[Busse Jim]

What do you do to keep your deep cycle battery from lossing any of its capacity for a full charge over the winter?. I make sure the water level is full and fully charged before storing it in the warm house for the 3-4 months till spring but the next year it never seems to charge up to the 13.3-13.9 volt range of the 1st year to start off, more like in the 12.9-13.3 volt range if i'm lucky, and by the 3rd year i end up buying a new one cause the charge just doesnt last like it used to and can barely get a 12.5-12.7 reading giving me only a few hours of use. I know that 3 years is probobly the most life span of a deep cycle but are there any tips for getting more life out of it?
Do i need to keep it on the maintenance charger all winter? or charge it once a month? better to store in a warm house or cold garage?
During a season its recharged right after use and half the time kept on the maintenance charge till next use, and i check and refill the water with distilled water, but just cant seem to get a battery to last so i can use it as the primary one in the 3rd year. any tips i'm missing?

 

[catchafew]

I'd put it on a battery tender once you have it fully charged but it seams like you're doing most of the right things. I may be wrong but I hear with 'wet cell' lead batteries they degrade slightly everytime you use them and have less and less capacity everytime its used. Some people say don't place a battery on a cement floor but IDK...

I hear GEL cell batteries are better with keeping up with their max stated capacity and can hold charge longer when they're off a battery tender but they can be overcharged (ruined) easier but they're BIG bucks.

How many times have you used it? If it degrades more use it as a 'back-up' battery between weigh-ins. When she fully dies, keep the battery and if they ever ban lead you'll be set to make a few 1000k jigs...

 

[Skifish1]

I'm not familiar with battery technology Jim but I believe you would be doing better to keep it indoors and give it a recharge periodically (every couple weeks or once a month?). Gotta be better than parking it for 5+ months on a garage floor.

Man when I was in college eons ago, and in a harsh winter environment, I'd carry my battery back and forth to the car and install/remove every time I would drive. I didn't drive much so the battery would die if I didn't do so. Had a charger also in my apartment. Felt like a dork carrying the battery far but at least i had wheels when I needed them (of course I was piss poor and had some battery acid trash a coat so had to live with that one winter)

 

[AndrewR]

Trickle charge it. You can get by doing this every-other month during winter.
Also, store them indoors at room temperature.

 

[Theshocker1293]

What everyone said plus I've read to fill the water or replace missing water only After it has been fully charged. Plus keeping it in room temperature is the ideal location. I will be keeping mine on a trickle charger maintenance charger. Basically I set myself calendar reminders every two weeks to turn it on and leave it on for a day or two.

Some people say don't place a battery on a cement floor but IDK...

I've heard this before also but then again have also heard it was an old rumor since nowadays battery won't lose their charge from being on cement. I'm still the same as you IDK but just to be safe it's off the ground

 

[JasonN]

Is 3 years really all a marine battery gets?

 

[JJW]

Everything you need to know about batteries.
http://www.marine-electronics.net/techa ... _faq.htm#9

 

[FishinMatt]

Is 3 years really all a marine battery gets?

Jason, I would say that is a respectable average. I have never gotten one through 4 years. There is only so much maintenance you can do to prolong the life. IMO, if you get 3 years out of one, you got your money's worth. I have had to get off the water in the middle of fishing trips to replace both starter and TM batteries, while trying to stretch out the life in the 4th year. I am entering my 9th season with my current boat, and am on my 3rd set of batteries, 3rd year, lol.

 

[Theshocker1293]

Sounds like the start of a Xmas list to me. :wink:

Wrapping would be a bitch.

Throw that bad boy in a gift bag and call it a day. Who wraps gifts nowadays seems more like "women work" to me :lol: J/k

 

[FishinMatt]

Seems more like a stocking stuffer to me.

 

[BassCaster]

Is 3 years really all a marine battery gets?

I am lucky to get 2 :-( but I use them a lot ..... charge them at least 3 times a week, sometimes 4 or even 5 .

 

[ffishman]

I used to bring mine inside every year, just like most of the guys here. Then one day at a marine store I ran into the guy delivering Interstate Batteries. I asked him about the best way to store batteries over the winter. He said, hands down, IN A COLD LOCATION. I now leave mine in the boat at the end of the year, check the water lever, and charge them up every few weeks. The batteries I have now on going on 5 years.

 

[Busse Jim]

5 YEARS! :shock:
Thanks for all the info guys and JJw for that link, lots of info! If you got batteries , you should read this. It answers the concrete floor question! :lol:
I love how it thinks a marine deep cycle should last 6 years :lol: I seem to replace em after 2 years never had one make it thru the 3rd year before id replace it.
Charging it slower each time during the season seems like good advice to prolong its life.

According to the link, since it would last longer if you only used half its charge each time rather than draining 80% each time and i would think buying a battery that has way more amp hours then you'd normally use is a better choice then one with just enough amp hours. might explain why i replaced batteries every 2 years, must have been draining the little DC 24 and 27 size ones well past 50% on those 6-7 hour busse days, reducing thier life span. i'm up to a DC 29 size now since i got a bigger trolling motor, maybe should have got a DC 31 battery.
Guess i'll just toss it on the charger every few weeks.( cant believe i never did that with any of the others, DUH! guess i thought i'd get the charge back in the spring :crazy: )
It discharges less storing it in a cold environment, but most garages can get below freezing so inside IS only option. I'll put it in the produce tray in the fridge for the winter :wink:

 

[Skifish1]

Jim, I find that I don't have any battery problems in the Yak. :lol:

 

[FishinMatt]

5 years with a full charge in each battery is crazy. What kind of batteries do you have Fishman?

 

[ffishman]

5 years with a full charge in each battery is crazy. What kind of batteries do you have Fishman?

I didn't say mine have a full charge at the 5 years, I said they still work just fine. I buy my from Walmart, they are Exides.

 

[Theshocker1293]

i'm up to a DC 29 size now since i got a bigger trolling motor, maybe should have got a DC 31 battery.:

x2 ..... I made that mistake when I got my #55 TM basically I should have bought the biggest and baddest one so that I could last longer on the water and not discharge it WAY BELOW normal levels. You live and you learn.

 

[Bassin' Ted]

I always considered anything over 2 years to be a bonus for my old wet-cell batteries. I upgraded to AGMs a couple years back and this is year 2. No problems so far and no signs of wear and tear. But if I can't get at least 4 years from these AGMs, I won't get them again.

By the way, I always leave my batteries in the boat in the garage hooked up to the on-board battery charger.

 

[catchafew]

Seams like some of the folks (Cranked, Hide, Ryan, Zach, etc...) at Deep use to swap out batteries during the weigh-ins when they only had a TM and no gas outboard. I'm thinking maybe two batteries might be the way to go vs. one big battery if a TM is your only option. I've seen size 27 batteries (I know not huge) at Menards going for about $68.

 

[FishinMatt]

Sorry to misinterpret you post Fishman. You are obviously getting enough juice after 5 years to have a regular fishing day, and that is still pretty awesome. Anything I have tried to push into year 4 has eventually bit me in the butt. From the starter battery not turning over in the cold to TM batteries on a 24V dying after 2 or 3 hours on the water. My current set is the most expensive Walmart had to offer, so maybe I can get a little extra out of them too. Funny thing is, I used to have Trojans which were at the time considered the cats meow. Ended up being the worst set I have owned, although I did pound on them pretty good. I have heard things like the up and down beating of your boat on the water all day can also effect the battery life, and I am guilty of being out there in some nasty elements from time to time.