quick charging question

[Geiger41]

so my battery tender has been charging my radio/amp battery and it has been 24 hours.. the light is still red implicating charging...and the charger is warm. . is this normal

 

[Geiger41]

PS. the battery is a yellowfin deep cycle and charging battery

 

[Lspeedss]

How warm? And the obvious..you do have a good connection? Was your battery dead? What is the Amperage of your tender?

 

[Geiger41]

Warm not hot. Connections look good. Battery not dead. Just sitting around outside in the cold for a month. I have the battery tender plus

 

[Glassman]

That model Battery Tender puts out 1.25 amps. May take a while to top off a big battery. Especially if it's down a bit.

I'd go with something that can put out at least 10 amps if you have one.

 

[Geiger41]

Any recommendations ? Then I can use the tender during the winter.

 

[cane.mba]

This thread discusses some chargers. I have the Guest dual bank 10a charger mounted in the boat.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/charger-inlet-ports-what-are-you-using-and-where.1447/#post-21255


Pretty decent basic article on chargers
http://www.boatus.com/boatTECH/articles/battery-charges.asp

 

[Glassman]

Any recommendations ? Then I can use the tender during the winter.

Yes, if that battery is in good shape the Battery Tender Plus will ultimately bring it to full charge. They are great little smart chargers. Once it is topped off the tender will maintain it just fine, but if you should drain it significantly it will take a while to bring it back up.
I pull my batteries from the boat while in storage and use a similar smart charger to maintain the battery. If they are drained at all I use a Schumacher Speed charger. It is a 100/30/12/2 Amp charger. I have two of them, they are great.

If you plan on charging while on the water, a marine grade charger is your best bet. Guest makes some great ones.

 

[David Analog]

so my battery tender has been charging my radio/amp battery and it has been 24 hours.. the light is still red implicating charging...and the charger is warm. . is this normal

If you have a standard group 24 battery, and it is empty down to 10 volts, with a 1 amp charger it could take two full days to top off.
If the battery has a bad cell for example, it will never take a full charge, but will continue to heat the battery and work the charger. After a reasonable period, remove the charger and disconnect the battery so it is in isolation. Give it 30+ minutes to fully dissipate the higher charger voltage. Measure the voltage. Let the battery sit in isolation for a couple of days. The self discharge should be minor....perhaps 1/10th of a volt. If it drops by 2 volts for example, then you know you have a problematic battery.
A battery tender is great for a battery that is placed into storage with a full charge, ie; tractor, weekend car, motorcycle, ATV/UTV, etc. It's a maintenance charger and not the correct charger for batteries that are repetitively deeply discharged, say down to 11.8 volts and placed into storage with less than a full charge. For true deep depletion applications you need a higher amperage smart charger to correctly condition the battery.
The right charger is based on a combination of battery capacity and usage. One size does not fit all.

 

[Sotally Tober]

They are expensive but worth it! Dual Charging Systems:

http://www.dualpro.com

 

[Lspeedss]

Last year I started using a 1.5 amp solar charger for keeping my battery up while at the slip. Worked great.. Bought a second for my other battery. Kept my batteries up all winter.. Cost is under $30ea. I'm happy to start off the season fully charged.now if only the weather and my schedule would sync..

 

[MikeyL]

This thread proves a positive example of why you install a QUALITY On-Board Charger ...... that is also designed to do proper battery maintenance.
The cost is born out in spades over a period of time, in 1) Allowing batteries to last longer ....... and 2) Making sure YOU do not lose any quality boating time to due to a dead battery.
My suggestion is ALWAYS going to be the Minn Kota 220D for a lot of good reasons.
It is worth its weight in gold.
Good Luck - Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

[David Analog]

I'm not married to any particular brand of battery charger nor is it about what I personally own. There are plenty that will do the job with precision.
Intelli-Power, C-Tek, Xantrex, ProTech/ProMariner, Quest, Dual Pro, etc., and many others not mentioned. If a dealer who sells tournament bass boats has used it long term and they are satisfied then it's a good product.
What is more important is that you get a Smart, multi-stage, 2-bank charger with an amperage capacity that fits your unique combination of battery reserves and typical depth of discharge. One size does not fit all.
I would recommend a solar charger but ONLY with a management module. Keep in mind that this is purely maintenance supply method and doesn't have the current delivery and intelligence to properly condition your battery(s).

 

[rcpd34]

I left the marine radio on in my boat last week and it killed both batteries. I have a 10 amp charger, but cut it back to 2amp output as slow charging seems to work best. It took about 24 hours at 2 amps to fully charge both batteries.

 

[steined]

I'm a big fan of the NOCO on board chargers. I have this 2 bank one: http://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GEN2-Wat...8&qid=1398649099&sr=8-3&keywords=noco+onboard

 

[DieselCamel]

I'm a big fan of the NOCO on board chargers. I have this 2 bank one: http://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GEN2-Waterproof-On-Board-Battery/dp/B003JSJS5I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1398649099&sr=8-3&keywords=noco onboard

Ordered this last week its on intergalactic backorder

Delivery estimate: April 22, 2014 - June 16, 2014

 

[Island Jay]

Hello There!

The 1.25 amp will eventually get the batteries up, but they are not really "Smart Chargers". Waterproof chargers will also get warm and hot. Hot enough that you could touch, but would not want to keep your hand on them.

If you are still looking for a waterproof charger, 2 bank, please let me know. I am a new vendor to the forum and have many 8-12 amp chargers in the $50-$75 range at ChargerGuy.com

Thanks!
Jason