battery charging...

[johnny howe]

I have two marine batterys on the boat. my engine does not charge them. i go out every weekend, and i charge both batterys before i go. one starts it, the other i have hooked to a radio, gps/fishfinder, trolling motor. my question ...will it hurt the life charging them every week? they usually have about 12.2 and have 13. something after i charge them. thanks

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: battery charging...

It would be better to charge them right after you come back rather than before you go out.
A battery that reads 12.2 after charging, has a problem. It should be Well above 12.6 and likely above 13.

Why not find out why the alternator isn't working and get it fixed?

 

[johnny howe]

Re: battery charging...

oh no...the batterys show above 12 before i charge them. does it hurt to charge a fully charged battery, i like the amps to be as high as i can get it before going out. i have an old 66 mercury 950 ss. i have fixed everything on this motor but the tach and charging system.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: battery charging...

Within Reason, attaching a charger to a battery that does not need a charge will not do it much harm.
The battery in your car is charged by the alternator whenever the engine is running.
A 20 minute trip to the store, or a 20 hour road trip, it charges all the time.

If you use a Smart Charger, it will stop charging when the battery is full.

If you only use the batteries occasionally, attaching a MAINTAINER would be a better solution.

But you still need to get the charging system working on the Engine!

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: battery charging...

consider a onboard 3 bank charger then you can just plug in and forget about it.