Freeride
Well-Known Member
My TJ is setup with dual: http://www.exideworld.com/products/marine_rv/orbital_deep_cycle.html I have a big dial perko type selector switch that selects between "battery 1", "battery 2", "both", or "off". I've been running them for around 6 months with no problems. I generally switch back and forth between batteries every couple weeks to keep them both charged up. A few weeks ago I had my TJ in the shop for a week or so while I did some projects on it. In the meantime I ran one of the batteries all the way dead using the radio. I figured this wouldn't be a problem because they are deep cycle batteries. After the project was complete, I switched over to the good battery and started up the rig. Then I switched back to the dead battery to allow it to charge up. After a week of daily driving, the battery still hadn't charged up. It barely cranks over the Jeep enough to start it up, but definitely is not charging. Running voltage is 13.9 volts, so I believe the alternator is fine. Also for the last week I switched over to the "good" battery that I never discharged, and have been running on that. The alternator is keeping that battery charged even through multiple winching sessions, convincing me that the alternator is good.
So here's my question. It appears that these deep cycle batteries are not designed for rapid charging, per this: http://www.exideworld.com/pdf/exide_orbital_battery_technical_information.pdf It looks like 30 amp charging for 1 hour is the max, and never for deeply discharged batteries. My factory alternator is a 65 amp model I believe. So did I kill the battery by completely draining it and trying to charge it with the alternator? Should I have trickle charged it?
This is making me rethink my whole dual battery setup. My goal was to DD and trail run on either 1 of the batteries and only switch over to both batteries during HEAVY winching. Also, if I ever drained a battery overnight, I though I could switch to the charged battery and start it up, and then switch back the dead battery and charge it. But that doesn't sound like it's an option.
Sorry for the novel.
So here's my question. It appears that these deep cycle batteries are not designed for rapid charging, per this: http://www.exideworld.com/pdf/exide_orbital_battery_technical_information.pdf It looks like 30 amp charging for 1 hour is the max, and never for deeply discharged batteries. My factory alternator is a 65 amp model I believe. So did I kill the battery by completely draining it and trying to charge it with the alternator? Should I have trickle charged it?
This is making me rethink my whole dual battery setup. My goal was to DD and trail run on either 1 of the batteries and only switch over to both batteries during HEAVY winching. Also, if I ever drained a battery overnight, I though I could switch to the charged battery and start it up, and then switch back the dead battery and charge it. But that doesn't sound like it's an option.
Sorry for the novel.
