Bringing A New Battery To Max Capacity (Charge)

[airborne_angler]

So the battery I just bought is a group size 29 (dual purpose) with a date tag of 2/12 on it. So its safe to say its been sitting on the shelf for a bit. Its brand new so I should just be able to put it in and go...right? I would like to put a charger on it just to make sure its at its absolute max charge.

I have a smart charger with settings for small, medium and large batteries and 15amp, 10amp and 2amp settings. I've heard if you charge one of these batteries incorrectly, it can ruin the integrity of the battery and its ability to hold a charge...true or false?

To bring it up to max charge right now (top it off) what amp setting should I use?

And also after a long day at the lake, what setting should I use to bring it back up to a full recharge.

[slonezp]

2 amp is a "maintenance" charge. You're going to want to use the 10 or 15 amp settings to charge it up. Personaly, I've never had a battery get a "memory" 

[Traveler2586]

Maybe this will help:  http://www.marine-electronics.net/techarticle/battery_faq/b_faq.htm#11

[DJ Funk]

From what I understand, that just means how fast it will charge it. I've been wrong before.

2 amp is pretty much a trickle charge that will keep it full if it's close to that.

 

I bought my Duracell battery at Sam's club, and it was at 82% when I bought it. I topped it off to have it at it's best.

[Aluma-Bass]

put it on trickle charge for a day or two bf using, dont over charge it.

[BKeith]

Take it back for a refund. Most likely it's already junk. Where I get my batteries, they give $10 off when you have the core, so I figure that battery is worth $10.

Really, I'm not trying to pull you chain, I would have never considered buying a battery that has sat for a year, most likely it will never charge to capacity.

Charge it at 10 amps with a manual charger, keep checking the meter on the charger until if quits dropping, probably about one to two amps, charge it for twenty minutes after it has stopped dropping.

If it has caps, use a good hydrometer and check the specific gravity, most deep cycles will show 1.280 - 1.300. If it's a sealed top battery, and has a CCA number, take it to a parts store that has an electronic tester and have them check it. A good, new battery will usually read 15 - 20% more than the label shows. That's so they can sit on the shelf for a while and still be within specs of the CCA number on the label. One other thing you have to realize, that 2/12 sticker was the date it was placed in the store, it could have sat in the warehouse months before that. You would have to decode the manufacturing date imprinted in the edge of the case to get the exact age of the battery.

I'm pretty sure you are going to find you just paid a bunch of good money for a battery that you will be lucky to get half capacity out of.

[airborne_angler]

I've got a Schumacher Ship N Shore "smart" charger with auto shut off when full charged.. Its got a volt meter/capacity indicator built in. When I hooked the charger up, it read 50% . I've currently got it on the charger running at 10amps and its taking forever. Its been charging for like 4 hours and its up to 86%.

[Traveler2586]

I've got a Schumacher Ship N Shore "smart" charger with auto shut off when full charged.. Its got a volt meter/capacity indicator built in. When I hooked the charger up, it read 50% . I've currently got it on the charger running at 10amps and its taking forever. Its been charging for like 4 hours and its up to 86%.

OK, you gained 36% in four hours, so far so good, let it charge until the charger cuts off, then allow the battery to sit for four to twelve hours to allow for the surface charge to dissipate (stabilize). and put the charger back on until the charger cuts off again. I take it that the water level is good; check it after charging.

 

As for the battery shelf life at the store, if the store did not charge it on the shelf, depending on the type of battery, it has natural self-discharge or internal electrochemical leakage at a 1% to 15% rate per month that will cause it to become sulfated and fully discharged over time.

Higher temperatures accelerate this process. A battery stored at 95° F (35° C) will self discharge twice as fast than one at 75° F (23.9° C).

 

If you can find a battery shop ask them to load test the battery and evaluate it for you, then you'll know how the battery is rather than guessing.

 

Here's a link that has some good info on deep cycle batteries: http://www.marine-electronics.net/techarticle/battery_faq/b_faq.htm#8

[tritonguy]

I'm with BKeith on this one.  I wouldn't buy a battery that is over a year old.  I won't accept one over 3 months old but that's me.  I run them 2 years and replace them no matter what condition they are in.  I charge mine on a smart charger also set at the 8 amp.  For 2 day tournaments I use the onboard charger but I feel I get a better charge from a smart charger.

[Nitrofreak]

Generally, lead acid batteries are classified into two groups, starting batteries and deep cycle batteries. Starting batteries, commonly called SLI, which stands for Starting, Lighting and Ignition are designed to deliver quick bursts of energy. Deep cycle batteries are designed to withstand continuous discharge cycles.

Starting batteries are commonly used to start combustion engines. Because they are designed to delivery short, but high bursts of current, these batteries feature a greater number of thin lead battery plates in order to discharge energy quickly over a short period of time. Starting batteries are not designed to handle multiple discharges. In fact, SLI batteries will only tolerate being completely discharged a handful of times before damaging the battery and decreasing the battery life.

