How long boat battery last

Attempting to use a battery that is not designed for your specific type of boat can lead to battery failure, or worse. If you want to learn more about different batteries in general, check out some basic battery knowledge. The maintenance your battery will require depends on the chemistry and construction of the battery you have. Wet-Cell Battery — the most common and typically the most affordable.

They contain many cells with an electrolyte liquid most of us call battery acid. While this may seem like doing a lot, there are advantages to a wet-cell battery:. Lithium-Ion — the newcomer to the battery world is proving to be a star, but be warned, this high-performance battery comes with a high-end price. Gel Battery — Gel batteries are filled with electrolyte similar to the wet-cell battery, with the primary difference being that the liquid is turned into a gel.

It's always a good idea to not fill your batteries before you equalize, the electrolyte will expand during equalization and if the batteries are too full they could overflow. There should be enough liquid to cover the plates and not much more. Below is a table from Trojan batteries website detailing their recommended charge levels and durations:.

Flooded batteries have to be watered periodically to maintain their performance and increase their longevity. As the chemical reactions take place some of the water is lost as gas from the vent caps. This means that the acid in the battery will eventually get below the level of the lead plates.

Luckily as it is just water that is being lost hydrogen and oxygen all that has to go back in is pure water. The frequency with which you'll need to add water to your batteries will vary depending on the temperature and how often the batteries are cycled charged and discharged. More frequent cycling or higher temperatures will mean more frequent watering.

It's generally a good idea to top off your batteries every month or so at first until you get an idea of how thirsty your batteries are. It is always best to use distilled or deionized water when refilling your batteries. Normal tap water can contain minerals and chemicals that can decrease battery capacity and increase the self discharge rate of the battery.

If your batteries are under heavy use or in are in a spectacularly awkward position you may find it advantageous to look into a watering system for your batteries. These snap into place over the vent holes on the battery, connected by a hose.

When you need to fill your battery you just attach a water supply and the whole process is done in a few minutes with no risk of spillage. It's much better on time and clothing than the normal method. Specific gravity is used to check the state of charge of a battery, essentially it's the ratio of the weight of a solution to the weight of an equal volume of water.

Testing the specific gravity of a cell is done using a hydrometer, the best of these automatically compensate for temperature. As the ratio of water to sulphuric acid inside the battery changes with activity the density of the electrolyte also changes, this is what the hydrometer measures. Another test that should be performed along with the Specific Gravity tests is looking at the Open Circuit Voltage of your battery.

When charging a lead acid battery the charging takes place in 3 stages. Bulk, Absorption and Float, this is why some chargers are referred to as being 3-Stage.

This is the first stage of 3-stage battery charging. The charger sends the current through to the cells at the maximum safe voltage they can handle. There is no correct voltage on this, but generally, it ranges from During this second stage of the charging cycle, the voltage remains constant then gradually lowers as the internal resistance in the battery increases as it charges.

This is the stage that the charger will generally put out the maximum voltage that it can and is generally around After the battery reaches its full charge during the absorption phase of charging the charging voltage drops down to around This stage is also sometimes referred to as a "Maintenance Charge" which is left on the whole time the battery is not being used so as to ensure that the battery is fully charged and able to function a tit's full capacity when it is needed.

Not all chargers are created equal; there is a huge difference between what a good quality three stage charger will do for your battery and what a cheap charger will do to your battery if used wrongly. The best chargers are 3-stage and have various safety features on them, such as not allowing current to flow until they detect a battery is connected and connected correctly. Also, they may be fan cooled and have features like automatic temperature correction, short circuit protection and so forth.

The other type of battery charger is generally one that will have none of the built in safety features that are mentioned above and will not automatically shut off or lower the voltage after the battery has gotten past the bulk charge stage. This makes it possible to do significant damage to your battery even to the point of a critical failure if this sort of charger is left unattended.

Always make sure you have read the manual and are following proper precautions before charging your deep cycle batteries. You can get a fairly good idea of how charged your batteries are by testing the voltage regularly:. One of the biggest reasons that these batteries have grown in popularity is that they require very little maintenance to have a long life. Nevertheless, even the tiniest bit of maintenance could extend your battery life significantly and save you money in the long run.

This allows your battery to go through a conditioning phase which prevents sulfaction damage to the plates. Opportunity charging is when you plug your battery in sporadically throughout the day, and then unplug it as you need it, without ever completing a full cycle. This does not give your battery the time needed to condition itself properly, and will ultimately deteriorate your battery life. Another thing you can do to protect your battery is to learn about the depth of discharge specifications of your battery.

Like opportunity charging mentioned above, this will prevent your battery from ever completing a full cycle, and will cause damage.