Interstate 6 volt Batteries

[Northern Family]

Hey folks, our batteries (came with our Escape 17 (new) last summer) won't keep their charge. We stored them inside and followed all instructions but we can't get them to charge to a point were they are useable. They worked perfectly all last summer/fall. Suggestions, thoughts comments.

 

[Ron in BC]

Did they sit that entire time uncharged or were they trickle charged or put on a charger at any time since last summer?

This has been a topic previously. Sometimes you can "get away" with leaving a battery sit a long time and sometimes they self discharge and sulfate up and any effort to recharge is fruitless.

If they were trickle charged etc. then that would be an unusually short service life.

Ron

 

[padlin]

A few ideas
Check the water level?
Check the gravity level for each cell?
Disconnect from the trailer and try a separate charger, with a 12v charger you leave the 2 batteries hooked together with one of the + to the other batteries - and connect the charger to the other 2 leads. If it completes let them sit for a day and check with a multimeter, what's the voltage?

 

[Northern Family]

Thanks for the tips. If we use a charger, how do we hook the batteries together? Just through the +- cables of the charger, or another separate wire?

 

[Ron in BC]

"as above"

To charge two 6 volts batteries with a 12 volt charger the answer is "yes" you do need a third wire. As previously stated, it connects the negative of one battery to the positive of the other. The two remaining terminals become the positive and negative for the charger. This is called a series connection and a 6 volt battery plus a 6 volt battery becomes a 12 volt battery.

Ron