I bought a new deep cycle marine battery last spring for my O'Day 23. It is used to start the outboard and run the radio (I didn't use the lights once last summer). I took the battery home for the winter and kept it off the floor, charging it with an auto battery charger every two weeks or so (no, I don't have a trickle charger). When I would begin the charging, the needle on the charger used to indicate that the battery was taking about 4 or 5 amps, and then gradually go down to 2, when I would cut off the charge. It used to take about six hours to fully recharge the battery at these times. However, the last couple of times I went to charge it, the amp meter on the charger indicated that the battery was not accepting much of a charge. Now, the needle starts at about 1 when I try and charge the battery. What's going on? Is this battery kaput, or am I doing something wrong?
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Miles
Voltage?
What's the voltage of the battery after you take it off the charger for a while? Maybe it's charged up and the charger is reducing the current < 1 amp.? Check the voltage after it sits for a day or so, it should be around 12.8 Also put a load on it and see how it holds up. I'd do a little more testing before condemning it, maybe everything is fine...
What's the voltage of the battery after you take it off the charger for a while? Maybe it's charged up and the charger is reducing the current < 1 amp.? Check the voltage after it sits for a day or so, it should be around 12.8 Also put a load on it and see how it holds up. I'd do a little more testing before condemning it, maybe everything is fine...
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Rich Stidger
Need more info
Mike, Is your battery sealed or a flooded unit? If you can look inside, check to see if the electrolyte level is above the plates. If it is below the plates, you have over-charged the battery and the plates may now be sulfated (ie, Died from an un-natural cause). If the battery is sealed or if the level is above the plates, measure the battery with a digital voltmeter. Fully charged, it should measure 12.65-12.80V after resting (no load or charging) for 24 hours. If you want the best test, take the battery to a garage or business that will test it and ask them to do a load test. The battery must be fully charged for the load test to be valid. It shouldn't cost more than $5 and would probably be free. A properly stored good battery should not lose more than 10-15% of it's capacity per month. That might mean 10-15 AH if it is a Group 27 105 AH battery. A recharge at a 3A average for 3-5 hours per month would reasonably keep it fully charged.
Mike, Is your battery sealed or a flooded unit? If you can look inside, check to see if the electrolyte level is above the plates. If it is below the plates, you have over-charged the battery and the plates may now be sulfated (ie, Died from an un-natural cause). If the battery is sealed or if the level is above the plates, measure the battery with a digital voltmeter. Fully charged, it should measure 12.65-12.80V after resting (no load or charging) for 24 hours. If you want the best test, take the battery to a garage or business that will test it and ask them to do a load test. The battery must be fully charged for the load test to be valid. It shouldn't cost more than $5 and would probably be free. A properly stored good battery should not lose more than 10-15% of it's capacity per month. That might mean 10-15 AH if it is a Group 27 105 AH battery. A recharge at a 3A average for 3-5 hours per month would reasonably keep it fully charged.
Take it to a service station.
Mike: Take the battery to a service station or wherever you purchased it. They can put their charger on it and then load test it. You can charge it and see what the voltage is yourself. If it is 12.8 volts or so, your charger knows that it is fully charged so it should NOT be charging any more. When they load test it they will be able to tell if the battery is able to HOLD a charge. If it's bad, they should replace it under the warranty.
Mike: Take the battery to a service station or wherever you purchased it. They can put their charger on it and then load test it. You can charge it and see what the voltage is yourself. If it is 12.8 volts or so, your charger knows that it is fully charged so it should NOT be charging any more. When they load test it they will be able to tell if the battery is able to HOLD a charge. If it's bad, they should replace it under the warranty.
