What is considered a "trickle charger"?

I am looking for an onboard 2 bank charger.
People have told me to not charge the batteries too fast.

I am looking for an overnight charging unit that maintains the batteies
at full charge.

Is there a max Amp rating I should target for?
My little 1 amp charger takes 3 days to charge one Interstate SRM 27 and
that is way too long.

SHRED wrote:
I am looking for an onboard 2 bank charger.
People have told me to not charge the batteries too fast.

I am looking for an overnight charging unit that maintains the batteies
at full charge.

Is there a max Amp rating I should target for?
My little 1 amp charger takes 3 days to charge one Interstate SRM 27 and
that is way too long.


Sometimes I want to fish the next day.
I'd like to charge my 12V TM battery overnight (12 hours or so).

What would be the minimum amp rated charger I should look for in order
to get the slowest charge, in that time frame?

I would say it would depend on how discharged your battery is... But
guessing it isn't more than 50% discharged, a 5 amp should get it I would
say, but as you said, the slower the better, ALWAYS. I"m not a battery
expert, just someone that tries to make informed conclusions from personal
experiences, and things I've read.


But, I personally run a Pro-Mariner 10-10-10 Charger, and I never have any
problems and after a hard day, it's always ready the next morning to do it
again. 2+ years old and still going strong. My batteries are Crown Series
Group 49's, I think, there the largest ones Crown makes for Deep Cycle,
non-Gel, regular Lead Core. I selected the Crown batteries cause they
actually make them locally and have a very good reputation in these parts.
Something else SHRED, that you might want to look into, when your in the
market, are the Actual Minn Kota Gel Batteries, I've heard of extremely good
luck with these, with a noticeable increase in motor power and longevity, I
haven't tried them myself yet though. When these Crowns bite it, I will
see.

Congrats on the new boat btw, it's looks like a beauty!!

Doug


"SHRED" wrote in message
...
SHRED wrote:
I am looking for an onboard 2 bank charger.
People have told me to not charge the batteries too fast.

I am looking for an overnight charging unit that maintains the batteies
at full charge.

Is there a max Amp rating I should target for?
My little 1 amp charger takes 3 days to charge one Interstate SRM 27 and
that is way too long.


Sometimes I want to fish the next day.
I'd like to charge my 12V TM battery overnight (12 hours or so).

What would be the minimum amp rated charger I should look for in order to
get the slowest charge, in that time frame?

On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 07:57:57 -0800, SHRED wrote:

I am looking for an onboard 2 bank charger.
People have told me to not charge the batteries too fast.

I am looking for an overnight charging unit that maintains the batteies
at full charge.

Is there a max Amp rating I should target for?
My little 1 amp charger takes 3 days to charge one Interstate SRM 27 and
that is way too long.

A battery should be able to take a charge at close to the same rate it
was discharged at. That being said a starting amperage of 10 to 15
amps with a tapering charge system should not hurt the battery. The
charger should also be able to sense the battery condition and
taper/end the charge when the battery is charged.

I am partial to having a small timer in line so if the charger does
not end the charging cycle, the timer does. A simple plug in wall
timer for a few bucks is good insurance.

A good resource for learning about batteries and charging is
www.batteryfaq.org

There go the kids, ice skating down the road again! :{

Dan

Remove the x for e-mail reply
1996 HD Sportster 1200S. N9JBF. Bass fishing Aficionado!
www.outdoorfrontiers.com www.SecretWeaponLures.com
A proud charter member of "PETAF", People for Eating Tasty Animals and Fish!!!

"SHRED" wrote in message
...
I am looking for an onboard 2 bank charger.
People have told me to not charge the batteries too fast.

I am looking for an overnight charging unit that maintains the batteies at
full charge.

Is there a max Amp rating I should target for?
My little 1 amp charger takes 3 days to charge one Interstate SRM 27 and
that is way too long.

Get a Vector 1092 charger. Is a smart charger and does not cook the battery
like some other chargers. I used to run a timer on the plug so if I forgot
to shutoff the charger the battery did not get fried. Got the Vector at
Wal-mart, about $60-70 and not only does not kill the battery, does a much
better job of charging them.

Doug wrote:
I would say it would depend on how discharged your battery is... But
guessing it isn't more than 50% discharged, a 5 amp should get it I would
say, but as you said, the slower the better, ALWAYS. I"m not a battery
expert, just someone that tries to make informed conclusions from personal
experiences, and things I've read.


