Charging dual deep cycles

[VicR]

I got a deal I couldn't pass up on 2 80 amp deep cycle 12 volts - and I was able to add a vented battery box to my existing battery location so I'm really happy that this is going to extend my dry camping electrical. But... I have a few questions.



1. I read somewhere that its good to charge deep cycles as soon as you get home and not let them sit at a partial charge - can anyone confirm that? Do they get 'battery memory?'



2. I have a charger that has a setting for deep cycles. Should I charge them individually or as a pair. They are both brand new and identical. I figured individually, but when they are in the camper and the camper is plugged into the truck or plugged into shore power, they are both getting a charge at the same time. Which is better for battery life.



Thanks,



-Vic

 

[Glen]

You should try to keep your batteries at full charge all the time. Any battery, even deep cycles, will last longer if it is not discharged. That said, I do a lot of boondocking and I use my batteries hard--but I recharge as soon as possible. Batteries will go bad if they are left discharged for a long period.



You can charge them in parallel.



Glen

 

[Prairie Dog]

Lead acid batteries will not develop a memory like nicads will. They will however grow sulfation on their internal plates very quickly when left in a discharged state. A battery left fully discharged will normally lose 1% of it overall capacity daily.

 

[TowPro]

charge them as soon as you return, as others have said, they will live longer if you keep them charged.



I have a deep cycle charger with a timer built into it. You hook it up, wait 2 minutes, read the gauge and set the timer. If your running 2 batteries, set the timer for 2X the value the chart shows.



When running on the RV charger, you are getting only around 5 amps (depending on the charger), and its not regulated very well. It can under charge or over charge your batteries depending on how the factory adjusted it.



Stick to the manual chargers made for deep cycle batteries, by applying a good amount of amps to them, you can actualy remove some of the deposits on the plates that shorten the batteries life.



Now if your camper has a Inteli-Power changer your set, just add the optional charge wizard and let your camper charge the batteries. Your batteries will last a long time.

 

[Mark Baker]

Can I charge 2 deep cells with one charger (Battery Tender) using my 8-gauge jumper cables to connect them in parallel?

 

[TowPro]

Yes as long as there identical (including age). But is your Battery Tender a low current device, like those made to keep motorcycle batteries charged?



When charging 2, it will only be applying 1/2 the current to each battery. If I was charging 2, I would want to be able to charge them with around 20 amps (10 amps each). When there low, they will except a good amount of current, and this high current can knock some of the sulfation off the plates, making them last longer.

Originally posted by Mark Baker

Can I charge 2 deep cells with one charger (Battery Tender) using my 8-gauge jumper cables to connect them in parallel?

 

[Mark Baker]

Yes, it is intended for my motorccycle, so I think I'll use my Sears charger which is 2/6 amp charger when doing both together. THanks for the info.

 

[ImagesThatSing]

We Use 4 golf cart Batteries Charge Fully Each Week

We go camping atleast each friday through sunday, have 4 6 volt golf cart batteries properly configured to deliver 12 volts. We have switched the onboard charger, and mostly charge with a 20 amp deep cycle charger that takes about 2. 25 hours to bring up till the light says complete, then reduced to a 2 amp charge another 45 minutes to bring them to full. We absolutely love this setup as it provides incredible power and hardley ever goes below 12 volts even if we are up for 7 or 8 days. We keep them charged and they seem to be treating us well.