battery question

i have a a less than 2 year old battery that is no longer performing like i need it to, it will not hold a charge. i’m not quite sure if it was something i did or if it was just the battery. i charged it after every use, and stored-charged in a heated 40 degree garage during the off season. here are the specs on the batt.

SRM-29
12 Volts – Deep Cycle/ Cranking
BCI#: 29M/10
CCA: 675
MCA: 845
RC: 210 minutes
Warranty: 30 months
Dimensions (in): 13 x 6.75 x 10
Weight: 61 lbs.
Terminal: Auto/Stud posts
Hours @ Ampere Load: 21@5; 6.4@15; 3.4@25

i charged it at 10 amps, was that too fast?.

is it better to charge at 2 amps or 10 amps?.

it was on some early spring and late fall trips, but has no signs of freezing/wall expansion, so that shouldn’t be an issue?.

i am replacing it, but i don’t want to have this happen to my next batt. also i am looking for a single bank onboard charger at a decent price if anyone knows of one that fits the bill. thanks for any info.

– josh

I do not know what your problem was but for sure 2amp charging is a much better charge. I got five seasons out of my Northern deep cycle batteries.

Josh,

Did you check the water level in your battery from time to time? About once a month you need to make sure there is enough water in the battery so that the plates are covered. Usually that means filling them just to the bottom of the vent holes. Only use distilled water for this.

As for charging amperage. With deep cycle batteries of today, the faster you charge them the better. 10 or 15 amp chargers are much better for the battery than a trickle charger or only an amp or two. You should also seriously consider a charger that is a three stage charger and one with a temperature sensor is even better. I run a three bank Minn Kota MK330 in my boat and like it a lot.

From past experience the shorter life batteries, just like the longer life batteries, don’t last the entire length of life they say they do. There probably is exceptions but in the past by the time the battery gets close to the end of the life cycle its not worth using anymore because they are getting weak and won’t store energy as effeciently as they did when they were in better shape. I buy a long life battery then change them every two to three years weather they need it or not. This may sound wasteful but i’ve always got fresh batteries and doing this my batteries have never failed me and have all the performance in them i need. A slower trickle charge at 2 too 4 amps is better than a 10 amp charge. The chemical change in the battery will happen more thourghly with a slow charge. If i come in with low batteries and am going out again in about 8 hrs i still trickle charge because its more effecient even if the batteries aren’t fully charged and i still get a charge full enough to last me the time im out. Heres another reason i buy fresh batteries is because they take a charge weather its a trickle charge or from the alternator on the motor better with newer plates in the fresh batteries. When the plates start to corrode from usage or not as many plates or thinner plates like in a short life battery, they don’t accept a charge as good, to put it into simple detail, the larger storage batteries are a better deal for the small amount it costs for the larger batteries. Its always best to trickle charge if you have the time and never if you can help it let the battery go completely dead and store them inside in the winter if its going to be along time befor thier used again. Its very important to keep them charged fully in the winter or they will freeze like you said.

Proper Care and Maintenance of Deep Cycle Batteries

These guys pretty much answer the battery question…

I’ll add that the regular batteries at walmart work just fine (deep cycle marine and cranking).

There are a number of on-board battery chargers that will do the trick. The Minn Kota 330 has a nice rebate going right now. Oops, you said single… You can get a single in the Guest OptiCharge but I’d look at the MK 210 also, even though it’s 2 bank. It’s going to be a more solid unit and has the 3 year warranty. There’s a 25.00 mail-in rebate with purchase of MK 210, making it a great price.

man you guys are all over it, i really appreciate all the info. reading all of this makes me wonder if i wasn’t over charging it. i would do 10 amps overnight at least usually. about the minnkota 210, a two bank charger, it does 5 amps on each bank max. if i hooked both banks up to the same battery would that work, so i could get the full 10 amps of bulk charging?. that looks like a good deal if it will work.

maybe only 5 amps to bring it back up by the next day would work just fine?.

how do i find out how many charging amps my battery will take efficiently?.

thanks guys for all the helpfull info.

– josh

Here is a pic of my 12 volt on board charger, it puts out 1.5 amps a very slow charge. You can pick one of these up at fleet farm or Batteries Plus for around $29. This one works good for me because I do not fish every day so there is plenty of time between trips for the battery to charge up. This is also a good unit for when you store your rig in the winter as it will maintain and prolong the life of your batteries. I plug mine in when I get home and forget about it and I am good to go the time out. If you need your batteries charged up over night or if you fish almost every day this might not be the unit for you.

Josh,

If you’re certain you won’t use the second bank, maybe you should go with a one bank system. I’ve got a Guest 2608 and a ProMariner ProSport 6 that are both 6 amp 1 bank set-ups. I was thinking of the Minn Kota chargers because of that nice rebate but if you will only use one bank a 6 amp should be plenty. That Guest and ProMariner run around $85. I think Cabelas has a 6 amp single for around $75.

CAR AND DEEP CYCLE BATTERY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

i found out i can hook up a 2 bank charger to one battery it just charges faster… from the minnkota website, but i am gonna call interstate tommorrow and see what amperage they recommend for recharging. but right now the 210 looks like a good option. but if it is too big i will go with the smaller one bank. thanks again.
– josh