Cons Of Gel Cell Batteries:
High initial cost The gel cell battery is a specialty boat battery that costs twice as much as the best-flooded batteries. Although this cost lessens over time, because of its long-lasting deep-cycle uses. Anyways, entry costs are a factor for most buyers.
Needs special chargers You must use the correct charger on a gel cell battery or it will lead to poor performance and early failure. This means more money to spend for the boat owner.
Overcharging sensitivity This type of boat battery uses a special charger plus it charges at a lower voltage than other types. So, some boaters have a higher chance of high-voltage overcharging. The result is damage to the battery and is annoying to the owner.
Poor heat resistance Hot temperatures can create adverse effects to the electrolyte. As a result, this can turn the gel hard allowing it to shrink off from the plates. Exposing the plates will shorten the life expectancy of this boat battery.
What Boat Battery Do I Need
Whether you just bought a brand new boat, need an improve, or brought equipment on your sailboat, the question always comes up as to what size battery I need for my boat. We cover the entirety you want to know approximately deciding on the ideal battery length for your boat.
What size boat battery are you searching out? This is an critical question. We have prepared a guide that will let you in determining which kind of battery to get. Boats are available numerous sizes, and in addition they include exclusive add-ons, then you want the right kind and size of the battery to strength all of them.
Which battery do I need for my electric outboard engine or trolling motor. To solution this query you need to do not forget the following things. On which Voltage is the engine running? How many Amps does the engine need in use? What is de preferred runtime?
Situations like leaving your lighting on all night time can kill your car batteries long earlier than it time for a normal alternative. Either manner, preserving up together with your battery is a primary part of car preservation. Learn the satisfactory batteries on the.
About AGM Boat Batteries: AGM batteries function a dense filling of absorbent glass matting packed tightly between the battery’s plates. The matting is saturated with acid electrolyte. This permits oxygen to recombine with hydrogen gas to refill the battery’s water content and alleviate the need for.
BoAt is extremely.
Different Types Of Battery Chemistry
Now that you are familiar with the different types of batteries available in the market, this is the time to learn about the different types of battery chemistry. Which is another crucial aspect in choosing the right type of battery that can keep with the needs of your boat. To be familiar with this different battery chemistry, refer to the list below:
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Determining The Group Size Of Marine Battery
When it comes to picking the right size of battery for your boat, that first thing you have to do is to determine the actual electrical load of the boat. It will give you an idea of how much power do you need to crank up its engine and at the same time power all of the boats electrical components and accessories. Once you have an idea of the enough power that you need, you can now then identify what size of battery you are going to need.
Think About The Reserve Capacity Of The Power Cell
The reserve capacity of a power cell indicates the amount of time it can stand on its own and provide the power your boat needs for its electrical components. It tells about the amount of time a fully charged marine battery requires to drop below 10.5 volts if it is discharging 25 amps. The larger the electrical load of your boat, the higher the reserve capacity it needs to be able to run the entire electrical grid relying on the battery alone. Batteries with higher reserve capacity can be a bit expensive, so make sure to weigh all your options carefully to come with a smart decision.
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Battery Tips For Best Performance
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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Guide To Battery Chargers
Charging Amperage: Chargers have an amperage rating that indicates how quickly they will re-charge depleted batteries. The higher the number, the faster they will recharge. A 5 amp charger will re-charge mid-range batteries fully in 10-12 hours and should be fine for most fishermen. But if you need lightning fast recharges, or if you have batteries that are 120 amp hours or higher, we recommend purchasing a 10 or 15 amp charger.Number of Banks: A batteries bank rating indicates how many batteries it is designed to re-charge. A single bank charger is designed for one 12-volt battery . A double bank charger is designed for two 12 volt batteries . And a triple bank charger will charge three 12 volt batteries .
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Features To Look For When Buying A Marine Charger
When choosing any kind of product there are always some things we should consider, which are more of a fundamental nature about the specific item, or sometimes its some standards that have to be met. Now we will take a look at those things when it comes to marine battery chargers.
- For the marine industry, the standards are ABYC/ UL 1236, which have to be met by the charger! To make sure such an item has met the criteria it has to undergo a 1500 volt test, which shows if there is an appropriate AC/DC isolation inside it.
