How often should I charge battery?

[strokeoluck]

Previously I posted that I was going to take the dual battery charger from the two trolling batteries (which I've removed from the boat and will be selling on Craigslist) in our Bayliner, and hook it up to our main battery. Some of you on the forum gave me advice on how to hook it up. The charger had two main black lines coming out of it; and each black line then had a red line and a yellow line. I was told to simply connect one red to the POS battery terminal, and the yellow line to the NEG terminal; then tape off the other red and yellow lines. That's what I did.

Now the question is, how often should I plug the charger in? I would guess we'll be using the boat roughly every two weeks for several hours. Is it safe to plug the charger in whenever it's sitting in our garage? Or should we only plug it in at the end of the season? Thanks.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: How often should I charge battery?

If the charger you have is a smart charger it can be plugged in and left on indefinitely. That's why they are called smart chargers. They know when to turn on and when to turn off.

 

[john from md]

Re: How often should I charge battery?

Read the instructions that came with the charger. If it has a maintenance or float mode, you can leave it plugged in and it will maintain 13v thereby keeping the battery from discharging.

I plug mine in when I come off the water and leave it plugged in until I leave again. This will also increase the life of the battery as long as you check the water periodically.

Regards,

John