What NOT to do to Your Deep Cycle Battery

[troutnmuskiehunter]

Thought I would share a learning experience that I encountered a couple of days ago during a troutin trip....we went to one of my favorite lakes for a couple of days of camping and fly fishing.....weather was great and the drive up was good for the most part except for the last few Km where I needed to use 4x4 low......the trail was rough and when we finally reached the lake we had a cold beer and when I went to hook up the Minn Kota to the battery I saw the battery lying on it's side against the transom.....

This is the damage that occured...





The friggin battery had shorted out against the aluminum and one of the wing nuts totally melted!!! What was interesting is the fact that I was able to use the battery for the 2 days we were fishing...

Does anyone know whether this battery is seriously damaged?? It seems to be taking a charge but I'm not sure now if I've damaged something internal....WHAT A MORON

[TLunge]

Hi trouthunter, you will probably find the battery to be ok, just see how it performs. I guess you're lucky, it could have been worse, like if the battery had tipped over against a steel fuel tank
There are new regs. for battery installations in boats
1- the battery must be secured to the floor so it can not tip
2-the battery posts must be covered so that a metal object if dropped on the battery cannot short the posts
3- the battery must be in a ventilated area
I know the government comes out with alot of bogus regs. lately, but this one makes sense
TLunge

[troutnmuskiehunter]

Thanks for the reply TLunge...the battery is only used for my electric motor and I switch between my 12' car topper and 14' Smokercraft, so it would be hard to secure it to the floor of the 2 boats....what I will do is buy one of those plastic battery boxes first thing tomorrow....

[High Noon]

Hi Trouthunter,

I have a Minn Kota battery box and the thing is the bees knees. It only comes with a strap and two plastic mounting brackets for mounting to the boat. I don't depend on the strap to hold the battery in place while trailering. I did once and the battery did migrarte a bit. Now I put the battery in the back of the van while trailering and lift it in and out at the launch.

High Noon

[joco]

HI

I see that batterie is a NAUTILUS.

so brig it to canadian tire.........they will put the machine on it and chek it.....ITS FREE wen it a batterie they sell... .

i have a cooworker..that lost a boat,,due to a batteerie on is way back frome clova......in the gravel road the batterie did excacly what it did to you...but is batteire was in the back under that back plates etc not mutch ventilate and the spark did some kind off WOFFFFF.. wit the gas fumes...so i saw some fire in is back vu miror frome is truck...the fire was in the back off is boat still attache to the truck.so they stop,unhook the trailer and guive some space and it almost all burn down.... .

batterie is something that have to be take care off.

same for gas tank.



thanks for the heads up bud...



joco

[Bobber]

I'd say the battery is still good, as long as nothing leaked out of it. Check the fluid levels in it to make sure. You're lucky on the shorting out thing. Hope ya got that case already.

Cheers

[troutnmuskiehunter]

Thanks for all the feedback lads....the biggest challenge now will be to try and make a connector for the negative post. There's not enough thread left to attach a wing nut to it

A few cells looked a little low. My well water has calcium and iron in it so I'm a little leary about using it to top up the cells....will normal bottled water do??

[YakAttack]

Check the label on the bottled water, they usually list the mineral content.

Distilled water is pure water, that would probably be better.

But, I don't know much about batteries, so I don't know what you should use.

[rick1117]

you can buy distilled water at the A&P. That's what I use.