battery question

[nightvision]

Hi all,<br /><br />I have a 2005-180 sport and the dealer told me that if it sits for more then six weeks or so I should remove the negative battery connection to save the battery. I'm curious to know what would drain the battery if the boat is just sitting in the garage? Would my hour meter be set back set back to zero? Also, I'm just currious to know how long I can let my boat sit (without removing the neg on the battery) before I have to worry that it will not start on the water? One day before each trip I usually connect to Multimeter to the battery to get a reading. I was told that 12.6 is a full charge on the battery. What reading would I need a charge before I put it on the water.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: battery question

Schumacher makes a 1.5 Amp battery maintainer that mounts permanently in the boat. If you have a 110V outlet handy, plug it in and forget about battery problems. If you have a radio in the boat, its memory and clock functions can draw down the battery over time. The battery maintainer mentioned above is available at almost any discount store (Fleet Farm, etc.) for about $20.00. I've installed them on my last two boats and they remain plugged in whenever the boat is stored. Batteries are never a problem.

 

[amirm]

Re: battery question

Every battery has internal leakage that causes it to self discharge, even if you have it fully disconnected. The discharge rate can be as high as 4%/week! Since you should not let such battery go below 50% capacity (and that includes usage for starting the engine), you see that even 2 to 3 months of non-use is bad for the battery. Here is more useful info on the topic: http://www.lectriclimited.com/battery_faq.htm <br /><br />The battery maintainer is a good idea. I am actually going with a solar charger though that has built-in regulation for charging as I don't have power near my boat....<br /><br />Amir

 

[Silvertip]

Re: battery question

Solar is a viable alternative when AC power is not available. I have a solar panel in a south facing window in my shed. It keeps my tractor battery topped off and ready to go when I need it.

 

[RC]

Re: battery question

If you have a dual battery setup would you have one for each?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: battery question

Depends on the output of the solar panel. If the panel is big enough, you could feed both batteries but you should probably have isolation diodes in each line. If the second battery is for a trolling motor, there is no way a solar panel can recharge it in a reasonable amount of time.