But, I personally run a Pro-Mariner 10-10-10 Charger, and I never have any
problems and after a hard day, it's always ready the next morning to do it
again. 2+ years old and still going strong. My batteries are Crown Series
Group 49's, I think, there the largest ones Crown makes for Deep Cycle,
non-Gel, regular Lead Core. I selected the Crown batteries cause they
actually make them locally and have a very good reputation in these parts.
Something else SHRED, that you might want to look into, when your in the
market, are the Actual Minn Kota Gel Batteries, I've heard of extremely good
luck with these, with a noticeable increase in motor power and longevity, I
haven't tried them myself yet though. When these Crowns bite it, I will
see.

Congrats on the new boat btw, it's looks like a beauty!!

Doug


"SHRED" wrote in message
...
SHRED wrote:
I am looking for an onboard 2 bank charger.
People have told me to not charge the batteries too fast.

I am looking for an overnight charging unit that maintains the batteies
at full charge.

Is there a max Amp rating I should target for?
My little 1 amp charger takes 3 days to charge one Interstate SRM 27 and
that is way too long.

Sometimes I want to fish the next day.
I'd like to charge my 12V TM battery overnight (12 hours or so).

What would be the minimum amp rated charger I should look for in order to
get the slowest charge, in that time frame?




Thanks for the details Doug.

I am headed out in the morning for some bassin' on the new boat.
YIPEEEE!!!!!!

"SHRED" wrote in message
...
I am looking for an onboard 2 bank charger.
People have told me to not charge the batteries too fast.

I am looking for an overnight charging unit that maintains the batteies at
full charge.

Is there a max Amp rating I should target for?
My little 1 amp charger takes 3 days to charge one Interstate SRM 27 and
that is way too long.

You really need to get an on-board charger that has a fairly high amperage
output. You WANT to throw a fast charge initially because this will cause
the lead sulphate build-up (which is created by discharging the battery) to
fall off the plates in the battery. It is this build-up that causes
batteries to fail, it gets so thick that two plates will touch and short
out.

So look for a system that starts out at least at 10 amps (for each battery),
then steps down as the battery approaches a full charge. Most good on-board
chargers have circuitry that senses a drop in the battery and will throw a
maintenance, low amperage charge when needed.

I haven't taken a battery out of my boat for the winter in over five years
now. I just leave the boat plugged in.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

1 amp = Trickle Charge
2 amp = Slow Charge
6 - 10 amp = Fast Charge
50+ amp = Engine Start

Nothing is etched in stone, especially since manufacturers
have skewed the benchmarks back-and-forth,
making them more subjective than objective.

Roger

SHRED wrote:
I am looking for an onboard 2 bank charger.
People have told me to not charge the batteries too fast.

I am looking for an overnight charging unit that maintains the batteies
at full charge.

Is there a max Amp rating I should target for?
My little 1 amp charger takes 3 days to charge one Interstate SRM 27 and
that is way too long.
Are you dead set on getting a charger? If you are not, then do yourself
a big favor and go online to: www.stayncharge.com. This device keeps
your boat batteries charged while you drive to & from your destination.
It is basically a wire harness designed by Jim Payne which uses your tow
vehicle's alternator to re-charge your batteries as you travel. You
never have to find a 115V. outlet ever again. No heavy charger to hook
up. No heat generated. Your batteries are charged immediately after
their being used, which all the books tell you that you are suppose to
do. Best of all, you're always ready to go and go and go, never giving
another thought to battery charging. I've had mine on my F-150 now for 2
full seasons and I absolutely LOVE it. I charge 2 batteries; one for my
trolling motor and one for my starting battery. And guess what the best
part is? It costs only $49.00! You owe it to yourself to check this out.
btw, Jim's customer service is truly outstanding! He'll help you ever
step of the way.

"Richard Steinbock" wrote in message
...
SHRED wrote:
I am looking for an onboard 2 bank charger.
People have told me to not charge the batteries too fast.

I am looking for an overnight charging unit that maintains the batteies
at full charge.

Is there a max Amp rating I should target for?
My little 1 amp charger takes 3 days to charge one Interstate SRM 27 and
that is way too long.

I use three Back & Decker independent carry chargers from Wally World. They
are automatic. I set them on 2 amp if I don't plan to use my boat the next
day, and I just walk by the boat the next day and flick them back on if they
don't fully recharge in a day. If I need to use the boat the next day I
just set the chargers to 6 amp. Works the best of anything I have tried.

Of the onboard chargers I have had in the past Guest worked the best, but
its a good idea to check the fuses if any of your batteries show charge
faster than you think they should. I found that with any of the onboard
chargers my batteries still seemed to need a slow trickle charge
periodically from a small carry charger to keep at max capacity.

Also, some of the "good" onboard chargers seemed to cook off battery
electrolite if left unattended for more than a couple days. Tells me they
weren't going over to a true float mode when the batteries were charged.

--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contests
http://www.YumaBassMan.com



--
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