Tuesday, March 26, 2024

What Battery Do I Need For My Boat

##2 Optima Batteries 8027

What kind of Batteries do I need for my Boat? Marine batteries explained!

This battery from Optima highlights Spiral Cell Technology that supports proficiency.

Its likewise spill-verification, on account of the retentive glass tangle plates that hold electrolytes. The innovation likewise forestalls extreme vibration, consumption, or corrosive releases that may occur.

This battery gives triple the tuning power of other standard batteries. Indeed, even in extraordinary climate conditions, you can depend on the battery for an ideal beginning power. The reserve capacity of the battery is 155 minutes, guaranteeing a consistent presentation.

Goodness, did I notice they offer a guarantee? Indeed, they do, so you realize you have a quality item that will keep going you quite a while.

The best in Optima Batteries 8027

  • Spill-proof battery
  • Requires little to no maintenance
  • Optimal starting power in all weather conditions
  • Shock and vibration resistant

What Is A Deep Cycle Marine Battery

When a vessels engine has turned over, it not needs similar brisk and compelling eruptions of vitality that originate from a starter battery. Instead, the boat needs continuous, reliable power for trolling including running hardware like sonar, GPS, and radios.

That is the place deep cycle marine batteries come in.

A deep cycle marine battery, or trolling battery, has a few structure contrasts. One key is plates: It has less, thicker plates permitting the battery to give continuous power yield over a prolonged period. Deep cycle batteries depleted and energized many occasions over, cranking batteries cant.

As such:

  • A cranking battery guarantees a pontoon can undoubtedly begin and get out on the water.
  • A deep-cycle battery keeps it working and runs gadgets in any condition.

Deep cycle marine batteries are considerably less liable to overheat since their thicker plate development can withstand high temperatures during overwhelming flows.

Charging A Marine Battery

Most of us understand that when we are buying a new or used boat, the batteries supplied may not necessarily be top-of-the-line. If they seem to do the job, we dont think much about them. But in the warmer climates everyday heat is a major enemy of batteries, and can shorten their life considerably. In areas of the country that force us to put boats in storage for the winter, how the battery is cared for during this period is also critical to increasing life expectancy.

Its best to keep batteries on a regulated trickle charger to maintain charge while not in use. A battery that is not charged can freeze in cold temperatures and a cracked case is the likely result. ;A battery is like a lot of things in lifeuse it or lose it! A car battery will typically last longer than a boat battery because the car is used regularly and the battery stays charged. When it comes to boats, the old adage of a batterys life being two years is pretty well on the mark. Youll usually get a heads-up when its about to give up on you, with the warning being a dead battery one morning or a bit slower cranking speed than youre used to. You plug in the charger, the battery miraculously comes to life, and youre off on your trip. You may think a light was left on, or that the radio memory pulled the voltage down. The reality may be that the battery is sulfating, plates are warped, and it no longer takes or holds a charge like it once did.

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Disconnect Boat Battery In The Winter

After doing an extensive amount of research on the topic, I was able to find out that a lot of boaters have their own opinions about disconnecting a battery and what the best way is to store the battery was during the winter months.

Indoor Battery Winter Storage:

During the winter months, it is recommended that you disconnect your battery and store it inside someplace cool and dry, like in a basement or a workshop. Marine batteries should never be left outside in the cold for too long because they can freeze. What happens is that the liquid inside will freeze and cause the electrical connections to break and bend the plates, which will lower the batteries output. Sometimes to the point where the battery is considered useless.

Long ago, it was said that storing a battery on a concrete floor would drain it quickly and cause it to lose its charge. That was true when battery cases were made out of natural rubber, but thats no longer the way it is today. Now, battery cases are made from polypropylene or other more modern materials, allowing the battery to be stored almost anywhere.

Some long-time boaters think that it is better for the battery now if it sits directly on a cold floor to help it hold its charge. Although thats just a theory, and I couldnt find any evidence to support it.

Outdoor Battery Winter Storage:

Although the winter months typically have less sunshine, you could look at using a solar panel to help keep the charge in the battery.

Determine The Needs Of Your Boat

What Size Battery Do I Need For My Boat? (Size Chart Added)

If you are trying to find the right suitable power cell for your boat, you first have to determine the entire electrical load of your boat and the current that it needs to start its engine. As we mentioned above, your marine battery will have to handle two tasks. Starting your boats engine and running its entire electrical grid. If you have an estimated value of these two things, then you will have an idea of what kind of battery you need to handle these two crucial tasks.

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Place The Battery In The Wrong Spot

Even so, a poorly installed setup can suffer from excessive vibrations, which in turn loosens the internal workings, eventually weakening the battery.

