Introduction:
Marine batteries are considered the heart of any sea-worthy motor vehicle. It is used to power the electrical system of motor-driven marine platforms. All of the on-board accessories and electrically-driven items, such as lights, GPS, compasses, fridges, radios, powered anchors, and the console equipment, are also powered through the marine battery. They are available in a number of different types and sizes. You get what you pay for, so make sure that you get a suitable battery that’s good enough to run all the electric-powered systems on your vehicle. These batteries have numerous uses in the marine systems. We will take this opportunity to discuss some useful tips about marine batteries in this guide.
Tips and tricks related to marine batteries:
A good marine battery will power all of your on-board needs. If the system is well-maintained by the user, your battery will last much longer. The following are some tips to help users with everything related to their marine batteries:
- Determining the power: Before you buy a marine battery, make a list of all the items which you need to power with it. Choose a battery that offers at least 10% more power than your cumulative needs. It is also advised to buy from a well-renowned seller to avoid frequent maintenance and ongoing cost.
- Giving cool-off time: It is highly advised to give some reasonable cool-off time to the battery after charging. This is important because of the heat produced in the system during its discharge and recharge cycles.
- Lesser charge in initial days: Expect the battery to charge about 20% under capacity for the first few cycles, until the process of plate formation is completely formed.
- Avoid wet battery charging: Experts recommend that you don’t try to charge a wet battery using a sealed battery charger. Wet batteries require higher voltages, and without this, the batteries won’t give you a full charge. This causes sulfation, or battery corrosion.
- Using a voltmeter: Using a voltmeter is necessary to find out about the performance and current state of your marine battery. You can use a voltmeter to take voltage readings or for load testing purposes.
Day to Day Maintenance:
Marine batteries require special care on a daily basis, as follows:
- Marine or deep cycle batteries must be recharged as quickly as possible, after every use. Letting them sit in a discharged state for a longer period of time could deteriorate the charge capacity of the battery.
- Before charging, always check that the level of the electrolytes is lower than the splash barrel of the split ring. If you need to add water, use only distilled or deionized water.
- The top of the battery must be free of any moisture or dirt.
- The cable connectors, terminals, and related accessory connectors on the battery need to be cleaned frequently.
Conclusion:
Performance and reliability comes in tandem for the marine batteries. They have several uses, as we have learned through this article. They can get the job done if the right battery is chosen for the right purpose. They can be used for starting and running a boat/sailboat, and even for double-duty purposes. This is a marathon battery with a number of useful applications. If you want your battery to be trouble-free with a longer lifespan, proper maintenance should be done as discussed above.