Voltage Q

[EBass]

I have 2 Trojan 27 series batteries that are almost 1 and a half old. I kept them inside and charged over the winter.

After I charged them and let them sit for a day the voltage reads 12.51 for both. Should that be higher or is that about right?

[BobT]

Checking a battery without applying a load doesn't tell you too much. Place a low power load such as a light bulb on the battery and then check voltage. It should hold quite close to the battery's rating. I assume you have a 12v battery so you should see very close to 12v. A near dead battery may show full voltage without a load applied.

How much capacity your battery has left on the other hand is not something you can determine by this test.

Bob

[EBass]

Thanks Bob, I will give that a try.

[Giant_Jackpot]

Yo EB, get them Trojans all polished up and ready to go. Open water can’t be too far away!

As for the batteries, I would say that 12.5 volts is good on a charged battery but as BobT mentioned, testing with no load is not the best way to tell how good the batteries are. If you connected a light bulb to a fully charged battery and your voltmeter went down to 12 volts, the battery is shot. A single light bulb would not draw enough current to suck a good battery down that fast. If you have the time and are concerned about the condition of the batteries, I would fully charge them overnight and then take them to a Batteries Plus store. They will put the computerized load tester on them for free.

[EBass]

They are in the boat and are on the on-board charger as I type. They are as charged as they are going to get. I sure hope I don't need to get new ones this year. I assume that I will.

Are the Optima batteries the cats meow for the price?

Thanks GJ

And I was on open water last Sat. It was nice casting as far as I could, fishing sucked though. Pool 4 was the place.

[fishtolive_livetofish]

Hi EBass,

Boat batteries can be a real pain. They don't have the same life span as the battery in your personal vehicle because of the beating they have to take. Extreme vibrations is one of the worst enemies of the conventional lead acid battery. Even trailering your boat down a bumpy gravel road (ever been up to the NW Angle) will cause the batteries to fail.

If the battery is mechanically shocked hard enough, the plates will actually separate from the buss and although the voltage reading will still appear good, the battery will not have sufficient capacity to run a starter motor or trolling motor for very long.

If you have gone shopping for batteries recently, you will find that your Trojan brand (and all others) have gone up significantly this year and they blame it on the cost of the materials. As you make comparisons now, the Optima batteries suddenly become more in line with what you are going to have to pay.

The Optima 'Beer Can' style batteries are much more shock resistant due to their construction, are completely maintenance free (no water to add) and are very suitable as a replacement for the conventional battery.

Happy shopping,

Jack

[eurolarva]

Hope this link does not depress you. Looks like you are only getting about 75 percent charge. Then again how accurate is the meter you are testing it with. Best thing to do is to have it load tested at a battery shop or test it with a hydrometer.

Battery Life

[EBass]

I called Batteries Plus and you ain't kidding the price went up. The Trojan 27's are $130. I paid $75 last time. The guy said something about China and we are taxing them so the price jumped and will continue to rise.

So yup - I'll roll with Optima (when I save up for them - $189 a piece) yikes!

Thanks for the posts fellas!