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the battery shack.....bill rodgers
battery charging
some deep cycle batteries need more than a trickle charge,,it is a good idea to run them down occasionally. then hit them with a higher charger. also ,,a higher charger will have a higher voltage, which helps getting thru sulfation
some deep cycle batteries need more than a trickle charge,,it is a good idea to run them down occasionally. then hit them with a higher charger. also ,,a higher charger will have a higher voltage, which helps getting thru sulfation
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Larry Watkins
Battery blues
Mike; Did you check the electrolyte with a hydrometer? If it reads fully charged, you might need to "equalize" the battery, i.e., knock that sulfation off the plates with a high-voltage charge, about 16.5 volts. It takes a moderately sophisticated charger, one that has that cycle built in. Try this first; draw the battery down about 50% with a constant load, some lights or 12v fan or something. A stereo doesn't pull enough current to do the job. Charge it back up, and repeat the cycle three or four times. If still not working, do the equalization. A local battery shop might be able to do it for you, or you may have to spring for a better charger. Good luck. Larry W.
Mike; Did you check the electrolyte with a hydrometer? If it reads fully charged, you might need to "equalize" the battery, i.e., knock that sulfation off the plates with a high-voltage charge, about 16.5 volts. It takes a moderately sophisticated charger, one that has that cycle built in. Try this first; draw the battery down about 50% with a constant load, some lights or 12v fan or something. A stereo doesn't pull enough current to do the job. Charge it back up, and repeat the cycle three or four times. If still not working, do the equalization. A local battery shop might be able to do it for you, or you may have to spring for a better charger. Good luck. Larry W.
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Tom
I think Miles might be correct, maybe nothing is
wrong. There is a possibility that the battery is fully charged and holding its charge well (thus only accepting 1 amp from charger.) One of the reasons it might have accepted more when you first took the battery off the boat for the winter is because it was never really fully charged while you were using it all last season. Do you have a charger on your boat? I bet you didn't and what you did was slowly deplete the battery without ever really charging it back 100%.......... i bet everything is fine .... check the link out below..some good info.
wrong. There is a possibility that the battery is fully charged and holding its charge well (thus only accepting 1 amp from charger.) One of the reasons it might have accepted more when you first took the battery off the boat for the winter is because it was never really fully charged while you were using it all last season. Do you have a charger on your boat? I bet you didn't and what you did was slowly deplete the battery without ever really charging it back 100%.......... i bet everything is fine .... check the link out below..some good info.
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Ray Bowles
Battery should not be stored on concrete.
When storing a battery store it on a wooden board as the concrete can draw some of the charge off.
When storing a battery store it on a wooden board as the concrete can draw some of the charge off.
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bob
urban legend
Storing a battery on concrete won't deplete the charge any faster than storing it on wood. That's just urban hogwarsh..
Storing a battery on concrete won't deplete the charge any faster than storing it on wood. That's just urban hogwarsh..
Excerpt from Car Battery FAQ.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MYTHS ABOUT BATTERIES? 10.1. Storing a battery on a concrete floor will discharge them. Modern lead acid battery cases are better sealed, so external leakage causing discharge is no longer a problem. [Temperature stratification within very large batteries could accelerate the internal "leakage" or self discharge if the battery is sitting on an extremely cold floor in a warm room or installed in a submarine.]
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MYTHS ABOUT BATTERIES? 10.1. Storing a battery on a concrete floor will discharge them. Modern lead acid battery cases are better sealed, so external leakage causing discharge is no longer a problem. [Temperature stratification within very large batteries could accelerate the internal "leakage" or self discharge if the battery is sitting on an extremely cold floor in a warm room or installed in a submarine.]
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Fred Moore
Voltage vs temp and % of charge
Get out the volt meter, or hygrometer. Check out the link. I have spent many hours in getting the chart correct. Then finally back to physics. Download the chart and give me some feedback.. Know what your voltage should be.. FWIW.. Fred
Get out the volt meter, or hygrometer. Check out the link. I have spent many hours in getting the chart correct. Then finally back to physics. Download the chart and give me some feedback.. Know what your voltage should be.. FWIW.. Fred
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dave
why does concreter deplete a battery???
I have read this several times but never read why? How does concrete draw charge off a battery? The connecters are not in contact so what is the science behind this comment? dave
I have read this several times but never read why? How does concrete draw charge off a battery? The connecters are not in contact so what is the science behind this comment? dave
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