I have recently purchased two new interstate batteries. I was wondering who Ll leaves there on board charger plugged in 24/7. Mine is a minn Kota 2 bank charger. Boat stays in Garage just wondering if this is a bad idea

I usually plug mine in when I return from lake and leave it on a couple days, then unplug it as long as batteries are charged. If I plan on going on a 2 or 3 day trip I will plug it in a day ahead of time, especially if it hasn't been used in a while. I don't like to leave it on all the time cuz it could malfunction and overcharge batteries, short out, etc...

I have had 2 different brands of onboard chargers and have been in contact with both companies. Both told me to unplug the charger when the batteries are fully charged. If I were you and concerned, I'd call Minn Kota technical support and ask them the question.

When I am not on the water my Minn Kota charger is plugged up and running. Been like this for over 3 years. The Minn Kota smart chargers can stay hooked up 24/7. They do not constantly charge. The have different stages from bulk charge all the way to the maintenance and monitor stage.

My charger is a NOCO Gen 4. It has the same kinds of stuff that your MK has. However, I have power poles and Point 1 gps antennas drawing all the time and I was told that if I leave it plugged in the cranking battery would take a beating from the constant recharging.

I can see where that would make sense. I have the three bank charger. My cranking battery would never get fully charged and was constantly on the trickle charge stage( some accessories have lights and my Ethernet switch was constantly on). That battery eventually went bad and I figured out that I needed to put a battery cut off switch so that nothing on the boat would put a drain on the battery. Now that I have done this all my batteries get fully charged and now go into maintenance mode. It is not constantly charging. I have a NOCO 2 bank on my center console and I leave it plugged in as well



http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Support/FAQs/FAQ-Details/Will-I-damage-my-batteries-if-I-leave-the-charger-plugged-in-over-long-periods-of-non-use-(like-storage)-/

Thanks for the info guys

I have two Minn Kota 2 bank charger that is plugged in 24/7. No problem yet, but I only had the boat since March.

Leave mine plugged in 24/7

Leave it on all the time. Just shut off your main power switch to kill all the circuits that might be a drain on the battery. I have my talon on a parko switch also so it's shut off from connection with the battery to prevent it from drawing any power when off.

I have a 3 bank Minn Kota that has been plugged in about 95% of the time the boat isn't on the water. It operated like that for more than 5 years with no issues to batteries or other equipment. Recently one of the banks went out and I am looking for a new charger system. A lot to think about with a large range in prices. I have to admit that I keep looking at Minn Kota replacements based on the history of my old one. Jury is still out however.

The onboard chargers have come along since I had a boat. We just used trickle chargers when parked. These things seem to work well and quit early. In my world this type of low heat electronics should last almost forever and come with a lifetime no questions replacement. It's not hard to build a tough battery charger and encapsulate it in epoxy for a long happy life. Ask the Navy about that.

Is there a product like this?

I like this one: Dual Pro 6 Amp/Bank Recreation Series Triple Output Charger.

They have them in 1,2, and 3 bank units. Great chargers, with lights for each bank.

Modern chargers go into FLOAT preventing overcharge left powered and connected 24.7...make sure there are no parasitic loads.

Dual Pro and the very best chargers even go to envirormental float stage after charging which means their charging voltages are fully OFF and only monitoring the battery voltage.

With 24/7 charging, you do not have to worry about an accidental left on circuit killing the battery and is the recommended method by most manufacturers.

I have a question. What amps do all of you charge with? My 10 amp (5/5) charger just bit the dust and I ordered a 20 amp (10/10). Good or bad or does it matter?