Selecting The Proper Marine Battery Charger For Your Boat

Before you just run out and purchase a marine battery charger to use on your boat, you must make your choice very carefully. There are important things to know such as the input voltage required for your battery, the type of battery you will be using it on and even the total capacity of the battery. In order to ensure that your battery lasts for a long time, you really need to pick the charger that is right for the job.

You also need to remember that a marine battery charger will be used in a completely different environment than a charger that you would use for a car or other type of situation. Since your marine equipment will most likely be out on the water, sometimes quite far from shore, when you need to charge the battery, you probably won't be using the charger very often on dry land. This is why it is important that the charger you choose can be kept safely out on a boat and can easily be transported out to sea.

It is also important that you find the right charger so you won't accidentally under or overcharge your marine battery. Believe it or not, overcharging a battery is the #1 cause of killing a battery and the #2 cause is undercharging.

The best charger for your battery will have an output that only produces 20 percent of the battery's total Ah capacity. More than 20 percent and you run the risk of overcharging, less than 20 percent and you'll probably undercharge. So if your marine battery is rated 100 Ah, you should look for a charger that provides only 20 ADC.

It is important to take into account the charging time necessary, if you find that you cannot purchase a battery charger that supplies the recommended 20% of the battery's Ah capacity. This means, that you must allow for a 6 hour charge time, when you have a 10 ADC charger charging a 100 Ah battery. A 20 ADC charger coupled with a 200 Ah battery will require the same 6 hour charge time. If you use a 40 ADC battery charger to charge a 200 Ah battery, it will typically reach it's full capacity in 3 and a half hours. This formula relates to batteries of all sizes, although the battery size will determine the charge times.

The best way to achieve a long life for your battery is to find the right charger with the proper strength. This becomes very important when you consider the cost of a marine battery, and recognize that a good charger can prevent you from having to buy a new one too soon.

If you don't want to have any regrets about the charger you've invested in, then make sure you know the size and rate of your battery. Do the research on the available models before you decide which one you're going to buy, because there are many "standard" sizes and charge rates for just about every type of battery.