Re: How long does a deep cycle battery take to charge?
Canuck, It all depends on your charger, and how long you want you batteries life to last. If you slow charge (about 2 amperhours) you will not cook the plates that are inside the battery. Depending on the deep cycle rate of the battery will depend on how long you will achive a full charge. With the battery that I have, it will take about 24 hours to charge on the 2 amp setting. This is only if I only used about 60% of the capacity. If all the capacity is used and the battery has no life, it will take about 48 hours at the 2 amp rate. I could charge my deep cycle faster on a higher setting but from experience, the higher rate after prolong useage, the life expectancy drops. This is because the plates inside the battery are designed to slowly release their electrons. So if you force the plates to collect the electrons faster to achieve a quick charge. The charge you have stored in your battery may not last as long due to the quick charge at a higher amperage setting. And the most important thing is to make sure you maintain the level in your batteries acid. Charging a battery that is low on acid can destroy your batter fast and or cause it to explode! When the plates are exposed to the air instead of the acid, during the charging cycle, the uppermost part of the plates will get hot causing oxidation to occur on the plates which will then act like an insulator. This will then shorten the duration of your deep cycle. SS
