charging batter

i was wondering where everyone trickle charges their batteries. I pulled my batttery out and have a trickle charge for it and wondering if i should just leave it outside or if its safe to trickle charge indoors, i know that some batteries give off toxic gases

(Message edited by phunnel on January 18, 2008)

If you can safely leave it outside, thats best. I know a guy who almost had his house burn down from a faulty charger.

Don't forget, top it off before charging.

What does "top it off" mean?

Thanks

water in the battery. (unless AGM) remove the caps and top off with distilled water. weird, i know, just do it.

Batteries produce flammable gasses while charging. If charging indoors, you need ventilation, and DO NOT leave unattended!!!

TigeMike- Can you clarify what style batteries produce flammable gasses? Not all do.

The battery gasses at a high current rate and high temperature (high temp is the biggest killer of a battery). The gas given of is hydrogen (in a lead-acid battery). Trickle charging (or floating in the battery industry) pumps current into the battery until the battery reaches a programmed voltage level and current is tapered off to what is needed to maintain this level. Eventually current trickles to a level equal to the self discharge rate of the battery. At this level there is no gassing. Probably more info than anyone wants....I just happen to work in the battery industry. To answer the question,in a garage is fine....

I guess you just did, Ben, Sorry for being incorrect.

Terry- Thanks for the feedback. Since you are in the industry of batteries can you give me your opinion on products like the Guest on board chargers? http://www.marinco.com/scpt/ProdPage.php?loadItem=2620A-230_Guest%20Recreational We have had great luck with these in the marine and automotive applications. Also, I have been so impressed with the Kinetic batteries, do you have any thoughts? http://www.kinetikaudio.com/powercells.asp

Ben, Sorry for the slow reply. I've been in Japan. As for the Guest charger I have no idea about quality or specs. I really only see equipment used in an industrial application....for example I can give opinions on equipment used for forming (initial charge) 10 thousand+ batteries per day.

I looked at the Kinetik stuff and to be honest the battery is probably manufactured by someone else in China and marketed for the car audio industry. As far as the website I don't see any actual test data under load just hype. My advice is to stay with a reputable manufacturer like JCI (optima), Enersys, East Penn (good battery), Exide, Furukawa and Yuasa. Check this link to see who makes what battery in the lead acid market.
http://jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/batbrand.htm

Caps are probably the best route for this application and they don't add a huge amount of weight and require less space. If one wanted to get crazy check out the supercaps made by Maxwell Technologies in San Diego. The application is geared toward electric vehicles, but for power, they are impressive.

Here's what I've used for years on my boats, RV's, classic cars, and toys.

Disclaimer: I'M NOT A BATTERY EXPERT! I'm only saying this works for me...

The small chargers/transformers that plug into a wall outlet.(from an old cell phone, or any device that uses one of those little black boxes. (As long as the output is 12V DC).
These are usually under 1 amp and should not over charge the battery. Cut the end off and strip the wires and connect to battery or any "live" circuit in the vehicle. I leave these plugged in for months on some of the stuff I don't use too often, and haven't had to buy a battery in years.

Your right Chris. I never thought to bring that up. Effective, simple and cheap......good one!

If you are going to take the battery out of the boat then the easist thing to do is just put it on a charger for a few hours once a month and then overnight the day before you want to use the boat.

A lead acid battery will "self discharge" about 10% a month. If you let it go five months the battery will be half down and may not have enough to start the engine. In addition, being that far down can lead to sulphating, which doesn't do the battery any good.

Being 10 to 20 percent down won't hurt the battery at all, so if you get it on a charger once a month it should do fine. A ten amp charger should refill a months worth of self discharge in about an hour, but give it two to be on the safe side.

If you are going to leave the battery in the boat then there are additional issues. It is very likely that the boat will draw a small amount of power even with everything turned off. The stereo, electronic ignition, etc. can put a tiny load on the battery that in addition to the self discharge will deplete the battery in a couple of months. A trickle charge or a more frequent full charge is in order here.

What I do with my boat is use a small solar panel to keep the batteries up. Since I store the boat outside I throw a tarp over the entire boat (including tower) and "tent it up" so that the rain will run off. The solar panel is connected to the battery and then sits on the trailer fender so that it will get a couple of hours of sunlight a day. A five watt panel will keep the battery up.

Rod