Charging the Battery

I have yet another question… It’s about charging my battery. Is the 2 amp trickle setting safe to use on this battery? Should I run the battery as close to empty before I charge? Is there a difference when you charge the battery when it's  at 10%, 50% 75% of the batteries capacity?
And how long should I leave the charger running, can I over charge the battery?

Thanks once again!

Chuck

QD,

Not meaning to be a smartass, just a provider of requested information:  lots of battery info. can be found at "www.batterychargers.com" like it says in red letters on the side of the charger in the first picture.

Okay, a breif answer... Sealed lead batteries are not deep cycle batteries.  They are not intended for deep discharge and then recharge.  Yep, that wears them out faster than keeping the charge level up.  A slow, 2 amp charge rate is better than a faster rate.  Faster rates cause more heat and high enough heat (roughly over 125 F) can cause plate damage.

Can they be overcharged?  I don't really know, but I assume that they can since most battery chargers sold have an automatic switch that comes on (or shuts the charge OFF) once it reaches full charge.

Fishin-T

I'd suggest a much smaller charger that only puts out mA's (milliamps), and takes several hours to charge.  I think 2 amps from your charger would be too fast of a charge and may damage it.  You can make one from a AC/DC power supply from Goodwill, that puts out 12VDC and something between 200mA-500mA.   Just cut off whatever connector is on the end and identify which wire is + or - .  Solder on the appropriate red or black gator clip to each wire, and your set. 

I recharge mine if the battery is at or below 12.3 Volts, and know it is fully charged when it reaches and holds at 12.65-12.8 Volts. 

I'd suggest a much smaller charger that only puts out mA's (milliamps), and takes several hours to charge.  I think 2 amps from your charger would be too fast of a charge and may damage it.  You can make one from a AC/DC power supply from Goodwill, that puts out 12VDC and something between 200mA-500mA.   Just cut off whatever connector is on the end and identify which wire is + or - .  Solder on the appropriate red or black gator clip to each wire, and your set. 

I recharge mine if the battery is at or below 12.3 Volts, and know it is fully charged when it reaches and holds at 12.65-12.8 Volts. 

Thanks thats a great idea!!

Chuck

I think that your battery charger is still a bit too hot for your 7.5 amp-hr battery even at 2 Amps.
Gel cells are supposed to be charged at a slower rate (C/20) to prevent excess gas build up from damaging the cells. That crunches out to 0.375 amps. Charging them on a conventional automotive charger at a greater rate can leave them permanently damaged.

 You have to watch the voltage as well, as overcharging can cause voids to develop in the gel which will never heal, causing a loss in battery capacity. Insayn's level sounds about right, but any more could cause bubbles.

 This is one of the few places "cheap" rules. Harbor Freight's float charger is actually a battery "maintainer" and it still kicks out a tad hot at 0.6 amps, but it shuts off when the battery gets to a bit better than 12v. My oldest gel-cell is 7 years old and still holds a charge just peachy and the HF charger is the only one I use.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42292