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Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | After resting for ~ 8hrs w/o charging the voltage should be ~12.7V with a digital meter. If its lower it indicates either the battery wasn't fully charged or its lost capacity. The voltage will gradually go down over time as the battery ages and/or is cycled more -> discharged/recharged.
Have fun!
Al |
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Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | One last bit of advice. When I say resting that means the battery has been on charge for ~24 hrs previously and they have been setting without charge or load (resting) for ~8 hrs.
All deep cycle batteries we typically use in our boats should be fully recharged after 24hrs of charging, depending on the charger and ampere rating. The typical recharge time varies with the charging current - never use a 75A boost charger on a deep cycle battery if you don't know what you're doing....
With respect to state of charge or battery capacity in the battery. The voltage state of charge chart in this webpage is a good guideline. If your battery reads 12.4 or lower after resting for 8 hrs, its probably time for a replacement battery.
http://www.emarineinc.com/pages/Batteries-Maintenance-101.html
My experience is that once they reach this 80% SOC (12.4V), its time to replace them. For what its worth, my TM wet-cells are now at the 12.4V level after ~12 years. I've pushed them to the edge. They will be replaced for next season, I'm just hoping I can put it off for the rest of this season.
Have fun!
Al |
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Posts: 358
| Interstate Marine. |
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Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | I buy my batteries from Walmart. Why? Because they have stores all over, including Kenora and Dryden. If one fails under warranty when I'm on trips, etc., I don't have to go back to a local battery reseller/vendor/marina. Wallmart also has pretty good prices and usually good turn over in battery stock.
If the battery in the store has dust on it, don't buy it! Ask what the date of manufacture was, each battery manufacturer uses a date code. If its more than 3-months old, don't buy it.
https://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app&gws_rd=ssl#q=Battery&...
There are lots of deep cycle batteries - its like buying an other product, do your research, then get your wallet out.
If you want really great performance->
http://www.lithiumion-batteries.com/products/product/12v-200ah-lith...
Have fun!
Al
Have fun!
Al |
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