The battery box should be located where it wont be adversely affected by wave pounding and engine vibrations. It should also be situated in a location where it wont get flooded by seawater. Wet call batteries should also be situated in a location with adequate ventilation.

Tips For Avoiding Battery Problems

  • Secure the marine battery with a good battery tray, which should have a base that is screwed or bolted to the boat and either a rigid bracket or a locking strap to hold it to the base. You dont want the battery banging around in rough water.
  • Frequently check the battery terminal connections to make sure they are snug and free of corrosion. Replace the wing nuts often found on marine batteries with nylon locking nuts, which are much less likely to come loose.
  • If you use the boat infrequently, use a maintenance-type battery charger to keep the battery fully charged between outings.
  • Before off-season storage completely charge the batteries then disconnect the terminals so nothing can draw the battery down. If theres power available at your storage site, keep the batteries on a battery maintainer/charger through the off-season to continually maintain your batteries. Otherwise remove the batteries from the boat and store them where they can be connected to a maintenance charger.
  • Install a cover or boot over the top of the positive battery terminal, if one was not installed by the boat builder, even if the battery is in a covered box. The boot prevents sparks and arcing and possible explosion if, for instance, a tool is dropped on the terminal.

Bottom line? Keep your batteries charged, keep the terminals clean, and by all means get out in the boat and exercise your electrical system as often as you can!

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What Do Batteries Want

If you dont happen to have an abundance of smarts when it comes to understanding your boat’s batteries in terms of their chemistry and charging needs, it helps to have a system with the smarts built-in.;Fortunately, modern smart charging options are available to make proper care of batteries almost goof-proof.

We have onboard battery chargers, portable battery chargers and combination inverter/battery chargers for any size or style of boat. To find out more about chargers that are combined with a power inverter, see our West Advisor, Do-it-Yourself: Selecting an Inverter or Inverter/Charger.

This makes it difficult to recommend precise charging voltages, since they vary according to the temperature of the battery. Most of us generally operate our boats in temperatures between 50°F and 90°F, and the values used in our West Advisors reflect that. Higher temperatures require lower voltages, and lower temperatures require higher voltages. Note: In the following section, we define the capacity of the battery bank as C.

How Often To Change A Boat Battery

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The life span of a marine battery all depends on the frequency of use, the depth of discharges put on them, the climate, as well as the maintenance and charging habits of the owner.

That being said, its nice to have some sort of expectation, right?

You can reasonably expect to change a marine boat battery after 5-6 years.

This is assuming you use your boat on the weekends about 4 months a year and you always keep them charged with a smart charger when not in use and check their electrolyte levels .

If youre searching for a smart charger for your boat that can handle multiple banks and maximize the lifespan of your batteries, then you should at least consider this charger seen on Amazon. You can select the model based on the number of banks you anticipate having on your boat.

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Dont Maintain Your Battery

Water loss, due to evaporation from heat and other chemical reactions, is common in wet cell batteries. It can rapidly shorten a wet cell batterys life if left unchecked, so ensure the water level remains topped up . Only use distilled water, as impurities in tap water will accumulate inside the battery. Note that deep cycle batteries tend to lose water faster than starters.

External components should also be inspected. Check that the lead posts dont show signs of coming off . A gentle dose of grease, lanolin or Vaseline can stave off corrosion on exposed metal terminals. Once a year, clean out the battery box, check for signs of leaks and corrosion, check the vent is clear, and inspect the tie-downs.

What About Trolling Motors

If you have a trolling motor on your boat, you will require usually two to three deep-cycle batteries to power it. Unlike gasoline-powered engines, trolling motors run on stored battery power.

To keep your boat running throughout your adventure on the water, you need to buy those deep-cycle batteries with a large enough storage capacity.

And have the trolling motor wired up separately on its own circuit.

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Everything You Need To Know About Marine/boat Batteries

Marine batteries, commonly;known as boat batteries, are just as important to think about maintaining as your car battery. Proper care makes sure when youre taking the boat out for the first time in the spring or summer, youre not left with an unexpected dead battery.;Heres what you need to know about the maintenance and care for your marine;batteries.

Battery Tips For Best Performance

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No matter what kind of battery chemistry you choose, follow these recommendations to get the best performance:

  • Stay with one battery chemistry . Each battery type requires specific charging voltages. Mixing battery types can result in under- or over-charging. This may mean replacing all batteries on board at the same time.
  • Never mix old batteries with new ones in the same bank. While it seems like this would increase your overall capacity, old batteries tend to pull down the new ones to their deteriorated level.
  • Regulate charge voltages based on battery temperature and acceptance to maximize battery life and reduce charge time. Ensure that your charging system is capable of delivering sufficient amperage to charge battery banks efficiently. This generally means an alternator with an output that is 25% to 40% the capacity of your entire battery bank.
  • Keep batteries clean, cool and dry.
  • Check terminal connectors regularly to avoid loss of conductivity.
  • Add distilled water to flooded lead acid batteries when needed. Keep them charged. Leaving them in a discharged state for any length of time will damage them and lower their capacity.
  • Clean corrosion with a paste of baking soda and water.

