Charging a deep cycle battery

[hornetswarm]

Hello,

I would like to know if putting a car charger 12v and 6 amp per hour will be acceptable to charge my deep cycle battery in my boat.

 

[boat1010]

Re: Charging a deep cycle battery

That should work fine.

 

[hornetswarm]

Re: Charging a deep cycle battery

About how long do you think? The current charger I have does not shut down on its own. I plan on getting a new one soon that will shut down. My plan was to charge it for 4 hours. FYI- the battery has about 10v rights now. Will not crank my engine, but powers everything else up.

 

[boat1010]

Re: Charging a deep cycle battery

I would think 4 - 6 hours will do the trick.. I would take some voltage readings along the way and see where you are at. Make sure that is has water in it when you put it on charge and take the caps off while charging. It should start bubbling after about an hour of charging.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Charging a deep cycle battery

A battery can be safely charged at rates up to 20% of its rated capacity. 80 AH battery can therefore be safely charged at up to 16 amps. 6 amps is a very good charge rate. In 4 hours it would replace 24 amps but I susspect your battery needs much more since at 10 volts it is esentially dead. While your charger may not shut off, it will likely drop the charge rate significantly after a couple hours.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Charging a deep cycle battery

I susspect your battery needs much more since at 10 volts it is esentially dead.

Yup, at 10V I'd think it has a dead cell.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Charging a deep cycle battery

To prolong the life of a deep cycle battery recharge it immediately after every use.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Charging a deep cycle battery

You do not say what size your battery is so hard to give you a time frame.
A group 27 discharged 80 percent will still read 12 volts and with a 10 amp charger will take about 12 hours to fully charge.

Get your self a good automatic or smart charger as it will save you money in the long run.

While charging your battery check the voltage with a meter and do not let the voltage clime above 15.8 volts.
If it is still connected in the boat then I would not let it clime above 14 volts as it could damage electronics conected.

Without any charger connect a good battery should read 12.6 volts.

If you want your battery to last at least 6 years always fully charge as soon as possible. When discharge like yours a lot of damage is done.