New to this... bought a battery, advice?

[catman529]

I bought a fairly cheap Stowaway Exide dual-purpose marine battery. I am hoping it will run my 34lb trolling motor for at least a couple years. I figure since it's a less expensive battery, it won't be as good, but all I need is something to get the job done. To make it last longer, I am thinking I will keep it inside when it's cold, top it off when needed, and make sure I got a good charger. I should be buying a charger from someone here soon. I don't know about topping it off though.... I hear you use distilled water, but how do I know when to top it off? Never used a lead acid battery before so it's new to me. I will probably just be buying a charger, I think it's a dual rate, but not a maintainer. Any bit of advice that should help me get the most out of my battery? Thanks

 

[redbug]

first off you will want to use distilled water to top it off and you willl need to check it and see when the water level gets low add water
also the key to having a battery last it to charge it up as soon as you get home or if your staying someplace over night you will want to charge it then
even if you only use it for a few hours.
by dual charger i asume you mean say 5 or 10 amps you will want to use the slower rate as that will also aid in battery life

 

[catman529]

first off you will want to use distilled water to top it off and you willl need to check it and see when the water level gets low add water
also the key to having a battery last it to charge it up as soon as you get home or if your staying someplace over night you will want to charge it then
even if you only use it for a few hours.
by dual charger i asume you mean say 5 or 10 amps you will want to use the slower rate as that will also aid in battery life

Thanks. One of the chargers I'm looking at is a dual rate 2/6 amp charger. So the slower rate is better for the battery life? makes sense.

Also, I am wondering why the battery must be topped off with water when it is filled with sulphuric acid.

 

[redbug]

the 6 amp should be fine for charging the battery using that low amp charge you shouldnt need to top it off very offten
but yes you will add distilled water to it

 

[JMichael]

Also, I am wondering why the battery must be topped off with water when it is filled with sulphuric acid.

NOT water, distilled water. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can just add tap water. The minerals that are sometimes contained in tap water can damage your battery and shorten it's life. Adding more acid to a battery after it's initial fill can cause an unbalanced condition in the battery and actually harm the battery. Here is some light reading on batteries if you want to learn more about them.
https://www.chem.hawaii.edu/uham/bat.html