[wadefisherman]

I had a pretty weird thing happen today that I wanted to share with everyone. My wife was complaining of a sulfur/rotten egg smell in the garage. We checked everything in the garage but could not find the source until I checked the battery compartments in the boat. The starter battery was extremely hot as well as the trolling motor batteries. After unplugging the 3 bank charger and pulling the starter battery the smell is gone. It took a few hrs for the battery to cool down but I'm unsure if the optima is still usable. I think the starter battery was pretty close to exploding.  I usually just leave the charger on trickle charging, but now I think I will charge it up after fishing and pull the charger off until the night before the next trip. I think this could have been really bad if we weren't quick to figure out the problem. So it looks like I need a 3 bank charger if anyone has one. Not sure of the battery status but these optimal were 4 yrs old so probably will replace them anyway.

[cousinlll]

Not often you hear of the charger going bad effecting all battery banks.  Usually it's one of three, for example or more often than not it's a shorted cell in the battery.  Just curious, what brand/model charger did you have? Good thing you got to it before bad things happened!

I leave my Dual Pro charger plugged in all the time.  Have been doing that since the boat was new in 07.  Defiantly something to think about though. 

[The Desert Rat]

--here ya go--
it's like new--
reply   

Posted: 3 months ago
 
Pro Mariner tournament 150 battery charger - $275 (s.chandler)




Paid over $400---3 step battery charger, 12v,24v,36v--

 ProTournament 150* 51015 12/24/36 15 3 150 amps / 10hrs 6'/6'/6' 3"x 13" x 6 7/8" 8 lbs 90-135

 e mail or call 602-430-0166---the $275 is VERY FIRM !!!--like new--

[sandman]

Guys, I have designed and manufactured battery chargers and power sources for a long time. I don't care what brand name is on the label, DON'T LEAVE ANY OF THEM PLUGGED IN any longer than it takes to charge the batteries up. Trickle is nice but they are microprocessor controlled. Average life of a micro is 5 yrs. When they fail, they USUALLY fail safely but why gamble? We had a batch that we sold to Radio Shack that failed 'closed' rather than 'open' and the company that I worked for paid out over $100K of damages in 24 months.

The micro in Brian's should have detected the shorted cell but many of them do not perform all of the safety checks when they switch to trickle.

The house that you burn down may be your own.

[wadefisherman]

It is the cabellas brand charger. I have always left them plugged in, not anymore!

[Fish Hawk]

Thanks for the reminder.

[OneBlade]

Yeah the first week I had my 15 amp 3 bank MinnKota expensive charger I put I'm guessing an Old red Optima on there.  Battery was boiling the next morning and hissing - glad it didn't explode.  Now I have 15 amp circuit breaker and I think I recall 15 amp fuses on the lines and it didn't blow so was probably just cranking somewhere under 15 amps all night.  I figured it was the unique differences of the optima as the other non-optima batteries charged fine.  And I got a new non-optima connected to same one the optima was on and no boiling works fine.

[Stevert]

Guys, I have designed and manufactured battery chargers and power sources for a long time. I don't care what brand name is on the label, DON'T LEAVE ANY OF THEM PLUGGED IN any longer than it takes to charge the batteries up. Trickle is nice but they are microprocessor controlled. Average life of a micro is 5 yrs. When they fail, they USUALLY fail safely but why gamble? We had a batch that we sold to Radio Shack that failed 'closed' rather than 'open' and the company that I worked for paid out over $100K of damages in 24 months.

The micro in Brian's should have detected the shorted cell but many of them do not perform all of the safety checks when they switch to trickle.

The house that you burn down may be your own.

Dang....that's different than what the manufacturers claim.  I've got a NOCO Genius....its a charger that they claim will detect bad cells etc.  I'm guessing relying on that will ultimately end with having an issue.  It really doesn't matter how long it works perfectly.....it's that one time it fails that really matters.  I'll follow Sandman's advice from here on.     

[sandman]

All of the 'smart' chargers will detect bad cells, when they are working properly. Great technology but it is just that, technology.

There are lots of things that we all take for granted and leave plugged in 24/7. That all changed for me about 15-20 yrs ago when I started working very closely with the electronics manufacturers in Asia and Eastern Europe. Now, we unplug a lot of stuff when we are not using it. Especially stuff that has a heating element and/or thermal limiter of some sort in it. I also have things that I only operate on a brick isolated from anything flammable. One of those things is battery chargers.

Most all products used to be UL tested and that meant something. UL is a private organization ( I always thought it was gov't) and it is not what it used to be. Look for at a minimum UL Listed. That means that it has been tested and the production process is monitored by UL. UL recognized is not the same. Assembled with UL components is not the same.

Many manufacturers have chosen cheaper certifications and those often have less controls on the manufacturing process and source control of the parts inside products.

Just something to think about.

[Fishless]

All of the 'smart' chargers will detect bad cells, when they are working properly. Great technology but it is just that, technology.

There are lots of things that we all take for granted and leave plugged in 24/7. That all changed for me about 15-20 yrs ago when I started working very closely with the electronics manufacturers in Asia and Eastern Europe. Now, we unplug a lot of stuff when we are not using it. Especially stuff that has a heating element and/or thermal limiter of some sort in it. I also have things that I only operate on a brick isolated from anything flammable. One of those things is battery chargers.

Most all products used to be UL tested and that meant something. UL is a private organization ( I always thought it was gov't) and it is not what it used to be. Look for at a minimum UL Listed. That means that it has been tested and the production process is monitored by UL. UL recognized is not the same. Assembled with UL components is not the same.

Many manufacturers have chosen cheaper certifications and those often have less controls on the manufacturing process and source control of the parts inside products.

Just something to think about.

agreed, went on a lot of fires through the years that you would be surprised what caused them, something what seems so safe malfunctions and then there are problems, I always shut down chargers in the boat and even electronics etc. in the house when not in use or if I am going to be gone for extended times, heck sometimes brown outs or reset of electric company power can create problems, better safe than sorry. I have had batteries with a weak or shorted cell and the charger detects that it is just undercharged and fry a battery with the water completely gone out of a battery when left on.