Healthy Battery charging in spring.

dvx216

dvx216

Well-Known Member
GOLD Sponsor
Feb 1, 2012
2,696
Catawaba Island/Orrville,Oh.
Boat Info
340 Sundancer 2001
Engines
8.1s 370 v drv.
My question after the long winter sleep does the onboard battery system really have the ability to completely charge Healthy Batteries back to their full potential. Now the key to this question is Healthy Batteries. With that said would you switch the batteries to to off position then proceed with a capable portable battery charger. If nothing else would doing it this way save the wear and tear on your on board system.
 
dvx216 said:
My question after the long winter sleep does the onboard battery system really have the ability to completely charge Healthy Batteries back to their full potential. Now the key to this question is Healthy Batteries. With that said would you switch the batteries to to off position then proceed with a capable portable battery charger. If nothing else would doing it this way save the wear and tear on your on board system.
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Thats a good question. My mechanic removes them & stores them indoors for the winter. He then uses a commercial charger to recharge prior to re-installing them.
 
Assuming these are lead-acid, if you can manually force your charger into "equalization" mode that would be good. It only lasts for a couple hours at the most and will "wake" a battery that's been sitting unused.

Make sure you check the electrolyte levels before and after though.
 
Not to get into the debate about the how to properly store a battery through the winter that's another discussion. With that said my boat is stored in a heated building and has flooded lead acid batteries.
 
km1125 said:
Assuming these are lead-acid, if you can manually force your charger into "equalization" mode that would be good. It only lasts for a couple hours at the most and will "wake" a battery that's been sitting unused.

Make sure you check the electrolyte levels before and after though.
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Unless this is done at my Converter my panel doesn't have this option. My 310 Da. battery system only has three batteries one for port engine start up and two connected together for starboard motor and house so a equalizer setting I don't think is an option.
 
dvx216 said:
Unless this is done at my Converter my panel doesn't have this option. My 310 Da. battery system only has three batteries one for port engine start up and two connected together for starboard motor and house so a equalizer setting I don't think is an option.
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If your Converter/Charger is O.E., send it!... It's 22 years old and extremely antiquated. If not, then what make/model is it?
 
Besides micro processors for controls and fancy display lets face it for charging Lead acid batteries that if are in good working condition are pretty much self regulating. It all boils down to a transformer and besides making them cheaper and some diodes and a capacitor I don't think there has been any cutting edge technology when it comes to charging these types of batteries. I worked for 32 yrs. as a electrician in a power plant and new and improved usually meant it will probably fail in half the time the old one did if your lucky. The equalizer setting is using over voltage for a period of time to make sure all the charged batteries are of equal voltage on a larger battery system not something you run into with only a one and two combined system like I have. But then again the question ask doesn't have anything to do with if my system is to old and should I go out and get a new one because of it.
 
Do your regular PM on batteries such as keeping terminals clean and filling them with distilled water if they can be filled, and then plug your shore power cord in while you do your polishing and waxing. When it comes times to splash you will be good to go if you have healthy batteries at the start of the season.
 
If it's original (maybe a 20a or 30a PM Flyback?), the charger is a good charger (although not on par with the newer PM's). Check the fluid, plug it in and let it do it's thing. It's more than adequate. The batteries, really, shouldn't be all the low anyways and would most likely start the engines.
 
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If you have a 20 or 30amp Promarine OEM, yes it will top up the batteries. I will say that those older ferroresonant are pretty Neanderthal compared to the newer chargers like the Pronautic 1230. My batteries have lasted a lot longer since I swapped out the old one (mine was a 30amp) for a Pronautic 1240P. I attribute that 100% to the advanced charging profile and automatic periodic conditioning for flooded cell batteries.
 
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