battery charging issues

[cowboyup]

When i put my battery on charge today, the charger started out on 4 and slowly went up to 12. I switched chargers and batteries and got the same result. These are new 1000 cca marine starting batteries i bought last year. They'<br />ve been sitting all winter with no charging and only used to trim the motors up and down a few times. I've never even tried to start the motors with them. Anyway, i would have expected the charger to start at 12 and work its way down. A hydrometer test was taken after 14 hours on charge, and it shows in the red. Also, the needle will sit at 10 or so, and then peg to about 1 or 2 indicating almost fully charged. It'll then jump back to 10 or 11 again after a few minutes. Can anyone explain this?

 

[Laddies]

Re: battery charging issues

Most trickle chargers start off slowly and increase the amps to finish the batt off, but your batts may be sulferized and need to be boiled on a fast charger for a while

 

[chuckz]

Re: battery charging issues

Short Answer, Your batteries are no good.<br /><br />Long answer requires more information: Where were the batteries stored? Were they connect to a load? Were they exposed to below freezing temperatures? Were they ever fully charged? Have you check the electrolyte level?

 

[jlinder]

Re: battery charging issues

Sometimes when a battery is bad or has been discharged for a long time it will only take a slower charge until it gets some charge in it. Then the amps go up.<br /><br />You comment that it happens repeatedly indicates problems.

 

[Boatist]

Re: battery charging issues

The worst thing you can do to any battery is to leave it discharged. Starting batteries below 80 percent charge will be damage. Leave it that way for any length of time and it will never recover.<br /><br />What type of battery charger are you useing? Is it in automatic convential mode? If it is in manual mode can over charge. You say you check with a hydrometer and it was in the red. Did you check all 6 cells? Did they all check the same?

 

[cowboyup]

Re: battery charging issues

I'm using a Craftsman battery charger...the one with a microprocessor to eliminate overcharging. I've got it set on 10A for auto charge/deep cycle battery setting. The green lite will come on and the amp input will be negligible when the battery is fully charged. The hydrometer check was done on all six cells in each battery. When charging, the battery shows very little bubbling in each cell, almost non-detectable. Compared to a good battery that needs charging, i'm used to seeing lots of bubbles in each cell. Oh well, lesson learned on these. Batteries need attention, even if they're not being used. I've been replacing stringers and such that i simply forgot to pay attention to them. I hope others don't make the same mistake i did. Thanks to all for all your input.

 

[chuckz]

Re: battery charging issues

Don't give up yet. If sulfate built up on the plates there used to be a product sold in the auto parts stores to remove it. It may be worth a trip to the parts store to see what they have. At this point you have nothing to lose.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: battery charging issues

If they are new batteries, don’t mess with it, return them for replacement.<br /><br />Also worth keeping in mind is that with some credit card purchases you get 90-days, 1-year, or 2-year product warranty from the card’s sponsoring bank. Sometimes your credit card bank will refund the purchase cost of the item. My company does but only for items that don’t have an expiration date or an expected lifetime…their way of excluding batteries from their warranty coverage.

 

[MrBill]

Re: battery charging issues

Check your connections...sounds like charger (+)pos is connected to battery (-) neg, and charger protection circuit is tripping. Shamefully, I have done this...and got the results you describe.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: battery charging issues

If they are getting hot or very warm, they are bad. <br /><br /> Boiling them is deffinatly "NOT" the way to do it! <br /><br />You can sometimes bring them back by putting the charger in a slow charge cycle, 2 amps or less and leave them for a few days and see what happens.

 

[cuzner]

Re: battery charging issues

Check out the faq section. Some members put alot of thought and effort into, battery issue's. a ton of good info!!!!!!!!!<br /><br /><br /> Jim

 

[Silvertip]

Re: battery charging issues

The best investment you can make to get maximum life out of batteries is to 1)install maintainers (small automattic 1.5 - 2 amp chargers), 2) Remove, fully charge the batteries, them store in a cool place, and top them off periodically, or 3) install an automatic on-board charger and keep it plugged in constantly when the boat is not in use. Separate chargers with a "float" capability can be used as well. Plug it in and leave it.

 

[Solittle]

Re: battery charging issues

I have had reasonably good luck with Wal Mart marine batteries. They have a no questions asked replacement policy and they stand behind it.

 

[cowboyup]

Re: battery charging issues

Again, i thank you all. I'll try and trickle charge them over the weekend until I can get back to the store next week and see if they'll prorate them for another set. I like the idea of an on - board charger..I'll read up on those this weekend.

 

[cowboyup]

Re: battery charging issues

Before I returned the batteries to the store I borrowed a hydrometer and load tester. Both batteries stayed in the red on the hydro. The load tester needle indicated "good battery" on one and didn't even move on the other. In fact, I thought maybe it blew a fuse or something. So I tried it on a third battery and it also checked good. Anyway, I took it to the store (with my original receipt dated 19 Feb 04) and they said since it failed within one year and i had the receipt to prove it, they'd replace it free of charge (no pun intended). My question is, how can a battery load tester indicate a good battery when the hydrometer indicates it needs charging?