Question about Trolling Batteries

[russ010]

As most of you know, I am running 2 sets of 29 series Everstart Marine Maxx deep cycle batteries for my trolling motors.

The set up goes like this:

Bow TM - 2 batts in parallel
2 Transom TMs - 2 batts in parallel

I've been getting sluggish out on the water the last few times and I checked the water levels in my batts last night. All batteries were low, but 1 battery in each set was lower than the other. They weren't down to the plates, but they weren't far away. I bought an $0.89 gallon of DISTILLED water from the grocery store and filled them all up to the correct levels. I didn't realize how much water I had used until I put the cap back on the water jug.... 1/2 of a Gallon was used to fill them back up!!

Any particular reason why one battery would be using more water than the other? I'm using 4ga wire (one run is 54", the other is 15" putting them in parallel), and I'm thinking I might go ahead and upgrade to a larger gauge... think this would make any difference in performance? I think it might make a little, but I'd like to get a little more life out of these... and I do run them pretty hard. Every weekend they get about 10 hours of use.

 

[redbug]

If i remember correctly you don't charge each battery you charge them in parallel that could be your problem. I have read that charging 2 batteries from one source will affect the battery life of one of the batteries..

 

[russ010]

I thought about that too... I called up my buddy who works with Optima and he said that may be my problem as well. He said to just leave them hooked up in parallel and put a charger on both battery.. Only problem with that that I have is I have 2 different types of chargers, and they both put out different voltages (one puts out 16, the other puts out 14.5). I ended up unhooking them and charging them overnight...

but I can't see what difference will be because I'm leaving tonight to go play war for a few days, then I won't get to fish until next Saturday at our next tourney

 

[Brine]

Russ,

I've been told to unhook the batteries in parallel and charge seperately. I've done this since I bought them, and they are all over 3 years old.

About the water.....

I always loosen my caps when I charge, and I have forgotten to push them all the way down a couple times over the years. I'm sure a lot of the water gets bounced out on mine in transit while on the trailer. Other than that, I add water about every third or fourth trip. It only takes a little bit tho.

In the summer, I usually have to add water every other trip. I think having the caps loose while charging in hot weather lets a little more of the water evaportate duing charging. Just a guess.

 

[russ010]

I think I'm going to break down and buy an onboard charger... I don't leave my batteries hooked up in parallel after I've charged them, I always unhook them.

As far as the lids, I always open them up and just set the lids back down on them when i charge them... something I picked up from my dad and have always kept doing it. I haven't left the lids off yet while traveling down the road... knock on wood

 

[Brine]

I think I'm going to break down and buy an onboard charger... I don't leave my batteries hooked up in parallel after I've charged them, I always unhook them.

As far as the lids, I always open them up and just set the lids back down on them when i charge them... something I picked up from my dad and have always kept doing it. I haven't left the lids off yet while traveling down the road... knock on wood

Yeah, just to clarify....

I don't charge them in parallel. I've been told it's a bad idea. They only get hooked up in parallel when I pack up the boat to leave. And yes, my Dad taught me the same thing

I do the same thing with the lids on the batteries, and didn't notice till I went to take them off again that they were loose. Another thing I've noticed when I got back home was that I've only got part of the lid seated a few times. It's usually early, I'm half awake, and dark when I'm doing this :lol: .

Point being, make sure you seat the lids good each time, and I would expect you will need to add some water every month.

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

electrolosis (sp?). the gas's expelling from your battery. they do this more when under heavy load and full charging. thats why people pop the water caps off when charging. seeing a battery baloon out is a scary sight :mrgreen:

anyhoo thats where your water is going and its completely normal. the onboard charger should take alot of strain off your batterys and slow down the electrolosis dramitically

oh yah, if you have a volt meter you can measure the amount of electrolosis by placing the probes right above the top of the case or next to the vent if it has one

 

[Waterwings]

When I ord'd my rig it came with the two batteries in parallel, and the dealership told me to disconnect the parallel cable while charging.

 

[redbug]

you are running 4 batteries and want them to last I would bite the bullet and get a 4 bank on board charger they aren't cheap but well worth the investment. if you go to the dual pro site you can get a refurbished 4 bank for about 40 % off that comes with a 2 year warranty