Deep cycle batteries feature thicker lead battery plates which help make these types of batteries more resilient to deep discharges. However, deep cycle batteries cannot provide quick bursts of current like starting batteries, which make the less likely to be used for starting combustible engines. Deep cycle batteries can still be used as starter batteries, but a higher battery capacity (Ah rating) should be selected. Some batteries, such as "marine", are classified as dual pro purpose, or dual purpose,  meaning these batteries can be used for both starting and deep cycle applications. Typically, dual purpose batteries have thinner battery plates than "true" deep cycle batteries, which make these batteries more prone to battery damage and shortened battery life, which sounds like the one you purchaced.

 

I agree with BKeith and take that battery back, I do not know what the intention is that you have in mind for this battery but hopefully a little extra general knowledge of battery type and what they are intended for may help as well.
 

[airborne_angler]

So lets say that my charger says the battery is 100% and the only thing I have done is charge it, should I now take it back to where I bought it and have it tested to see just where it stands? Will a place that tests car batteries like Autozone (where I bought the battery) be able to do the test? Is the test procedure the same on deep cycle batteries as it is on automotive batteries or is the load test on a deep cycle a specific special test?

[Fishing Rhino]

Autozone should be able to do the test.  If not, Interstate battery stores will do the load test at no charge.  Check with them to be sure, but the Interstate stores around here will test batteries of all types for free.

[Nitrofreak]

If I may ask, first of all what are you using the battery for?

 

If you are using the battery for the wrong application you are simply waisting your hard earned bucks and it wont give you the satisfaction you are looking for, thats the biggest reason why I am asking.

 

It really depends on the battery tester that they use,  I am unfamilure with their test equipment,  take the battery to a battery mart or someone who specializes in batteries,  sales and service,  they will be able to give you a much more definitive answer,  Autozone may be bias and tell you their battery is fine to avoid having to return the battery for any given reason,  if you know the employee's personally it may be easier to work with them but for an honest opinion and peace of mind I would look to an outside source for the test.

[airborne_angler]

I have a 12 ft jon boat with a 50# trolling motor which this battery is being used for.

[Nitrofreak]

I would suggest taking the battery back,  in my opinion,  there are two reasons here,  1 being the reference to what BKieth had mentioned,  I really don't think you are going to get that 15 to 20% on top of what the battery is rated for,  for optimum life,  2 is that it is the wrong kind of battery for the application,  since you already have had to bring it back from roughly half to start with,  the battery I feel in my opinion is already damaged to a degree right off the bat,  those dual purpose batteries are truely not built for that and usually do not last as a trolling motor battery.

 

If you have not used it yet,  only charged it,  the store may be willing to exchange it for a deep cycle battery,  just be sure to check the date and have them check the battery before you leave with it if that is an option to you,  which in my opinion is something they should have done in the first place.

[airborne_angler]

So what battery do you suggest? Group size and such

[Nitrofreak]

Thats a good question,  it really depends on the amount of time,  wind conditions and how they favor your fishing, there are a lot of factors to consider,  but the most important is how hard do you use the trolling motor each outing,  is the current battery size you are using completely drained after each trip?

[airborne_angler]

There are some days where I barely limp into the boat ramp. I stay out all day but the lake is windy on a regular basis, so I gotta factor all that in. I'm only really on the motor a lot when I'm trying to get back to the ramp.Otherwise I'm just making minor adjustments.

So...its my understanding that:

This battery is incorrect for my application. I want a straight "Deep Cycle" battery. The one I have is a dual purpose and is used for starting a gas engine and can be used for trolling purposes but won't be optimum in my application.

This battery I have purchased is over a year old so I may not get the full life expectancy out of it. Since it was already 1/2 discharged on the shelf, it likely won't last very long.

I should look for something no older than 3 months old

Did I understand all this correctly? Did I miss anything

What group size is recommended for my application? Should I just get the largest deep cycle available?

[Traveler2586]

IMHO, Get the largest deep cycle you can afford.

[airborne_angler]

So I just swapped the battery for a 27DC (101amp hours, 180 reserve capacity) manufactured 12/12. As far as size goes...its the ONLY deep cycle they had...everything else was Dual Purpose...do this is what I have to work with...hope its adequate...

[BKeith]

Smart move. You've probably got twice the battery you had, if not more.

A group 27 is a good size battery for your application. A 12 volt 50lb thrust TM is going to make some pretty good demands on a battery. If you are taking it in and out of the boat each trip, that's about as much battery as you will want to be dealing with.

Now, just be sure you charge it within a few hours of every time you return from using it, and try not to run it down completely when using it. You will get three or four times the life cycles from a battery that's charged at 50% than you will from a battery that run down to 20%.

Oh, and a little word of wisdom, that date sticker is not the manufacturing date, it's only the date that the supplier put it in the store. The manufacturing date can be months before that sticker date. The only way to know that is by decoding the string of numbers imprinted into the battery case. Some shady suppliers will pick up a battery with several months shelf life, take that sticker off, place the battery on someone else shelf and put another new sticker on it for that date.