Sue D./Guest Chargers

[BJ Laster]

I'm having some issues with my batts.



They are lasting most of the day as long as i keep the trolling motor on 1 or 2, and 3 for short periods of time. But this time of year in Oklahoma i need my trolling motor on about 3 because of the wind. And my batts will go weak in about 5 hours. A few months ago i had trouble with a fuse that busted goign to the battery from the charger. Understandably the battery was dead. Fixed the fuse and no problem except that they dont stay charged as long. They only last about 4 to 5 hours as stated before. I know teh batts are ok.



I have a guest charger that came with boat when i bought it in the summer of 2003. When i just went out to put the charger on the boat both the red and green lights are on. I know my batteries are down more than 10%. Could something be wrong with the charger and its not charging my batts all the way?



BJ

 

[Bruce Freeman]

How old are the batts and when was the last time you checked the water level lately?

BF

 

[BJ Laster]

Batts are a little over a year old and i checked teh water a few weeks ago..all is good

 

[Ken Sabin]

A Short maybe??? Tops of the batteries dirty ??? Abunch of line wrapped around and behind the prop?? Bent prop shaft?? Any vibrations when running?? Wrong gauge wiring?? Just some thoughts/possibilities.............

 

[Staci Matheis]

BJ -



Take the batteries out and to a local battery store.

Have them "load tested".

That is the only way to be sure they are good or bad.



My bet is that you need to replace one or both of them.

Batteries simply don't last as long as we think they should.



me!

 

[Sue DeLelys]

BJ,



Great suggestions above on the batteries. What model charger do you have?



Sue

 

[BJ Laster]

My dad has a battery tester. It says that they are ok. the trolling motor is all good, no line, no vibrating..etc.



What makes me think it woudl be the charger is the last couple of times i've plugged the charger in both the green and red light come on. Doesnt that mean that they are only 10% down?



I have the guest 11 something. sorry i dont remember. I'll find out when I get home in a few hours. I have to go take a college class placement test thing at the college i'm going to......................if my brain isnt too fried when i get home i'll try to read those numbers

 

[BJ Laster]

OH WAIT!!!!



i just thought of something.....are trolling motor props like big props? I knocked the trolling motor prop off last summer, i took the prop off of a transom motor that i used on a buster boat (pond boat). its a 3 blade prop like the first one but its a little smaller, the "round" part that goes onto the shaft is the correct size but the blades arnt as "long" as the first prop...ok its hard for me to explain...i can take pics if it would help.



Could that be my problem, a smaller prop? should it even matter?



BJ

 

[Jim B]

BJ, dont rule out the batteries for sure. When you had the fuse problem you may have damaged on of them by running it too low. Also what size and brand are the batteries?

 

[BJ Laster]

normal interstates that came with the boats.



the charger is 2611

 

[Texas Transplant]

Have you added ANY water to the batteries, and if you did, was it distilled? What size battery cables are you running to the trolling motor?



Tex

 

[Staci Matheis]

BJ -



I don't know what kind of "battery tester" your father has but it is not likely able to load test them. It may tell voltage or the specific gravity of the battery fluid; but these are not completely indicative of the batteries' condition.



Take them out and have them load tested.



me!

 

[Jim B]

BJ my thinking is you have a bad battery. I have never been a fan of the interstates. I have had them in my last two boats and neither set lasted long. Both sted needed to be watered very often. If you have never waterd your id bet they are dry. Check out the link below, it should give you all the info you need to test that battery out right.



Me! a load test like they do at the parts store isnt the best way to test a deep cycle battery, car battery/starting battery yes but not a deep cycle that is designed to deliver its amperage over a period of time instead of instantly when the starter cranks. To load tesat a deep cycle properly would take quite some time instead of the normal 15-20 seconds that gets done on a starting battery.
http://www.trojanbattery.com/customercare_batterymaint.html

 

[Staci Matheis]

Jim -



Better recheck your information. Deep cycle batteries are also load tested and it takes no longer than a starting battery.



me!

 

[Jim B]

Me! i dont know where you got your info but all i can tell you is what a tech from Johnson controls( who builds interstate batteries btw) told me when i was having many battery problems in the past. He toldme a loat test was all but useless on a deep cycle battery and that i needed to check the specific gravity and a static voltage test to properly check the condition.



A normal battery load tester tests at a 100 to 125amp rate. Thats way too fast for a deep cycle that should be tested at around a 20 amp rate. Deep cycle and starting batteries are very diffeent and need to be tested in different ways.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Well, Jim..... I'd suggest you check with someone else!



(Said with a smile and respect!)

 

[Steve Rizza]

From Marine-electronics.net



There are six simple steps in testing a deep cycle battery: inspect, recharge, remove surface charge, measure the state-of-charge, load test, and recharge........................................................



..............The purchase of a battery load tester is optional; if you use a golf cart or electric trolling motor every day, buy one.




http://www.marine-electronics.net/techarticle/battery_faq/b_faq.htm

 

[BJ Laster]

Anyway....i have no clue what is going on. Yes teh water levels have been checked. Water was added to one battery and it was distilled.



everything with the batts are good, water level, no corrosion, etc. The wire is whatever came with the boat. I havent had this problem up until i had that fuse blow on the charger. Its like they arent getting charged.



I'll try disconnecting my guest charger and try it on a normal charger and see if it makes any difference.



BJ

 

[BJ Laster]

oh yeah...went fishing today from 12 to 5. by 3:30 or 4:00 you could see a big difference in performance. i had to put the motor on 4 to move the boat around. And it was not windy out there at all. a nice breeze about 5 mph.



BJ

 

[Dennis K]

I have the same charger as you. Everytime I come off the water and plug my charger in I have a red and green light. The manual says:

When both the green and the red LED