A marine battery charger is only as good as how much you use it. Whenever your boat is not in use, you need to be charging your batteries. If you don’t, you are increasing the chances for dead batteries, or worse, permanent damage to the batteries. Here are some steps for installing marine battery chargers:

Step 1: Locate the marine battery charger in a location that is close to the batteries and accessible if you have to replace the onboard battery charger.

Step 2: Make sure the marine battery charger is ignition protected. This means the 3 bank battery charger will not emit a spark. Sparks are bad near and around batteries.

Step 3: Assuming you have purchased or have a multiple bank marine battery charger, connect the battery cable leads to the each battery. A marine battery charger with individual battery banks is great for extending battery life.

Step 4: Check and make sure the connections to the battery are tight. A loose battery connection can cause problem with onboard battery chargers.

Step 5: Plug in the marine battery charger to verify the battery charger is working and your battery connections are solid. Some onboard battery chargers have error diagnostics. If you are getting some type of an error condition, read the battery chargers manufacturers owners guide. Error conditions can be the result of a bad battery, loose battery connections, corrosion on the battery terminals, or some other reason.

Step 6: Use your battery charger every time when you are not using your boat. The biggest mistake you can make is not keeping your batteries always maintained when not in use. Batteries do not like to sit around without a charge. If you keep your batteries always maintained with a marine battery charger, you will extend the life of your battery and avoid premature failure of your battery.