6 Marine Battery Maintenance Tips

Now that we’ve covered all the ways batteries can fail, it’s helpful to review things you can do to maintain your battery performance. These are all simple tips that take just a few minutes but can lead to years of flawless performance in your boat.

  1. Use the Right Onboard Battery Charger: Each marine battery has certain chargers that it is paired with by the manufacturer. By using an approved charger, you will avoid the risk of damaging the unit.
  2. Recharge Immediately After Each Use: It’s important to recharge your battery after a day on the water. Many do not enjoy the benefit of an alternator constantly keeping them at optimal charge levels.
  3. Keep Terminals Clean of Corrosion: The simplest thing you can do to maintain a battery is to clean away any corrosion with a solution of thick baking soda and water.
  4. Use Nylock Nuts to Secure Power Wires: A properly secured battery system has an improved chance of avoiding or sustaining hard impacts.
  5. Maintain Water Level in Flooded Batteries: Think about lead-acid batteries like you would an automobile. Without the proper amount of oil and other fluids, they break down. Distilled water is the primary fluid necessary for lead-acid battery health. It’s important to maintain proper levels.
  6. Keep Batteries Topped Off Over Winter: Keep battery fluids at manufacturer levels and fully charged during winter months when they may be less active or inactive.