To trickle or not to trickle

[MAXXIE]

I have a trickle charger/ maintainer mounted in the boat & when I get back from an outing I just plug it into the house & let it go until next trip. I had no problems with doing that all summer. During winterization I removed the battery & the charger. Some people here said leave the charger on the battery in the garage & others said don't. What's the deal? Should I leave it on or not & why? Thanks, Maxx

 

[spdracr39]

Re: To trickle or not to trickle

Either way just if you leave it on monitor the fluid level in the battery periodically.

 

[Alumarine]

Re: To trickle or not to trickle

If it's a Smart charger/maintainer you could leave it on.

Or, you could plug it in for a day once every month or 2.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: To trickle or not to trickle

If the battery is out of the boat or a disconnected negitive terminal I see no reason to keep it on the charger for the winter/storage season.

I would put the trickle charger on it when your getting ready to summerize the boat..get the battery Load tested after its fully charged ( or find someone with a cool snap-on cell tester before and after storage ).

You would be amazed on how many new batteries are half life off the shelf.. Use those over the counter year replacement warranties .

YD.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: To trickle or not to trickle

As I tend to frequently suggest, lets apply a little logic to the question. Fact: during the boating season the maintainer is left on 24x7 when the boat is not in use. But during storage when the boat is not in use you are confused as to what to do. So -- what's different? Answer: Nothing! If its ok to leave the thing on 24x7 in the summer it is ok to leave it on in the winter. After all, it is called a "maintainer" (not a charger) and that's what their purpose is and the change of seasons affects nothing. This does NOT apply if the "trickle charger" you have is NOT a "smart charger" or a true battery maintainer. A make and model number would certainly help -- or you could just read the instructions.

 

[Boatist]

Re: To trickle or not to trickle

I agree with SilverTip
Be aware all battery self discharge weather in the boat or not.
As the temperature goes up they self discharge faster so charge once a month in summer.
In winter once every two month should be fine.
Good Battery maintainers and float charger can be left connected.
Good smart charger, automatic or and on board charger can be left connected.
Trickle chargers should not be left connected as they will over charge.

Having said that I still charge mine with a good automatic or 3 stage smart charger one time a month is summer and every 2 mouths in winter.

I have one battery over 10 years old and have never had a battery that did not last at least 6 years.

The worst thing you can do to a battery is leave it discharged.
So charge it as soon as you can after any trip.

Over charging is the second worst thing you can do.

Charged batteries will not freez in winter.

 

[John_S]

Re: To trickle or not to trickle

I agree with SilverTip
Having said that I still charge mine with a good automatic or 3 stage smart charger one time a month is summer and every 2 mouths in winter.

If you live in an area where you get frequent brown outs, power outages, or lightning storms, consider doing the same.