Battery charging

[paulitzlee2]

I bought a brand-new 12-volt battery in May.

I also bought a trickle charger. I keep the battery in the garage all the time except when I'm camping, connected to the charger.

When I made an overnight trip in June, the battery took a day or so to charge. I had a hookup, and the battery charged while I was driving, I assume.

I took a 3 night trip over the long weekend. I had a hookup this trip also.

I've had the charger on the battery for 24 hours, and it's still charging. But I had a hookup all weekend, so it should have been constantly charging. And when I drove, it should have charged. In theory, the battery shouldn't have been discharged very much.

I don't need the battery now. My next trip won't be for a month or so. I'm just making sure this is normal.

I also topped off the distilled water. I don't think that matters.

Any ideas?

 

[MarsbarsCT]

You should let your battery discharge and then recharge it when it's low; you don't want to keep it attached to the trickle charger all the time. Re. charging: in my experience, it may look as though the battery is still charging, but I've hooked up the battery to the trailer and the trailer panel indicates it's fully charged. Lastly, I've heard that the newer batteries are closed cell and don't require you to add water. Hope that helps.

 

[Iggy-FUN]

Is it a deep cycle (marine) battery? If so, I was told to trickle charge all the time when not in use. If it's a regular car battery, then by all means, charge when it's low. I use a solar charger with 1.5 watt rating to keep battery charged while in storage.
There may be someone out here who has better suggestion, but this is what dealer recommended. VERY important! Use a ratio of 20% or less of total amperage of a deep cycle battery. Any more can overcharge you battery.

 

[LJSN]

You might try what I've been using on our deep cycle RV battery. I picked up at a local battery warehouse for about $50. Seems to work just fine and I keep it plugged in all the time as it moves from charge to conditioning.

BatteryMINDer® Plus 12 Volt 1.33 Amp Charger-Maintainer-Conditioner (Desulfator)