I have an old school battery charger that I want to use to charge my close to dead battery. The only control it has is a variable current dial. So the question is how many amps should I charge the battery with? I put it at around 5 or 6 amps and its reading around 12.8 volts across the terminals. Should I increase the amperage? Time isn't reallt a factor so I don't need fast charging, slow charging will be fine.

 

2 amp is usually considered a "trickle" charge which is the best for a complete, solid charge.

 

excellent, just what I needed to know. And BTW, Welcome to Thirdgen.org!

 

In many batteries 10% of battery capacity in amp/hrs is considered a trickle. Most GM batteries for passenger cars are 75 ah batteries. The best type of charger is a constant current type that will maintain a constant charge current to the battery as the terminal voltage increases during the charge cycle. For proper maintenance the type that are used for winter storage are the best.

 

Hey Mikeydz28, you gonna make it to Third Gen Fest in Crete this saturday? If you haven't heard about it, check it out on the Gathering Board! Its a good time.