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Posts: 654
Location: MPLS, MN | My starting battery has died. I have an extra trolling moter battery that I don't use. It's a deep cycle I believe. I did use it once as a starting battery and it worked fine. My question is, will I harm anything by doing this? Should I buy a new starting battery? Or will I be ok with using this since its not being used in any other fasion. I'm not very educated on the differance between starting and deep cycle. Thanks |
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Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Hi OM- The extra trolling motor battery should work fine as a temporary replacement. Some "deep cycle" marine batteries are rated for both uses. You need to check which yours is. F.ex a dual use battery will have both the "cold cranking amps" (CCA) and the "Reserve Capacity" marked on them. Also if it's a "wetcell" meaning you can add distilled water to replenish the electrolyte losses- you should be OK. I would not use a "deep cycle only" battery as a permanent starting battery as it will likely not last as long as a "marine cranking" battery, especially for larger motors. However- In your case you may want too, i.e., just to get some payback on the investment (see note below)
BTW- While it may seem like a good idea to have extra batteries. Extra batteries sitting in your garage are aging at the same rate as the batteries in your boat. All lead-acid batteries have a finite life expectancy-even when sitting on a shelf (typically 3-5 years). Even if you periodically recharge them every 2-3 months they will probably be toast in ~3-5 years. So a word of advice - don't waste money buying extra batteries- buy them when you need them. Carry a set of jumper cables in the boat, you can always jumper the trolling motor battery to the starting battery in an emergency- Then buy a new starting battery.
Good Luck |
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Posts: 654
Location: MPLS, MN | Thanks, I read your post and inspected the battery. I think it is duel use. It has crank amps @ 700 and cold crank amp @ 540, about the same as the old battery. The only differance is that the one I'm using now has a reserve capacity. Thanks for the help!! |
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Posts: 185
Location: Pound, WI | Is there a difference in charging a regular battery and a deep cycle battery? Can I charge my deep cycle battery with my regular battery charger?
Brian |
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