Charging a Deep Cycle battery from your car

[deerless]

I've heard conflicting things about charging a deep-cycle trolling battery from your car. Can you just use jumper cables? Some people say it's fine, some people say it'll wreck...something? What do you guys do to recharge your electric boat motors at camp?

[Dewey Cox]

I recharge the deep cycle batteries on my motor home via the alternator, so I don't see why it would be an issue.

[Robins36]

Lots of people use a solar charger... or if you are in a Provincial campground, just use a generator like all the others.

Daryl

[waterninja]

Good question. Other then wasting some gas while your charging the deep cycle I don't see any problem. You might do some damage to the charching vehicles electronics though. Good google question if no experts chime in on this thread.

[linemanpete]

Originally Posted by Robins36

Lots of people use a solar charger... or if you are in a Provincial campground, just use a generator like all the others.

Daryl

How big of a solar panel? I honestly hadn't thought of his option. Is it a slow process?

[Commander B]

Not much sun left after a walleye evening fish and when you want to go next morning. ......... Honda generator


B.

[warriorboy10]

Way too slow to recharge a battery from an alternator, unless your going to keep er idled up. Deep cycle needs to be charged properly. Small generator for sure..

[kouleerunner]

Ive been considering this question for some time. I have an onboard charger on my boat, however in area's without power, the generator seems the best option. I have also considered purchasing another set of deep cycle batteries, and using the solar panel option. Run 1 set all day, while having the second set available back at camp, charging in the sun. This would also give some backup in the case of a battery failing when out on the water. Not the most convenient to swap out, nor the cheapest to have 2 sets of batteries, but but nice to have the peace of mind of redundancy.

[nast70]

^^^^^^
This is the best if there is no power nearby or generator.
It works for your CPAP in the bush too

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by kouleerunner

Ive been considering this question for some time. I have an onboard charger on my boat, however in area's without power, the generator seems the best option. I have also considered purchasing another set of deep cycle batteries, and using the solar panel option. Run 1 set all day, while having the second set available back at camp, charging in the sun. This would also give some backup in the case of a battery failing when out on the water. Not the most convenient to swap out, nor the cheapest to have 2 sets of batteries, but but nice to have the peace of mind of redundancy.

Can you charge a battery in a day with a portable solar panel?

[warriorboy10]

Originally Posted by kouleerunner

Ive been considering this question for some time. I have an onboard charger on my boat, however in area's without power, the generator seems the best option. I have also considered purchasing another set of deep cycle batteries, and using the solar panel option. Run 1 set all day, while having the second set available back at camp, charging in the sun. This would also give some backup in the case of a battery failing when out on the water. Not the most convenient to swap out, but but nice to have the peace of mind of redundancy.

Fished many tournaments on lakes with no power or not close and if you have a inboard charger a generator is the way too go. Most guys would leave their generators running all night so no big deal, not too sure that would fly very well in a typical campground scenario though.. And changing out a set of batteries every night would sure be a real pain in the arz.

[Willowtrail]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

Can you charge a battery in a day with a portable solar panel?

I say NO

I tried charging 2 batteries wired parallel a few years back with a 30 watt panel and charge controller and after a week I gave up.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

Can you charge a battery in a day with a portable solar panel?

It depends.

Th bigger the panel the greater the wattage. Panels can be wired together to increase the charge rate, if you know how to wire them.

Last summer we tried a two foot square solar panel (about 30 watts) on a single trolling battery up at Great Slave. At that latitude one has less solar energy available but longer hours then in Edmonton. It works out to a bit less charging per 24 hour day.

Our setup would not fully charge one battery in a 24 hour period, and it was clear and sunny every day we were there.
Without test equipment we estimated that we were charging the one battery to about 60 percent.

Cloud cover greatly reduces the panels output.

For years we have charged our trolling batteries off our vehicles without issue.
We were about 150km from the nearest gas station.
On that trip we resorted to using a small power plant to conserve fuel.

It wasn't the best way to go, but it kept us on the water during fishing hours.

From our experience with that one solar panel I think two panels would have been sufficient, but we only had one.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by warriorboy10

Way too slow to recharge a battery from an alternator, unless your going to keep er idled up. Deep cycle needs to be charged properly. Small generator for sure..

seems to me... if you have a small generator then why bother with the batteries at all. I would think that with the proper wiring a small generator could directly run an electric trolling motor and fish finder. My buddy has a Yamaha that is super quiet so I doubt noise would be a big issue, it runs for almost a whole day on a few bucks worth of fuel.

