How Long Will the Battery Last on a 210

[Gearyg]

Does anyone have any idea how long a group 24 battery will last with only the bait tank running (engines off of course). I know I have 2 batteries, but I believe the bait tank is wired to number 1 and just wondered if I fell asleep for a few hours, will I wake up with a dead battery?

[jack7265]

Gearyg, this information should help you determine how long your battery will last. The only other thing you will have to determine is the current draw for your bait tank.

A battery with a capacity of 1 amp-hour should be able to continuously supply a current of 1 amp to a load for exactly 1 hour, or 2 amps for 1/2 hour, or 1/3 amp for 3 hours, etc., before becoming completely discharged. In an ideal battery, this relationship between continuous current and discharge time is stable and absolute, but real batteries don't behave exactly as this simple linear formula would indicate. Therefore, when amp-hour capacity is given for a battery, it is specified at either a given current, given time, or assumed to be rated for a time period of 8 hours (if no limiting factor is given).

For example, an average automotive battery might have a capacity of about 70 amp-hours, specified at a current of 3.5 amps. This means that the amount of time this battery could continuously supply a current of 3.5 amps to a load would be 20 hours (70 amp-hours / 3.5 amps). But let's suppose that a lower-resistance load were connected to that battery, drawing 70 amps continuously. Our amp-hour equation tells us that the battery should hold out for exactly 1 hour (70 amp-hours / 70 amps), but this might not be true in real life. With higher currents, the battery will dissipate more heat across its internal resistance, which has the effect of altering the chemical reactions taking place within. Chances are, the battery would fully discharge some time before the calculated time of 1 hour under this greater load.

[Gearyg]

Ok Jack, thanks for the information. Did some research, so to close this thread out, a typical group 24 batteries has approx 65Ah. A typical bait pump for a 30gal tank draws about 4-5amps. So based on this, a fully charged battery with nothing else running should last about 13 hours. However, realistically, my battery holds a constant 3/4 charge...so about 50Ah in which would last approx 10 hours (50Ah/5A) until completely drained. Add a GPS and/or fish finder/light, this should drain the battery fully in about 6-7 hours conservatively...so basically if you will be sitting most of the night, turn all electronics off (except for the light of course) and your battery should last around 7 hours.

Another tip, the bait tank pump on a 210 is integrated into the electrical system, so if you keep in on number 1 and it becomes completely drained, number 2 will still have a full charge....then charge number 1 while traveling and then fully charge it at home.

Basically, if you are sitting on a spot overnight or for several hours, just make sure you are on number 1 and you should be good to go...also your batteries should be fully charged prior to. Go to a group 27 battery and your Ah increase to approx 80.