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What Does Battery Group Size Mean

In searching for the right size of battery, it will all have to go down to identifying the right group size of marine battery. Considered as one of the specifications of marine battery that you have to look for. It simply indicates the dimensions of the power cell housings that the Battery Council International set. It is the standard sizing of marine batteries where it indicates the length, width, and height of the housings of the batteries. To guide you in your search for the right size of battery for your boat below is a chart of the common group size of marine batteries that you can consult.

A Size Chart of the Most Common Size of Marine Batteries in the Market Today!

Group Size

7-9/16″

What Battery Ratings To Look For

Starting functions: the amount of power available for cranking a starter is measured several ways.

CCA vs. MCA: The two common power measurements are CCA and MCA . The reason that MCA are 2025% higher than the CCA is because batteries work better at higher temperatures.

Reserve Minutes indicate how long a battery can sustain a load of 25 amps before it drops to 10.5 volts. A battery rated at 150 minutes can operate a 25A load for 2 1/2 hours . Starting batteries aren’t used to handle loads for long periods, so reserve minutes are less critical.

Size: Engine size, type, and ambient temperature determine what size cranking battery you need. High cranking power is required for cold temperatures, diesel engines, or large and high compression gas engines. The first sizing criteria is to meet the minimum CCA stated by the engine or boat manufacturer. If a Group 24, 550 CCA battery worked well for five years, we’d recommend replacing it with a similar model. If, however, it cranked too slowly or failed after a season or two, we’d suggest that you look for a battery with a higher CCA or MCA rating.

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Should I Get A Deep Cyclebattery

If you plan on powering various accessories inyour jon boat, you want to get yourself a marine deep cycle battery. However,there are several other types of batteries to consider, including starting anddual-purpose batteries.

Deep cycle batteries are specifically designedto slowly trickly current out over an elongated period of time. When runningaccessories on a jon boat, this is exactly what you should be looking for whenit comes to your next jon boat battery. They also offer great performance whenit comes to lasting a long time and providing necessary power when there aresurges.

You can also look at starting batteries anddual-purpose batteries, but the former is less necessary than the latter.Consider getting a dual-purpose battery if you think youll need that extrapower when starting up your motor, but its likely a deep cycle battery canhandle that surge.

First Time Boat Owners

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So, if you know nothing at all about your boats battery type. Say you are a first time boat owner. In that case, what you have to do is to identify amount of power that you will be requiring. For example a water pump uses about 5 Amps in an half hour period. Another one, is the TV they can use 4 Amps for a period of say 4 hrs. So, there are many guides for this information online. Including the excellent information on sailboat-cruising .com.

So the other big important thing for novice boat owners is choosing the ideal dimensions of batteries for your watercraft. Specifically, you will be looking for a battery that first of all will fit into the space allotted for the battery . Secondly, you have to take into consideration the fact that the battery of your choice will have to start the boats engine as well supplying all the other electrical gadgets on-board.

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Think About The Design And Upkeep

Another important aspect that you have to consider in picking a marine battery is the design and maintenance demand of the power cell. Ideally, you want to go for the maintenance-free batteries with durable design. They are more convenient to use, and they will also help you save a lot of money in the long run by reducing the maintenance expenses and by providing longer service life. Considering the design of the power cell will also make it easier for you to install the battery itself.

Should I Leave My Boat Battery Charger On All The Time

When it comes to leaving your battery charger plugged in all the time, it all comes down to what type of charger you have. For example, there are 3 stage and 4 stage chargers that have a built-in microprocessor that monitors the charge in the battery and automatically shuts itself off when the battery reaches a full charged.

There are also 1 and 2 stage chargers that shouldnt be left on for a long period. Usually, people who own these types of chargers will plug their battery in and fully charge it. Once the battery is fully charged they will unplug it. Then the day before they plan on heading out with the boat, theyll plug the charger back in to top the battery back up again.

The problem with leaving your battery charger plugged in for a long period if it doesnt have an auto-shutoff function is that it could dry up the battery cells and when that happens, you run the risk of overheating, which could lead to a fire if left too long.

If you store your boat on land or a lift just out of the water, you generally dont need to keep your battery plugged into a charger all of the time. Unless you live several hours away from where you store the boat, and you leave the boat for a few weeks at a time. In which case, you could always take the battery home with you to make sure it stays charged.

BMK makes a very nice smart charger that has been working great for me so far. You can buy them from Amazon for $35.99.

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