[fishman]

When your car is running your alternator is putting out 13.2 volts and your alternator is putting out 60-100 amps depending on its size Charging a deep cycle battery should be charged with a slow charge to get a full charge So what r u getting hooking battery cables up to the battery It will give u a short charge

Charging up your battery's in the travel trailer from running your vechile will take awhile just like using a battery charger. The wire to the battery is probably taking 5-10 amps from the vechile. Look at what size of fuse in your vechile will give u a idea The fuse is probably a 15 amp

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

seems to me... if you have a small generator then why bother with the batteries at all. I would think that with the proper wiring a small generator could directly run an electric trolling motor and fish finder. My buddy has a Yamaha that is super quiet so I doubt noise would be a big issue, it runs for almost a whole day on a few bucks worth of fuel.

Again that depends on the generator. And to a lesser degree, on your power setting on the trolling motor.

But in a practical sense, it will not work.

Trolling motors draw 30 amps or more at full throttle. I don't think you would have much luck finding a manageable sized portable generator that would put out that high of an amperage.

For example, a 3000 watt Honda EU3000iKC has only 8.5 amp DC output.
And the darn thing weighs over 77 pounds and burns up a tank of fuel in 3.5 hours.

Even a 5000 watt EG6500 Honda puts out only 8 amps DC

You might as well have a gas powered trolling motor if that's the route you want to go.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

Again that depends on the generator. And to a lesser degree, on your power setting on the trolling motor.

But in a practical sense, it will not work.

Trolling motors draw 30 amps or more at full throttle. I don't think you would have much luck finding a manageable sized portable generator that would put out that high of an amperage.

For example, a 3000 watt Honda EU3000iKC has only 8.5 amp DC output.
And the darn thing weighs over 77 pounds and burns up a tank of fuel in 3.5 hours.

Even a 5000 watt EG6500 Honda puts out only 8 amps DC

You might as well have a gas powered trolling motor if that's the route you want to go.

Yes a little two horse 4 stroke would be more efficient and probably cheaper.Just can't take them on the trout ponds.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

Again that depends on the generator. And to a lesser degree, on your power setting on the trolling motor.

But in a practical sense, it will not work.

Trolling motors draw 30 amps or more at full throttle. I don't think you would have much luck finding a manageable sized portable generator that would put out that high of an amperage.

For example, a 3000 watt Honda EU3000iKC has only 8.5 amp DC output.
And the darn thing weighs over 77 pounds and burns up a tank of fuel in 3.5 hours.

Even a 5000 watt EG6500 Honda puts out only 8 amps DC

You might as well have a gas powered trolling motor if that's the route you want to go.

I've seen the odd setup that used a generator, maybe they had a battery in the works too, I assumed they were running the generator direct.

[Habfan]

Canadian Tire inverter that plugs into cigarette lighter /accessories type plug in. Start your vehicle, Then use your battery charger. This is if you don't have a generator. I think they only cost $20.

[rena0040]

If you use jumper cables to charge a battery off your truck you will damage both the alternator and your deep cycle. You will charge the deep cycle too fast damaging it and an alternator is made to maintain a battery not charge it. Charging a drawn down deep cycle can over work and burn out your alternator.
I've been there and then the old man (mechanic) gave me a lesson.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by rena0040

If you use jumper cables to charge a battery off your truck you will damage both the alternator and your deep cycle. You will charge the deep cycle too fast damaging it and an alternator is made to maintain a battery not charge it. Charging a drawn down deep cycle can over work and burn out your alternator.
I've been there and then the old man (mechanic) gave me a lesson.

Charging the battery is the primary function of any vehicles alternator. Yes it also maintains a full charge but that is secondary to it's charging function.

In fact, if what you said were true, your battery would go completely dead in short order.
Because each time you start a vehicle you draw off a considerable amount of the charge present. If you did not replace it, IE charge it, your battery would soon be dead.

Google it.

Boosting a deep cycle battery may not be the best option but if it damaged the battery, there was something wrong with that battery already.
We've been doing it for years and have no issues with our deep cycle batteries.

Moreover, most RVs have deep cycle batteries these days and all are wired to charge off the vehicles alternator as well as off the inverter.