Charging a trolling battery? Still 50%!

X
xltom
I bought a boat today. It came with a trolling motor and battery. I went to wal-mart to buy a charger and set it up. The charger said the battery was at 50% just 15 min. after hooking it up. It's been 3 hours now and the charger still reads 50%. I've never really used a charger before so I was wondering if this is normal. Will I wake up pleasantly suprised with a fully charged battery or am I doomed to spend the morning buying an expensive replacement instead of on the lake? Thanks......
 
kirkster
kirkster
Sounds like a bad battery' But ya never know It does take a while to fully charge a deep cycle batt.
 
X
xltom
Whooo Hooo!!!!! 75% baby! I goin' fishin!!!!!!
 
T
Thuggin4Life
Don't forget the oars.
 
D
diggindan
Battery Tips

Battery Tips

Growing up as a mechanic I learned a bit about battery care. I turned wrenches into my 30's before figuring out I didn't really like it.

#1 Keep the battery and terminals clean. Wire brush and baking soda/water solution works well.
#2 Check the water level. There are a few batteries that are sealed but most times you can pry the lids off to check the level. Use distilled water to top up any low cells. Just fill to the level indicator inside the hole.
#3 Keep it charged. Batteries that sit slowly lose their charge and can sulfate and develop a memory, meaning they won't fully charge again.
A maintenance charge of 1/2 -2 amps works wonders. Solar chargers are perfect for this. You can find them on EBay pretty reasonable.
Sometimes you can wake up a balky battery by hitting it with 10-15 amps for 1/2 hour then back to a slow charge.
Sometimes discharging and slow charging will help also.
The best battery tester is the cheap little electrolyte tester. Charge your battery and then test each cell.They should all be fairly even. If not you have a bum battery.

Safety notes: Don't get the electrolyte/acid on you or your clothes.
Be very careful of sparks around charging batteries. Only charge in well ventilated areas. Breathing the fumes or igniting the hydrogen gases can ruin your day.
Hope this info is helpful and you all are enjoying a great day fishing instead of stuck at home like me. Maybe I can bug out tomorrow.
Cheers, Dan
 

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