Battery Problem, Exchange, Warranty - UPDATE

Well, I bought a marine battery at Wallmart this time last year. It won't hold a charge now. I happened to be at Wallmart today and they didn't know if marine batteries had a warranty??? They said to look on the battery. I will do that, but not until next week when I again am out where the boat is stored.

Question: If the marine batteries do not have a warranty, can I use a regular car battery which has a 1 or 2 year warranty? I had to buy the battery last year for the same reason - the old Wallmart marine battery wouldn't hold a charge. I don't want to keep buying new batteries every year, especially if they don't have a warranty??? I have two on the boat, one new last year, the other a year older. Now, neither are holding a charge. I'm hoping I can get a free replacement for the one I bought last year and bite the bullet and buy another new one now. So.. If they don't replace the one I bought last year, will a regular car battery work? At least that has a warranty??????

you are doing something wrong if your batteries are not lasting.
All battery manufacturers have a replacement warranty most have a 1 year replacement then are rated after that. be sure to keep your receipt. Take your battery back to walmart they should replace it.
The question is why aren't they lasting? Do you charge them before you store them?
that will kill a battery, seeing how you store your boat away from home you may want to pull the batteries and take them home to charge between uses.

redbug said:

you are doing something wrong if your batteries are not lasting.
All battery manufacturers have a replacement warranty most have a 1 year replacement then are rated after that. be sure to keep your receipt. Take your battery back to walmart they should replace it.
The question is why aren't they lasting? Do you charge them before you store them?
that will kill a battery, seeing how you store your boat away from home you may want to pull the batteries and take them home to charge between uses.

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Yeah, probably my fault for not pulling them in the winter. They are a pain cause the wires barely reach the terminals and taking them out is difficult cause they are both tucked under a ledge, hard to reach. I guess not too difficult to take out if I have to buy new ones #-o

But, What's the difference in keeping them in the boat or taking them out and leaving them in the garage? Will the cold weather damage them?

I found this out the hard way too. Our Walmarts battery supplier will no longer warranty their marine batteries. They will cover SOME existing batteries that were sold with warranty, but none of their new marine batteries being sold will have it. I hope other battery suppliers do not follow suit.

I just found out a little more info. I made a few phone calls. I was told that people need to voice their displeasure with Johnson Control (supplier of Ever Start/Ever Max batteries). Call the 1-800 number on the battery. I was also told that all of Johnson Controls batteries that Walmart sells including car batteries have changed their warranties. Some car batteries are only warranted for 30 days while the more expensive ones go up to 2 years. Marine batteries warranty is up as soon as you connect them!! This went into effect in January.

Specknreds said:

I just found out a little more info. Marine batteries warranty is up as soon as you connect them!! This went into effect in January.

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Thanks Specs,

hummmm, I assume that batteries bought before January still have whatever warranty (if any) that was offered at the time of sale??

Again, as asked in the original post - will a regular car battery work - or is there something special about "marine" batteries??

Is this for your trolling motor, or your outboard cranking battery? If for your trolling motor, yes, there is big difference. Marine deep cycle batteries are designed to be pulled down slowly, and recharged, quite often, as one would with a trolling motor. Cranking batteries are designed to give lotsa juice at once, but don't like being drained and recharged quite a bit. It is quite alright to use a trolling battery for the outboard, so long as you don't have a real high displacement, high hp motor (starter pulls more amps than most deep cycles can give at once), but you shouldn't use a cranking battery for the trolling motor. Supposedly, marine cranking batteries are a little more durable when it comes to bouncing around, and just being abused, than standard car batteries.

However, I got a year and a half out of a car battery, from a 4 cyl. Toyota, that I thought was on it's last leg, and I've never been the best with battery maintenance, I'll be honest. I figured I would go ahead and use the life up and see if it wouldn't hold up for a couple more weeks, then get a new battery. Well, a year and a half later (this battery had been in that car for years, then stored in the back of the shop for 6 months), I sold the boat just as the battery was tiring out.

The whole value in wallyworld batteries used to be that they didn't last as long as the warranty did, so when they died in a year, they could be exchanged for a new one, under the 18 month warranty. I know one person who paid for only 1 set in 8 years, swapping them every 6 months (he is also on the water over 250 days/year, and truly did wear the battery out - didn't destroy it just to get the warranty).