Some people can look into non-marine chargers for their boats, and some of them do well with the environment, but if you search for those who have the ABYC or UL 1236 compliant statement or logo you can rest assured that it is well suited for water application.
- You have to look for a charger that doesnt have a limit on the output meanwhile, it should be able to work with different input voltages. This means it should supply you with 100% of its rated production while working with any voltage between 90-260 volts/ 40-80 Hz. This is a World Voltage, Sterling PCU power factor for chargers.
This is great because if you travel anywhere in the world, you could use the charger freely. That can be a good plus for anyone who loves to cruise, meanwhile if you have a US voltage charger, you are stuck with using it at US docks only.
Do I Need Multiple Batteries Formy Jon Boat
There may be a case where youll be out on thewater without any energy or maybe you just need a little extra juice to keepyour jon boat moving along. Having multiple batteries for a jon boat can behelpful when you need it, which is why you may want to keep in mind having twobatteries on your jon boat.
While it may seem like having an extra batteryon your jon boat makes sense because itll give you more power for your boat,youre most likely better off just getting a bigger battery. If you have a jonboat thats bigger than average and requires a strong supply of current to keepeverything powered, then it may mean youll need two batteries.
If youve maxed out on battery size for yourlarge jon boat and you need more power, consider getting another battery thatyou can put in parallel to your existing battery. Before you do this, you needto make sure the specs of the batteries are similar, especially voltage, butthe amps can be different. By putting batteries in parallel, you canelectrically add the amps together to get even more energy to your jon boat.
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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.
Consider The Size Of The Power Cell You Are Going To Purchase
To be able to select the right battery for your boat and your needs, you also have to make sure that you determine the right size of battery you need. We mentioned earlier that size of battery you are going to purchase would have to depend on how much power your boat needs. It means, the larger your boat is and the larger its electrical load it has, the larger size of power cell it needs to keep up with its demand. To guide you on this aspect, you can refer to the battery size section of this article above.
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How Long Will My Boat Battery Last
Even if you get the battery in the right size, it will not last forever. When it comes to down to it, most batteries have a lifespan of three-five years. As expected, the exact number of years depends on factors such as usage, quality, temperature, and charging habits.
However, it is possible to extend the life of your battery. With this in mind, avoid overcharging and extreme temperatures. Also, clean your battery and ensure it does not remain in storage for long periods.
How Many Amps Do You Need For Your Marine Charger
Simply put, the more amps your charger has, the faster they will work. The fastest recommended rate for lithium-ion batteries is .5C, and for lead-acid batteries is .1C. C rate means, for example, that a 100Ah lithium bank battery should charge at 50A maximum .
Likewise, a 100Ah lead-acid battery should only charge at 10A max. Given these parameters, the lithium-ion battery would take two hours to charge, and ten hours for the lead-acid battery if they were fully depleted.
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Simple Rules For Best Power Production
Keep the panels as perpendicular to the incoming suns rays as possible. We understand that if youve mounted panels on a boat on a mooring, you may not be able to guarantee that they are pointing towards the sun, but all panels will produce more power if they get direct sunlight. This is a compelling reason to mount panels on cruising boats so that they can be aimed in the appropriate direction, no matter what the season, course, or latitude.
Avoid shadows: The output of a panel drops dramatically when shadowed, even if only 10 percent of the panel is in shadow. A small shadow can reduce the panels output by 50 percent or more. When something as large as a boom, radar scanner, or mast casts its shadow on a panel, your output goes down dramatically.
Keep your panels cool. Its not easy to keep a black surface cool in the sun, but panel output goes down as temperature rises, so if you can provide some ventilation on the backside of the panel, you may be able to pick up a five or ten percent increase.
Replacing Your Boat’s Battery
Consult your boat owners manual or a marine dealer when replacing a marine battery, and be sure to buy a new battery that is a good match for your boat. Marine batteries are rated by their ampere hour rating, reverse capacity, and marine cranking amps. When shopping for a deep cycle battery, you’ll want to pay the most attention to the ampere hour rating and reserve capacity. For starting batteries, focus primarily on the marine cranking amps. Consult all three rankings when searching for a dual-purpose battery.
