Overcharging Battery

[zonker]

I picked up a Cuda 168 today along with a 7 AH SLA battery and a 1 amp trickle charger. I chose each of these after reading the advice on this forum. My question has to do with charging the battery. I've looked through the archives and if this issue is addressed, I either didn't find it or didn't understand it.

The battery came with minimal instructions other than a warning not to overcharge it and the normal safety precautions. The charger was made available at Sportsman's Warehouse with the battery, but the two were made by separate companies. The charger is manual (no auto shut off) so I'm concerned about overcharging. How can I tell when it is fully charged? Don't want to splatter the thing all over the back porch or blow it sky high.

Any good advice appreciated.

zonker
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[zonker]

You can disregard my post above. I did some more research on the web and answered my own question. I bought the wrong charger - or better said, they sold me the wrong charger. Another trip to Sportsman's to return this one and perhaps to radio shack to get the right one and I should be in business. Sorry for jumping the gun.

zonker
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[tubeN2]

Better safe than sorry.

As with any rechargeable battery, you will generally need to charge it before the first use.

The SLA batteries are no exception. An overnight charge will be sufficient to get started. From there, you will need to charge as used/needed.

The general rule of thumb is to charge it about the same amount of time that you used it. ie: 3hrs use.....3hrs on the charger before useing it again.

Also remember that the 7ah battery is just that. You can use a 1amp load on it for 7hrs before needing to recharge it.

A higher amp load will give less life and a lower amp load can be run longer.[cool]

Later on, we will introduce you to some of the tricks to get more life out of your battery when you are out on the water or away from an AC power source to plug into.[]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]In simple terms, your Cuda will drain about 1/2 amp per hour from the battery. That means that a 7 amp/hour battery SHOULD last 14 hours, from full charge. But, there are variables. For example, the colder the temperature, the faster your battery gives up.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Another consideration is that you will not get full power for the 14 hours. If you start out with a tested voltage of 13.5 (full charge), it will keep dropping until it gets below 11. That's when you should recharge. You should never drain an SLA battery completely. They are not deep cycle batteries like you get for running electric trolling motors. So, the sonar will keep working for many hours on one charge, but if you run it down to the bottom a few times it will take less and less of a charge until it will not work at all.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I do not use an automatic charger. I have a $25 voltage tester from Radio Shack, which I use to check the voltage before I go on a trip. I put the 500 milliamp charger on long enough to bring it back up over 13 volts, if it is much below 13 volts. Then, after coming back from a trip, I check the voltage again, and recharge it back up before putting it away.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As has been suggested, a 500 milliamp (1/2 amp per hour) charger will replace charge at about the same rate your sonar unit drained the battery. The 1 amp charger will recharge it twice as fast.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you don't have a voltage meter, first charge up the new battery by letting it charge for about 7 or 8 hours. If it has been idle for a few days between trips, top it off for an hour or so before going out. Then, as soon as you get home, put it on the charger for about half the time you were using the sonar. That's 4 hours for an 8 hour day, etc. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you buy into more powerful sonars, that suck more power, you will need to test the before and after charge to guage how much it does actually drain the battery. Some units will drain a little SLA in two or three hours, even in warm temperatures.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Don't worry about your battery blowing up. Not likely to happen at the low amperage trickling into the battery. Believe me, plenty of them have been left on chargers too long. Still, they will last longer if you make an effort to keep them up to full charge, but no more than that. Even worse to drain them all the way down.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have used only the simple $10 chargers for years, even without voltage testing stuff, and have gotten good use out of several batteries. Using a voltage tester and maintaining just a good operating level on your batteries will provide several years of good service for you.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hey Zonker, you forgot to log in. Happens to all of us. On the Utah board you can't post unless you are logged in.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Thanks for the headsup on the batterie. That IS a good price. And, it is good to have a second battery on long trips. You usually don't have to worry about running out of juice on a single day excursion, but it's good to either recharge your battery after the first day (if you have a power hookup) or use the second one the next day, to avoid completely draining the first one.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We look forward to seeing the pics of your sonar mount.[/#0000ff]
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[zonker]

TubeDude,

Sorry 'bout the log in. I'll watch that closer next time. Pretty late when I posted last night.

Got a house full of grandkids this morning. Five of 'em. They come over and spend the night with grandpa every month or so. The little beggars are much quicker than I remember my kids being.

Hope to get the sonar mount finished by the first of the week.

z~
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