jjconnaire Posted January 5, 2016 Posted January 5, 2016 I was wondering how everyone charges/maintains there 12v battery's for their trolling motors. I don't have an onboard battery charger and have read about battery maintainers that trickle and turn on and off to keep your deep cycle battery's charged. Are these maintainers a fire hazard? I get concerned leaving these on all the time. Quote
jhoffman Posted January 5, 2016 Posted January 5, 2016 You have boat insurance id assume? Thats essentially what an onboard charger does as well. It charges then switches into a maintenance mode similar to a maintainer. Quote
Ohio Archer Posted January 5, 2016 Posted January 5, 2016 I pulled mine out due to the cold. Keep them in the garage (while not exactly "warm" it is warmer than the single digits outside). Put them on the charger every other week or so to keep them up. You can keep them hooked up in the boat as long as there is adequate ventilation so any gases don't build up due to charging. Just make sure the charger has a float or maintenance mode and doesn't supply full amperage all the time. That could destroy a battery as well as create a big mess in the boat. Quote
jjconnaire Posted January 5, 2016 Author Posted January 5, 2016 I do have boat insurance but I leave my boat far away at a vacation house. And I don't have a on board charger because I leave it moored all summer long and there is no power at my slip Quote
BrownBear Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 Well it may seem like a pain, but I would pull the batteries take them with you and do what was said above. I got a decent charger maintainer from Wal-Mart for around $20-30 dollars. With safety mechanisms on these chargers, if there is a problem, they cut off. OR Find a better dock slip with power. OR Get some cash ready to buy new batteries. 1 Quote
jjconnaire Posted January 6, 2016 Author Posted January 6, 2016 Yea I am going to get 2 cheap battery trickle charger/maintainers and keep the battery's in my house. I'm looking at either battery tenders or black&decker. What brand do you use and do you like it? My slip is Free so I can't complain! ? 1 Quote
Ohio Archer Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 I'm using a couple of old Battery Tenders that were laying around the shop. We upgrade them every couple of years. A couple had chewed up cables that had been thrown away. I repaired the cables and they work fine. Any brand will work as long as it has a stepped charging system where it goes into a maintenance mode after fully charging the battery. Make sure the charger matches the type of batteries you have, i.e. flooded, AGM, Lithium, etc. Chargers that work for the flooded type may not be adequate for the higher end batteries. Quote
BrownBear Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 Schumacher XC10 10/6/2-Amp Battery Charger I had different "toys" with different batteries so this multiple Amp one works good for me. It also auto senses the type of battery. 1 Quote
Firefish Alumacraft Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 I got a battery charger from bass pro for 12/24v two bank its made by promariner Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted January 7, 2016 Super User Posted January 7, 2016 I use three Schumacher SC-1200A/CA SpeedCharge 3/6/12 Amp Charger/Maintainer/Testers. Work very well as an out of boat / portable charger, maintainer & tester. Compatible with both 6 & 12 volt batteries. So it pulls double duty for use on the tractor, lawn & garden as well as snow removal equipment. One baby sits the GTO all winter for me as well. A-Jay Quote
jjconnaire Posted January 7, 2016 Author Posted January 7, 2016 I have the Schumacher 10/6/2 charger but I didn't realize that it is a maintainer also... I thought it would continually supply 2A at a minimum. Does it ever turn off "float" and turn back on when the battery loses some charge? I do like this charger however I did find it can be loud. Are all chargers this loud? Quote
IntroC Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 (edited) Where I live the temps can dip into the -20 over winter. I pull the battery's in the fall, put the battery in the basement and hook the batteries up a few times over the winter to keep them at full charge. No need to leave a battery charger hooked up to them all winter. Edited January 9, 2016 by IntroC just cause Quote
Robeng Posted January 10, 2016 Posted January 10, 2016 I have the Schumacher stated above. 2015 model. Great unit. I also have a 1969 Schumacher trickle charge. Still works. 1 Quote
Super User Bankbeater Posted January 10, 2016 Super User Posted January 10, 2016 Battery sits out in the garage. About once a month a put the charger on it for a few hours. Quote
upchuck1383 Posted January 31, 2016 Posted January 31, 2016 Mine are in my basement on these http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Max-1229-4000-Intelligent-Maintainer/dp/B00K72C1T4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1454249751&sr=8-3&keywords=battery+maintainer Quote
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