If you add electrical accessories to your boat, you may need to upgrade to a battery with a higher amp-hour rating, especially if you spend a lot of time trolling with the engine at a very low speed or you spend a lot of time beached or at anchor while using accessories like the audio system.
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The Abcs Of Marine Batteries
You need to know the differences between battery types before you can pick the right setup for your boat.
I recently received an e-mail from a reader who said that while he liked this column and looked forward to it every month, he also viewed it with trepidation because every time he finished one task he found he had more things to add to his to-do list. For his benefit and that of other harried readers I offer this column as a Christmas present. I promise it will be informational only and contain no maintenance tasks whatsoever.
The subject is marine batteries. This may not seem terribly exciting at first glance. Most of us give little thought to our batteries until they dont work. Fortunately thats rare. Marine batteries are remarkably durable and reliable, but like old soldiers, they eventually fade away. When they do, knowing some battery basics can help you pick the best replacement.
A batterys ability to crank an engine is indicated by its cold cranking amps , the amount of juice delivered at a specific temperature, usually 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Since few pleasure boats operate near freezing, CCA is valuable mainly for comparison, and most people just use the amp-hour rating. Diesel engines require batteries with more amp-hours because they have much higher compression ratios, which make them harder to crank.
This article originally appeared in the December 2014 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
Promariner Prosport Generation 3 Battery Charger
It is nice knowing that your batteries are always fully charged and you are ready to go to your favorite place anytime. This charger is well made and weighs about 4 pounds. The unit is a two-bank charger, the first bank is for Cranking Battery and the second bank is for House Battery .
Pay attention that the one cord is specifically designed to hook up to the trolling cell and the other to the cranking one. It takes about 4 hours to charge both batteries had they been completely dead when you hooked up the charger. The most impressive thing that may be helpful for you is to know that if you have multiple batteries connected in series the battery charger will still charge both batteries together. For example, if you have 2 trolling motor batteries connected in series, this charger wont let you down.
The lighting system on this charger is impressive, it shows you everything the charger is doing, including the status of your batteries
Pros:
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Battery Storage & Maintenance
Proper storage of the marine battery will prolong its life cycle. Winterizing your boat also consists of adequately storing your battery. Trickle chargers can cause damage to your marine boat unless it is set up in a way not to overcharge the battery.
Picking an excellent automatic marine battery charger will save you money in replacement costs. You also want to store your battery in a manner that allows the battery no to stay at a constant temperature.
The Battery cannot be set on concrete as it may expand and leak, or completely discharge depending on the moisture and temperature of the concrete. Always set your battery on a dry wooden surface.
Getting your battery ready for the spring season is not as simple as picking up and going. Here is an excellent video that explains the entire process.
Electric Outboard Motor For Boat: What You Need To Know
The electric outboard motor is definitely appealing but the flooded information on the Internet could be overwhelming and get you lost especially if you are new to electric boating.
Here I have rounded up the top 5 frequently asked questions so that you can easily decide whether to get an electric outboard motor for your boat.
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There’s More To Choosing The Right Battery For Your Boat Than You May Think Making A Smart Decision Now Could Save You Big In The Long Run
So, the batteries on your boat have come to end of their life, and you need to buy new ones. But what should you choose? You would think that you could just walk into your local marine store and buy any battery that fits in the boat, right? Wrong. There’s more to equipping your boat with batteries than you might think. Batteries fall into one of two categories, deep cycle or starting. A cycle is the term given to a battery that discharges through use and is then bought back up to full charge again. As a rough guide, a light to medium duty battery will be good for about 200 to 300 cycles, while a heavy duty battery should easily be able double that amount of useful cycles with no ill effects.
A starting battery is the type you have on your car. The battery is there simply to crank the engine, then as soon the as the motor is running, all the electrical demands are satisfied by the alternator on the engine, which also recharges current drawn from the battery. The starting battery only has to give a big jolt of electrical power for a very short time.
Batteries come in range of sizes. Terms that you will often hear are group 24, 27, 31, 4D, and 8D. The group has nothing to do with the actual capacity of the battery, but merely relates to the physical size.
