OK dumb move with my battery, what are my options

[Hawghead]

Last year I got a BPS brank Deep Crankin 175 trolling motor battery for father's day. One day after i used it I charged and it and got too busy and forgot all about it.

It was left on for several days, I dont recall if it was on the 10 amp or 2 amp setting. Whats my best approach at this point, how do determine the amt of damage vesus just going out and hoping for the best. The battery has a 12 month full replacement replacement warranty, but in reality its my stupidity that lead to the issue.

Should I attempt to charge it, will it need water (how can I tell for sure? how much to add?). Can a battey tester at autozone type place give me a good assessment.

I am a dumb :-X I know

[Branuss04]

Save the stressing and just get a new battery.  Why not?

[Sam]

You can take the battery to your local gasoline station and have them test it for its power.

Or...you can do as Branuss said and take it back and get a new one.

I would take it back.

I am sure stupidity is covered but you are under no obligation to tell them what happended.

And since you may get only a pro-rata exchange rate please take it back ASAP.

[Al Wolbach]

Have it tested, if it is bad return it to BPS. While you are there buy a battery charger with an auto cut-off................Al

[Jig Man]

Last year I got a BPS brank Deep Crankin 175 trolling motor battery for father's day. One day after i used it I charged and it and got too busy and forgot all about it.

It was left on for several days, I dont recall if it was on the 10 amp or 2 amp setting. Whats my best approach at this point, how do determine the amt of damage vesus just going out and hoping for the best. The battery has a 12 month full replacement replacement warranty, but in reality its my stupidity that lead to the issue.

Should I attempt to charge it, will it need water (how can I tell for sure? how much to add?). Can a battey tester at autozone type place give me a good assessment.

I am a dumb :-X I know

Just having it on for days doesn't necessarily mean that it is ruined.  Did you boil it dry?  If not then it is probably ok.  A cheap hydrometer can give you the specific gravity of each cell.  They should be 12.7v at full charge.  You can also have it load tested at most auto parts stores.

[CGH]

"The battery has a 12 month full replacement replacement warranty"

Enough Said.  That's the whole purpose of a warranty.  >

[Popeye]

I'd have it tested at a gas station or Auto Zone before going through the hassle of returning it (UNLESS your BPS is local - then just drop by and get a new one to be on the safe side).

[Hawghead]

Last year I got a BPS brank Deep Crankin 175 trolling motor battery for father's day. One day after i used it I charged and it and got too busy and forgot all about it.

It was left on for several days, I dont recall if it was on the 10 amp or 2 amp setting. Whats my best approach at this point, how do determine the amt of damage vesus just going out and hoping for the best. The battery has a 12 month full replacement replacement warranty, but in reality its my stupidity that lead to the issue.

Should I attempt to charge it, will it need water (how can I tell for sure? how much to add?). Can a battey tester at autozone type place give me a good assessment.

I am a dumb :-X I know

Just having it on for days doesn't necessarily mean that it is ruined. Did you boil it dry? If not then it is probably ok. A cheap hydrometer can give you the specific gravity of each cell. They should be 12.7v at full charge. You can also have it load tested at most auto parts stores.

I popped off the caps and there was still water right up near the top.

[maxke01]

As stated before get a charger with an auto cutoff. My father has one that i will be using to charge my batter

[surfer]

I popped off the caps and there was still water right up near the top.

If the water didn't boil down any and the lead plates are still completely covered than I doubt any damage was done to the battery. But get the automatic smart type of charger

Hopefully Ann Marie will be by to help confirm for you. She is the most knowledgeable about batteries that I have seen on this forum. Add the word battery to the thread title and she will be more likely to find it.

And dont worry.  We are all dumb at some point.  

[Ann-Marie]

It is virtually a brand new battery and extremely unlikely that there is anything wrong with it.  Even the older style chargers without shut-off are designed to limit voltage to a safe level unless they have a "Fast Charge" setting which should be monitored.  

The main reason for modern "intelligent" chargers is they can exceed the safe voltage level during the early stages and thus force charge in quicker, then as the battery approaches full voltage where it would start to bubble, the smart ones cut the voltage back.

Older style chargers that aren't so "smart" just use the highest safe voltage all the time which can extend charging time considerably.

I wouldn't even go to the trouble of getting it tested.

The 2 and 10 amp settings don't really set how many amps are being put in, the are an approximate MAXIMUM input.  If you have an ammeter on it, even at the 10 amp setting it will show virtually zero amps or an occasional flick on the meter above zero once the battery is fully charged.  The 10 amp setting will be very close to the "bubbling" voltage so if left for a few months there may be a little loss of water.  

Just go fishin'.

[Hawghead]

Thanks for all the input. The battery, transom mount trolling motor, and charger were a gift from my wife for father's day last year.  I fish a lot at a local wildlife area that rents boats.

I felt pretty lousy when I realized that I had possibly done.  Sounds like I should be OK though.