battery charging question

[jebby]

Sorry guys another dumb question.

My Chaparral currently only has 1 battery. only being used for starting, bulge and blower. Not running lights or sterio or anything at the moment. Can i put a smart charger on it without disconnecting it or should i pull it to charge? My camper has an onboard converter so i just plug it in.

 

[Scott Danforth]

sure, why not

just like putting a battery charger on the posts with it in the boat.

look for a charger/maintainer, and make sure to set it properly for the type of battery you have.

 

[jebby]

much thanks. I figured as much but im trying to be careful

 

[briangcc]

Mine came with a ProMariner 2 bank. I leave the battery connections alone and just plug it in when I want to top off the batteries - one house, one for the trolling motor.

Easy/peasy.

 

[H20Rat]

Not a dumb question, especially if you are used to PWC's. There was a generation of seadoo pwc's that were notorious for frying the ECU if you connected a battery charger while still connected to the electronics.

In pretty much any standard boat, not a problem.

 

[mike_i]

Be sure to keep an eye on the level of electrolyte, don't let the cells dry out.That's if it's a lead acid battery.

 

[Captain Caveman]

As others said, no need to disconnect. I added an on-board charger for my trolling motor batteries. However, I let the alternator in my motor keep my starting battery charged since I'm on a big lake so the battery gets lots of charge while the boat is on place. That starting battery runs all of the pumps, the stereo, the lights, and cranks the motor. I bought the boat new in 2009 and it's still the original battery. I know that I'm pushing the limit of its lifespan, but I can jump start from the deep cycle once it finally dies.

You should be fine.

 

[Texasmark]

My take on OEMs recommending the removal of battery cables prior to attaching an auxiliary charger is because that way they are free from liability if things go astray. The general public does strange things. I can understand the concern. If the process didn't work, in answering your question, why do bass boats usually contain on-board chargers, usually for multiple batteries, that remain wired in, all the operator does is plug it/them into 115V?

Pay attention to polarity, connect to battery before plugging in to AC power and disconnect AC power first if charger isn't auto cut off...like my new chargers, but disconnecting from AC isn't a bad idea anyway is how I do it without problems.