Posts: 97
Location: Milwaukee, WI | gregk9 - 7/12/2012 11:54 AM
Now the question is is it ok to leave the trolling motor 'plugged in' while charging.
no, No, NO!
All it takes is one power surge on the line while your battery charger is plugged in to fry the circuit board on your motor. $200+ and lost day fishing later, you will wish you took the time to simply unplug the TM before you plugged in your on-board charger.
This is especially true when your boat is on the water. During any electrical storm, the odds that there will be a power surge increases dramatically. At home its a lesser chance, but it can still happen, so why take the risk?
Alternatively, you could hook up a surge protector, but that wont protect against everything so why go through that hassle?. And if your TM is protected by a fuse, that protects against most surges - but it is not a fail safe. The only safe way to charge a trolling motor is with it disconnected.
I speak from experience on this. A day wasted on LOTW a few years ago was a HUGE bummer.
Also: this goes for any and all other electronics. If you happen to hook up a charger to your batteries that are running your locator, make sure those are disconnected as well. |
