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[halcyonguitars]

Recently got a brand new marine battery and a charger.

I estimate that I used about half its charge, and I'm now recharging it with a trickle charger on 2a.

It's been charging for about 72 hours and the charger is saying it's still charging, but I had expected a full charge by now.

Is this normal, or might something be fishy?

[Hike_and_fish]

Sounds fishy to me.

I have a group 31 AGM and it charges from 0 to 100% in 8 hours.

[halcyonguitars]

Dang, brand new!

[Hike_and_fish]

Dang, brand new!

I know lots of people that ride the return game on batteries. Most places ( like Costco ) will take batteries back without even blinking. Every year or two you get a new battery. Where did you buy it ?

[Noahs Arc]

Sounds fishy to me.

I have a group 31 AGM and it charges from 0 to 100% in 8 hours.

This sounds a little on the quick end for me. I’m usually around 36 hours on mine.

[halcyonguitars]

Canadian Tire in the 'loops..

[DanL]

I estimate that I used about half its charge, and I'm now recharging it with a trickle charger on 2a.

It's been charging for about 72 hours and the charger is saying it's still charging, but I had expected a full charge by now.

Dont know what trickle charger you bought, but some cheap 'dumb' ones dont monitor the battery voltage and dont turn off after it's full which is bad. If it's a proper trickle charger, it will switch on and off periodically to top it off and it's safe to leave your battery on it for extended periods.

Consider getting a proper smart charger to recharge large capacity batteries in any sort of reasonable time. It will charge at high current and back it off as the battery gets full. Totally worth it. A trickle charger really can take days, though 72 hours does sound somewhat long, especially if it's been delivering a constant 2A the whole time. What is the battery voltage at? If its reasonably high, suggesting the battery is close to full, then you can take the battery off the charger for peace of mind.

[Hike_and_fish]

This sounds a little on the quick end for me. I’m usually around 36 hours on mine.

The AGM batteries are able to take a higher Amperage when charging. Depending on the size and manufacturer.

[halcyonguitars]

I bought a motomaster eliminator intelligent battery charger with the battery, which is supposed to turn itself off when the battery is full...

[halcyonguitars]

Hmm.

I switched the leads from the 1/2" posts to the 1/4" threaded posts and it immediately read charged, and when I put the leads on the 1/2" posts it also reads charged now, so I guess it's working...

[banx]

don't worry, mine says the same.  reads 90% until i move the connections. then bang it's full.... same charger as you, also a class 31 agm.

You can always confirm the charge by putting a voltmeter to the battery, and its likely your minn kota has a 'battery level' button which would show you full as well.

you can really put some amps to these batteries if your in a time crunch. 

[halcyonguitars]

I couldn't afford an AGM battery, I got a Nautilus.

The Minn Kota is pretty much an antique, a MK 10, so no battery level button, but I may add a meter at some point...

[Noahs Arc]

The AGM batteries are able to take a higher Amperage when charging. Depending on the size and manufacturer.

Thanks I didn’t realize this. Do you charge at 15 Amps?

[Hike_and_fish]

8 or 12 when I am spending a few days at a lodge and absolutely need it charged for the next morning. Is it the greatest for batteries ? Not 100%. However, they are designed for that. Mine for example has a 2 year in store return policy. If I notice I'm not getting what I used to out of the battery within those two year, I just exchange it for a new one.

[halcyonguitars]

That's pretty sweet, especially if you use it a lot...