Battery charging question

[Destroyer]

Batteries are always in a constant state of being discharged. Even the best battery will eventually go flat is not maintained. So the type of battery charger is really the main question. There are 3 main types. Constant chargers, trickle chargers and smart chargers. Constant chargers usually have a timer that you set and it shuts itself off when the time expires. Trickle chargers are designed so that after it charges your battery it will reduce itself to a trickle, equalizing the amount of current it puts into the battery to approximately the amount that the battery discharges at. (Thus the term trickle). A smart charger turns itself on or off depending on the batteries needs. Given it's age it's doubtful your's is a "smart" charger that will automatically go from trickle charge into float mode when your battery is fully charged. Therefore we have to assume that it's a straight charger. So 6 amps for 2 hours should be more than sufficient. (Personally I'd measure the battery after 1 hour) As was said, low and slow is better... BUT...even a trickle type charger at 2 amps can overcharge your battery and damage it. (It just takes longer to do so). While you are charging your battery.... feel it. If it'warm or hot to the touch then you are probably overcharging it and doing damage to it. Unless your charger specifically says that it shuts off when the battery is fully charged you have to figure that it will continue to pump current into your battery even after it is fully charged. Leaving a battery connected to a trickle charger for too long can lead to overcharging, causing damage to the battery. As previously stated some trickle chargers do, however, offer an automatic function to switch to a float-mode once the battery is fully charged. In float mode your battery is constantly monitored and when a predetermined amount of discharge is observed the charger automatically turns on and adds current to restore it to fully charged status, then turns itself off again.