisboch

Are we still talking about batteries?

I probably didn't explain the situation as well as this Battery FAQ site
did.

14.1. MYTH: Storing batteries on a concrete floor will discharge them.

False! All lead-acid batteries will naturally self-discharge which can
result in loss of capacity from sulfation.
The rate of self-discharge is most influenced by the temperature of the
battery's electrolyte and the chemistry
of the plates. This self-discharge is often mistaken for concrete floor
causing the battery to drain. Some experts
believe that storing car or deep cycle batteries on a colder concrete
floor might actually slow down the
self-discharge (leakage) rate because the floor acts as a heat sink and
cools the battery.
(Please see Section 13 for more information on storing batteries and
Section 1 for more information on sulfation.
In the early 1900s, when battery cases were made of porous materials
such as tar-lined wood boxes,
storing batteries on concrete floor would accelerate their natural
self-discharge due to external leakage.
Modern battery cases are made of polypropylene or hard rubber. These
cases are sealed better, so external
leakage-causing discharge is no longer a problem, provided the top of
the battery is clean and free
from wet or dried electrolyte and the same temperature as the floor.

Large differences in temperature could cause electrolyte stratification
within very large batteries
(250 AH) which could accelerate it's internal "leakage" or
self-discharge if the battery is sitting
on an extremely cold concrete, stone or steel floor in a warm room, boat
or submarine.
Stirrers or bubblers are often used on these types of large batteries to
keep the electrolyte
from stratifying. Undercharging will also cause electrolyte
stratification, which can also result
in loss of capacity from sulfation.