Is this TM battery on its last leg?

[Hollada]

Everstart 29 series

Charges to 95% and then takes another 4-6hrs or longer to finish. Battery gets very warm on the sides. Seems to be boiling off fluid as I’ve added twice in the past 2 months. Have tried charging with a stand-alone as well as my MK on board no difference

Battery was new with boat - date says April 2015.

If it’s dieing is there any harm in waiting till spring to replace? The boat will be going into storage around thanksgiving.

Is there anything I can do to recover / save it?

[Bass AHolic]

I get 7 years out of Interstates, and I don't baby them, just check water level and kept charged, but then I unhook cables and let them sit for months at a time when know not fishing.. but you should have a warranty on yours being 2 yr old?

[fishnfireman]

Never had much luck trying to "recover / save "---------- Nothing worse than loosing a battery when you have a tournament.
If you think it will make it to thanksgiving then get a new one in spring simply for the newer warranty.
The way I use one -- two years on trolling mtr batteries is good. When I was hitting the tournaments HARD ---one year and they were done !!

[Fishysam]

My cranking battery was doing what you said, I couldn't play the game of waiting till spring. Biggest fear, explosion or acid in bilge. And when it was charging and getting hot so much stink, that could explode

[Hollada]

Not getting much stink, but I leave the bilge cover open and get plenty of ventilation.

I got a new ultrex this year and have been spotlocking a lot in the Detroit river and on Lake St Clair. I seem to have plenty of power at the end of the day, but maybe I'm draining them a bit (I upgraded to 36V when I put the ultrex in so I wouldn't think they are being drained too much, but I haven't checked end of day voltage in a long while).

[Hollada]

I get 7 years out of Interstates, and I don't baby them, just check water level and kept charged, but then I unhook cables and let them sit for months at a time when know not fishing.. but you should have a warranty on yours being 2 yr old?

What's your usage pattern? I've been fishing a lot this year - min of 3, 10-12 hr days a week - in wind and current with the TM running most of the time.

Which Interstates?

[Fishysam]

did you replace all three tm batteries when you upgraded to 36v? if not the will drain differently and discharge the weaker ones more

[catdude28]

did you replace all three tm batteries when you upgraded to 36v? if not the will drain differently and discharge the weaker ones more

Good question, but from the OP's explanation, it sounds like this is still one of the original batteries from 2015. BTW, those Walmart batteries are rebadged Interstate SRM -29's.

[Fishysam]

thats why i asked, he added a battery, and now is only 1, 2 , or all three warm?

[Hollada]

Added a new everstart max 29. Only one of the older batts is getting warm. Other charges like a charm.

Assuming I should swap out both old ones even though only one is going tits up?

[Lou r Pitcher]

The materials added to lead in a marine battery to make it survive the vibrations of a boat (in a non-commercial type having refillable cells) are well known to increase the battery's losses of water during charging as its end of life nears.

[Fishysam]

I would replace both the old batteries with the same one you got this spring. And for s's and g's I would put one anchor on each of the new ones. If you have dual anchors

[Hollada]

Anchor? You mean mounting tray? I’ve got individual trays for each batt.

[Bass AHolic]

What's your usage pattern? I've been fishing a lot this year - min of 3, 10-12 hr days a week - in wind and current with the TM running most of the time.

Which Interstates?

Battery's group 29 (2) Deep Cycle for TM which is 1989 OMC 12/24. Yea stlll use what came on Boat . And a group 29 Marine Start for the Johnson 175 HP.( I Don't Leave the charger on 24/7, they Charged its un plugged ) When I go to lake not /camping /fishing. I avg 8-10 hr on water. common Is off main lake into coves, slow tm along bank and let wind push along, to end then slow tm back out opposite side. Winter I took them out , after a full charge , they sit . No Cables Attached . I check the voltage 2 times during winter. Then around Febuary I'll hook onto charger an let it do its thing.. MK 460 PC ... next spring be new battery time for me dated 2010 ..

[Fishysam]

Anchor as in power pole and or talon

[Hollada]

Ahhhh. No anchors, ultrex. I don’t do a lot of bank beating.

[Hollada]

Here’s a few voltage readings after 24 hrs off the charger. My “bad” battery never made it to fully charged

Bad Battery (04/15) - 12.75V
2nd old battery (05/15) - 12.76V
New battery (05/17) - 12.76


AGM cranking battery (05/15) - 13.03

[Fishysam]

To tell how there doing take another reading after 12/24 hours after a full charge when the charger is not connected, and after use before the charger is used

[Lou r Pitcher]

Here’s a few voltage readings after 24 hrs off the charger. My “bad” battery never made it to fully charged

Bad Battery (04/15) - 12.75V
2nd old battery (05/15) - 12.76V
New battery (05/17) - 12.76


AGM cranking battery (05/15) - 13.03

Voltages as indicated would indicate a quite reasonable full charge, but the bank on the suspect bad battery not finishing seems it is sensing a battery that unexpectedly is continuing to draw charge beyond the time period that it should have stopped drawing current.


Battery seem bad, however: any left on attached load on this battery's terminals in the boat drawing current might also be preventing the charger from completing. Normally a trolling motor battery would not be powering such loads, but there are exceptions.

The excessive boiling of electrolyte and rapid loss is indicative that the charger is applying full output voltage attempting to get the battery fully charged and to the point it draws no more current.

To tell how there doing take another reading after 12/24 hours after a full charge when the charger is not connected

Seems he did this already and has reported the results. 24 hour rested voltages "off the charger" were normal.

[Hollada]

Yep - was off charger for A day. Have tried an external charger as well and it only gets to 95%. My on board charger just has lights and the bank stays red. This started a few week ago. I typically charge immediately after fishing and unplug when all are green.

I wired the TM batts to their own master breaker and there is nothing else attached to create a draw of any kind.

Will continuing to use this battery for the next 4-5 weeks cause any excessive wear on the new battery I put in this spring when I upgraded to 36v? If I have to replace my old batts I’d prefer to wait till spring.