Charging the battery?

[Scott McCubbins]

I have an 08 Tracker PT175 with the onboard battery charger. . . .do I need to leave this plugged in while not in use? A guy told me to always leave it plugged in and the charger will regulate the charge and keep it full/ready. Another guy just said to plug in until charged after a trip out. What is the real story??? :unsure:



Thanks!

 

[Scott Allen]

I leave mine plugged in 24/7 when not fishing. It has trickle charge capability. That will make your battery last longer I'm told.



Scott

 

[Jim in VA]

Its fine to leave it charged in all the time. The one caveat is to make sure to check your battery acid levels regularly as it is possible to boil the battery dry (don't ask how I know!). Add distilled water (only!) as needed. Scott is right in that there is a float charge mode to keep the battery topped off but not overcharged. Again, just watch fluid levels in the battery to make sure that level doesn't drop to below the plates.

 

[Scott McCubbins]

Great. . . thanks guys. I will continue to leave it plugged in (and will check the levels).

 

[Berry Lindley]

I keep mine plugged in all the time, keeps them topped off. Many engines now have a very small amp draw.

 

[Dan J.]

FWIW - I've found that leaving the charger plugged in 24/7-365 tends to create a need to top off the fuid more often with distilled H20 and shorten battery life, even though the mfr.'s tell you that it doesn't hurt a bit. Over an extended time (say winter, vacation, dog days of summer, etc.) your battery will still discharge, then float kicks off to charge and back and forth, eliminating fluid. Without a vigilant eye to keep check of the fluid level over the plates, they can dry and even burn. For the past many years I've charged up immediately after use, unplug the next day, and then plug in the night before I'm heading out again. I do not recomend 3 or more days constant charging. I could tell you several horror stories about what can happen and one I witnessed with Woo Daves and our night of terror at the hotel when his charger fried his battery, his boat, and a couple other boats before our T. Not trying to scare anyone, just thought you might want to consider this.

 

[TritonGlenn]

The real answer is - Depends on your brand of charger.



Remember everyone - not all chargers are created equal. For a great many years, I used Dual Pro Chargers and left them plugged in all the time. Not nocking Dual Pro, as they make a great product, and their customer service is very good. However... I had a couple of battery cases swell, some overcharging conditions, and reduced battery life.



Switched over to Guest chargers quite a few years ago, thanks to Sue and guys like Toxic and Gunny, and my overcharging, case swelling, etc... problems were solved. Plus (knock on wood), I've never had to replace a Guest charger yet.



Even though the charger may advertise that it is a smart charger, and will either drop down to a trickle charge and/or shut off when the battery is topped off, not all of them do it efficiently.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

And....Just for safety sake, unplug your TM when the charger is on. I do leave my GUEST plugged in all the time but the TM is unplugged. Had the Marina run a new power wire to my fusebox and now my master off switch does not work. Also, graphs do pull juice even when they are off.



TOXIC

 

[firedog978]

Some chargers are like anything else you buy; you can get a bad one. I have found my (second) one to be working properly (almost 2 full years), and leave it plugged in all the time it's idle. I do often check the battery levels and keep the deck lid open for proper ventilation while charging. Also, as in anything electric check your wires and connections. Many problems come from poor connections or shorts in the wiring, not the charger.

 

[Berry Lindley]

I had to add water only once in 3 yrs on my last battery.....must vary by charger specs. I have checked with my meters and all seems OK and on spec. Tox good point on unplugging TM, I do it, but it is easily overlooked.