Markum battery question

[wildman]

hey all.
quick question for you;
is there a danger of damaging the battery by charging it too long?
i believe i am supposed to charge my flasher's battery 1 hour for every 2 hours of use.
after last trip i fully charged it ...i believe....there's no charge gage or level that tells you if it is fully charged.
i am going on a "super-hardcore dusk till dawn and then some" trip and i don't want my battery dying on me.
is it ok for me to "top up" the charge for a few hours before the trip or will that cause issues?
Thanks for any thoughts.
cheers, gw

[Goater]

The marcum battery charging instructions in my manual ( Camera) says once the LED light shuts off on the face of the charger.--- "The charger DOES NOT shut off automatically but will output a trickle charge indefinitely. Best to check your manual.

[Mudslide]

Yes you can overcharge the batteries if you don't have an automatic charger. If you have a new Marcum they come with a 3 stage automatic charger. You can buy then separately but they are a bit pricey. Otherwise I would run the battery right down and then time the charging.

[nicemustang]

To answer the overcharging question: yes you can overcharge and battery and in the long run it is very hard on the battery. Effects might not be noticable at first, but it really destroys the long term life of the battery.

What kind of charger are you using? It doesn't have an overcharge protection? I use a car battery charger I got from princess auto for $25 that has built in overcharge protection. That way you know you get a 100% charge without over charging.

How do you know to charge at 2 hours for every 1 hour of use?? I think that all depends on the conditions you were using the battery. Example: if it was -20 the battery runs faster that a battery at +10. Also, if usually these batteries are 7 amps and come with with .5 or 1 amp chargers. If you had a .5 amp charger and the battery was completely dead, it would take about 14 hours to charge. But then again, you'll never know without a gauge or a proper protected charger.

Else, if you fry the battery, they are $20-$25 most places and often go on sale at princess auto for $15 if you want to have a spare/backup.

[rxxxm22]

can you use your car's battery.....:confused:

[wildman]

THANKS GUYS!!!!
im going to have to read my manual....
was wondering if it was a no-no....
cheers, gw

[nicemustang]

can you use your car's battery.....:confused:

Yes you can. Just need to hook it up, no issues there at all.

[Logan]

I have just been charging my Marcum battery over night after every use for the last 3 years I have had it and its holding up great.

[rxxxm22]

Yes you can. Just need to hook it up, no issues there at all.

thanks..............you have saved me!!!........................my wife left my charger up in Sylvan last weekend.....{was soon to be my exwife lol }

grampa and the Gkids