Ah yes, summer in the lowcountry, light southwest winds, sunny skies, blazing heat and 90% humidity. You got to love it! So what does someone need to know before hitting the water for a day of fishing in these conditions; stay hydrated, lather on the sunscreen, watch for pop up thunderstorms, and top off the batteries to name a few. Top off the batteries? Are you aware that heat and humidity not only take a toll on the human body but these same conditions also stress batteries just as hard if not harder than a cold winter?
A dying battery could cut your gigging trip short, could cause you to lose your frisky baits in a live well, or could keep you from making one last pass down the bank with your trolling motor. A dead battery, well, that could keep your bilge pump from running while docked or it could leave you stranded and might even effect your ability to call for help.
Whether you have starting batteries, deep cycle marine batteries, a 12 volt system or a 24 volt system battery maintenance is critical and is relatively simple no matter what kind of set up you have. Here are few items to consider when it comes to maintenance on your batteries:
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Keep terminals clean and connections tight. Terminals will corrode over time and salt air accelerates the deterioration of contacts. Use a wire brush or sand paper to keep these connections clean. If corrosion build up is thick, use some soda to break it down, and then wipe clean the connections. Many marine batteries come standard with wing nuts on the terminals. While wing nuts are convenient for disconnecting terminals quickly and without tools they are also prone to loosen over time from vibration thus causing poor connections. Consider at least using a lock washer under the wing nut, or better yet replace the wing nut with a lock nut to ensure connections remain tight. Finally consider using a corrosion block such as a marine grade spray lubricant on terminals and connections to ward off corrosion.
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Utilize a battery switch. No matter the syst