Was reading the "12V Bible for Boats" the other day and the author suggested the following:
12.2V 50% to 75% charged
12.4V 75% to 100% charged
12.6V 100%
These figures are while the battery is at rest.
Cheers
Robbo
Was reading the "12V Bible for Boats" the other day and the author suggested the following:
12.2V 50% to 75% charged
12.4V 75% to 100% charged
12.6V 100%
These figures are while the battery is at rest.
Cheers
Robbo
hi guy's
thanks heaps for the info, might go down to a battery shop and get a decent charger and stick the battery on every month
anything i need to look out for when buying a battery charger??
i guess i need to take the specs of the battery/ies i want to charge so i can match them up???
scotty
why do your simple questions end up so complicated
have to catch up for a fish soon mate
cheers
dazza
Mate one of the best types currently on the market for a reasonabe price is a ctek charger there are several different types that go up in price as they do different tasks the one I would recommend is the xs 800 it is only a maintance charger ,so its no good if you were to leave something on and drain your battery completely in this case you will need something bigger and more expensive it is also only for lead acid type batteries, it monitors the charge and when the battery is fully charged it will switch its self off and if left for a period of time and the battery drains it turns itself back on, (about $80) a $20 cheap charger will do the job but you must not forget about it other wise it can boil the battery dry and destroy it, another good type that I only know a little about is the redarc but it is usually a fair bit dearer I believe. If this has baffeled you feel free to P.M me.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Live life like a dog,If you cant eat it or hump it ,
pee on it and walk away.
There are plenty of decent multistage chargers arround and many of them are reasonabley priced.
A good multi stage charger should rapidly charge the battery then reduce current and voltage to a slower rate an one or a number of steps.
There are some funky ones that have battery conditioning functions of one type or another.
You should be able to leave a battery on a good multistage charger indefinitely.
What you should look for is a charger with a maximum charge rate of at least 1/10 the amp hour rating of your battery if you expect it to charge a battery from flat.
consider the most common marine battery is 90 amp hour and there are many 120 amp hour units in use.
something rated 10 to 15 amps would be a good choice.
you could go as low as 5 amps but it wont bring the battery up to charge as fast as is considered ideal.
places to look
repco
jaycar
marine suppliers.
cheers
Its the details, those little details, that make the difference.
hi guy's
thanks for the info
i am having difficulty finding specs for the battery in the tinney, it is a century marine pro 400.
the only specs i can find say it is 430amp cranking power, max charge 14.5v
is amp and amp hour the same thing???
need to pull one of the batteries out of the big boat as the writing is on the other sideto see if it has any specs on it. they are exrider vx 27
want the charger to do the tinney and the haines 680
looking at a ctek charger that is suited to batteries 1.2-120 Amp Hourbut need to find out what amp hour the batteries are
MODELMULTI XS 3600
Input voltage AC170-260VAC, 50-60Hz
Output voltageNominal: 12V
Efficiency85%
Charging voltage14.4V/0.8A, 14.4V/3.6A, 14.7V/3.6A
Charging current3.6A max
Back current drain*1.3mA
Ripple**max 50mV rms, 0.13A
Ambient temperature-20°C to +50°C, output power is reduced automatically at higher temperatures.
Type of chargerFour step, fully automatic switch mode with pulse maintenance.
Type of batteries12V lead-acid batteries (Wet, MF, AGM and GEL)
Battery capacity 1.2 -120AhDimensions (L x W x H)165x61x38mmInsulation IP 65 (splash and dust proof), outdoor useWeight0.5kg
am i on the right track?
cheers
dazza
Last edited by dazza; 14-02-2009 at 09:34 PM. Reason: added charger specs
scotyygc
U did right think getting new battery .
babbling cells it not sight of faulty cell .The best way to check is just take to battery mob to check it.
If alternator on boats or car could do same jobs as battery charger we will never buy battery . Yeah may in 10yers ones .
All alternator do only surface charge which very quickly goes away .
You may ask you self why than marine battery runs all day sounder and GPS and some lights and all thinks on boat and dose not go fleet . They are the best power storage's of all batteries on market .
The best way to keep battery in good condition is to have hook up on one of xs 800 battery conditioners what sansman was talking about.
You will improve battery life and good think thay can be hook up to battery for 12mounts will not demidge your battery and will be ready when you ready to go fishing .
But still you my have to replace battery again in few years as all batteries got they life if you look after them it may last 4 years or if not only it will last warranty life .
Boat battery is same as your battery on your mobile phone
if you charge phone by car charger (the think you plug in power point in your car) it will last few hours but when you get home and plug home charge and liver over night will last way much longer .
New battery can daed same as old ones most comen problem with new battery to daed is if one of welds inside snaps off .Making it battery open circuit . Open circuit battery when you check thay look good. It got all 12.6v is there but ones you putt load (starter motor )voltage drop off to under 2v.
All manufacturers of batteries trying to do the best is possible for Marine batteries as thay most one what suffering discharge and flogging at sea
myway
Last edited by MyWay; 14-02-2009 at 11:16 PM.
Dazza, I'd be inclined to go for an EPS over the C-TEK simply because if you decide down the track to run Gel batteries the EPS will do both whereas the C-TEK won't.
Here's a link and the tech dept is excellent and will put you on the right track.
http://www.energymatters.com.au/batt...c-154_247.html
Good luck!
Originally Posted by dazza
my question was sorted in the first couple of replys
i got a battery charger of a guy in brisbane off ebay
cost a bit but works great on all my batterys (some acid type and a deep cycle type)
mate if ya ever got a spot on a weekend let me know
scotty
Sorry mate but most of what you have posted is not right.
If you have a battery and all but one of the cells is gassing freely under charge OR only one of the cells is gassing freely.......there is a major problem with the battery...all cells of a healthy battery should behave more or less the same, both by observation, measurement of voltage and measurement of specific gravity.
Any cell that is significantly inconsistent whith the others is most likley unwell.
Lead acid batteries have a limited and relativly short life....to put it bluntly there is no way arround this... no mater what charger you use.
The design life span of a lead acid battery is 2 years, it is reasonable to get 5 years out of a battery if it is well cared for 7 years is exceptional, for the sort of batteries we are talking about 10 years is nothing more than a dream.
I have consistently got 5 to 7 years out of batteries in my cars.
This concept of surface charge is simply incorrect... charge is a result of current flow voltage causes current flow it is that simple......there is a whole pile of hokus pokus going arround about charging lead acid batteries..... but the physics remains the same....if the charging system is adequate for the battery it will charge it.
Marine batteries are near ( certainly not the top) the top of the heap for lead acid technology but they are a very long way from the best power storage technology available.
yes a modern multistage charger or even better one with a maintenance or antisulphation function is a good idea and yes you can leave a battery on one of these chargers indefinitely...........but they wont perform miricles and they are unlikly to give you better battery life than a properly maintaned and regularly used car or boat charging system.
The lead acid battery in your car or boat is nothing like the battery in your current or recent mobile phone......the charging systems for lead acid batteries are nothing like those used in mobile phones......the materials and technology simply aren't related........there is no comparison.
I think welds breaking inside large scale lead acid batteries is very unlikly...yes this does happen in dry batteries typiclay found in hand held or portable electronics.....But I havnt heard of it in lead acid.
cheers
Its the details, those little details, that make the difference.
and don't make any sparks while battery is gassing (hydrogen) freely :-)
and unlike me, wear safety glasses and other protective clothing.
Well, being half blind I always wear glasses, but thinking about this, will now get a cheapy set of largeish safety glasses and put them adjecent to charger etc
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