Re: battery question
I was just wondering if I need a special charger to charge a marine battery.
Guessing you have a lead acid battery. Some other types of battery that can be used in the marine world such as NiFe batteries DO need special charging (higher voltage) systems.
Lead Acid batteries can be VERY easily damaged, that is to say their efficency reduced via incorrect charging. Staggeringly, many cheaper commercial battery chargers do NOT correctly charge lead acid batteries and can therefore actually damage them.
The correct method of charging a lead acid battery is to use a 'BOOST' and then a 'FLOAT' setting: A good battery charger will sense the SOC (state of charge) of the battery it is attempting to charge. If it is deemed flat enough then the BOOST mode is used (charger output voltage higher = 14.5V = more current available to charge the battery)
After a period of 'fast' boost charging the battery will become charged and if the boost charge setting is maintained, the battery will become damaged as this high voltage will 'gas' or can 'boil dry' the battery (NOT good)... hence a 'maintain charge' or float charging reigeme is used (charger output voltage = 13.8V = lower current aka 'trickle charging').
Deep cycling lead acid batteries will also damage them, that is to say taking all the energy out of them (letting them go flat) and then charging them all the way back up again - each time this is done the efficency of the battery is ever so slightly reduced - this is an accumualtive effect so over a period of time the battery gradually wears out to a point where it can no longer hold any charge.
Andy