Car batteries are designed to crank out amps over short time frame. (ie 1000 cold cranking amp batteries deliver up to 1000 amps - in theory)

Marine batteries are desinged to provide continued use at low/moderate amperage (ie 180 amp hour batteries deilver a total of 180 amps over a period of time.)

If you are only using them for starting batteries, then an auto battery would work, if it is trolling, then I have been told it will ruin an auto battery.

You need to buy your batteries from someplace else.

Farm & Fleet is where I get my batteries.
24 month warrenty, 1yr free replacement.
$60.00
https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/423384-power_connection_marine_rv_battery.html?lref=%2fautomotive%2fbatteries%2fother%2fmarine%2f

I do not know if this is your problem, but I have encountered it with others......they do NOT maintain the water level in the battery, the plates become exposed and it will ruin a battery and if the water level is low, it will NOT hold a charge.

I didn't check the water - I merely jumped it so I could raise the motor to haul it out of storage and to my cousin's garage. We didn't have time that day to check into it at all. Hopefully, I'll get the batteries out, check them for water, etc., and get new ones if I need them. Farm and Fleet sounds like a better deal

my other favorite website...https://lake-link.com

Just search "batteries"....

Cold weather will not hurt a charged battery but it is rough on them in a low charge state.

Not keeping your deep cycle batteries charged is a death sentence on them. Also, let one completely discharge and you can throw it in the dumpster (so to speak) after that. It will never be right again. You could have something unknowingly drawing on your batteries, causing them to discharge.

If you have electricity available where you store your boat, I would suggest buying a good onboard charger and just leaving it plugged up. It will end your battery problems. Just make sure to check your water level before you store it for winter.

Question.......... My neighboor tells me that if I remove my battery for winter don't leave it sitting on concrete but on wood. Is this accurate??? What would happen if it was left on the basement floor(concrete) rather than on a wood surface?

perchin said:

Question.......... My neighboor tells me that if I remove my battery for winter don't leave it sitting on concrete but on wood. Is this accurate??? What would happen if it was left on the basement floor(concrete) rather than on a wood surface?

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Here ya go

https://www.thebatteryterminal.com/TechTalk_Batteries_on_Concrete.htm

Quackrstackr said:

Cold weather will not hurt a charged battery but it is rough on them in a low charge state.

Not keeping your deep cycle batteries charged is a death sentence on them. Also, let one completely discharge and you can throw it in the dumpster (so to speak) after that. It will never be right again. You could have something unknowingly drawing on your batteries, causing them to discharge.

If you have electricity available where you store your boat, I would suggest buying a good onboard charger and just leaving it plugged up. It will end your battery problems. Just make sure to check your water level before you store it for winter.

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I have an on-board charger but I don't know if it stays on trickle-charge or shuts off completely when the batteries are fully charged. I didn't want to keep it plugged in if it doesn't shut off. Also, the guy who owns the building where I store it might have a problem with it being plugged in to his electric for 6 months? But, I should check this all out so I don't have to buy batteries again next spring :roll:

FishingCop said:

perchin said:

Question.......... My neighboor tells me that if I remove my battery for winter don't leave it sitting on concrete but on wood. Is this accurate??? What would happen if it was left on the basement floor(concrete) rather than on a wood surface?

Click to expand...

Here ya go

https://www.thebatteryterminal.com/TechTalk_Batteries_on_Concrete.htm

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Thanks man.......excellent read, and a funny little ending note too.

If it kicks in to float mode, it won't draw any more power than the led on the case and the little bit that the hardware for the monitoring takes. It will only hit it with a trickle if the level drops low enough that the batteries need to be topped off.

Quackrstackr said:

If it kicks in to float mode, it won't draw any more power than the led on the case and the little bit that the hardware for the monitoring takes. It will only hit it with a trickle if the level drops low enough that the batteries need to be topped off.

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Thanks, sounds like the way I should go as long as the guy doesn't have a problem with me leaving it plugged in....

even at a full power output the charger wont cost that much if ypou give the guy $20 for the power he will make out and you will save the cost of new batteries every year. I leave mine plugged in all year long