2 amp or 10 amp

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I was taught that a deep cycle battery needs to be re-charged as slowly as possible.  I have used 2 amp for years and they still charge right up overnight.  I was told the 10a will definately charge it overnight but can also start to burn out some of the cells much quicker.  In short it will charge it quicker w/ 10a but will reduce it's life more with each charge as opposed to 2a.

INPUT?

[hipster_dufus]

i had this same problem and ended up buying a timer to plug my charger into. i burnt up more than one battery. this year i went to a smart charger. fully auto, sets the needed charge rate, 2 4, or 6 amp, and then shuts off. the new charger cost less than the old charger, 26$ at wally world. smaller too.

[Matt Fly]

Anytime you have the time to use the trickle charge, which is 2amp, it will prolong the life of the battery.   If I'm not going to be out the next few days, I will place a 1x4 under trolling motor bracket and let trolling motor run the battery down in the garage.   Completely discharging a battery and re-charging it the next day has worked for me over 20 plus years.  Just put trolling motor in the continuous run position on lowest setting and leave it be.   I have never replaced a battery before it was supposed to be, on average, 5 yrs life.   Thats better than my friends get.    They tend to be lazy when getting home, they might not charge there battery for a week, or till the day before going out.   That not good for a battery to set,   It should be charges after each use.

[Ben]

The standard recommended charge rate is at a rate that's equal to approx 10% of it's amp hour (AH) capacity. It is recommended that the battery is equalized after about every 5 uses if you use one of the old automatic chargers that just charges it and cuts off at the end of the charge cycle. I usually find this is not necessary if using a good quality Smart charger that drops into a float mode of approx 13.3VDC at the end of the cycle. Smart chargers charge the battery faster and much safer than your old style chargers that will fry a battery if left on too long.

They can actually be charged at a much higher rate but only until they reach 80% charge and then it has to be cut back to a much lower rate, but you should never excede 25% of it's rated AH capacity.

Also, you should NEVER completly discharge a deep cycle battery, taking them down below a 20% charge level will damage the battery. It's just about as bad to completely discharge one as it is to overcharge one.