gel cell charging question
 

how many amps should i charge my 12v gel cell
the hobbico wall charger says it charges at 600ma
going by that should i charge it at .6 amps ??

also can they take more amps to top them off before i go out??

I charge mine with a regular car battery charger. Set it for 2 amp charge rate, works fine.

Prob safe trickle charging at up to 1amp. These are not intended for fast charging witness the 600ma wall charger that's sold as a charger for these.

I keep mine on a float style charger that charges at 750ma, so its always ready to go when I am.

about how lond does it take to charge at 1 amp?

Yep, this is what I do too. I've had the same gel cell for my starter box for three years now.

Most are 7ah cells - and they are rarely completely flat, so figure 3-5hrs should give you a pretty good charge. The 600ma charger is intended for 8 -12hrs (overnite).

Keep an eye on it and make sure its not getting hot at 1amp. If it is, its time to stop.

how long does it take to charge at 2amps??

What's the best way to make it last longer between charges
and hold a charge longer for full power?

The charge time for 2a is half the time as 1amp. If time is that big of a deal, just charge it at 7amps and you're done in about an hour, watch for any heat. Don't be suprised when you don't get a lot of life out of it either.
Most gel cells are now lead calcium and they don't tolerate higher charge rates as well as SLA (sealed lead acid) cells do. Go find a manufacturer's site for one of these and see what they recommend.

The PbCa cells build some kinf of calcium deposit up over time and thats what gets hot and starts draining capacity away from the batt. That deposit will eventually kill the cell.

Use a float style charger - you keep it on charge and this type charger maintains the battery - it charges when it needs it and maintains that level of charge. You just have to remember to put in on charge when you get back from running. This is similar to the ones I am using -

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=42292

I keep my motorcycle batt on one as well since I don't ride everyday. You can find better ones, check out Battery Tender Jr.

Gell cell batteries always lasted all weekend and then some. Why do you need to top it off before your race starts? It's not a racing battery pack. Charge it the night before on the wall charger and you should be set for the entire weekend. If it doesn't last that long then the battery is on it's way out.

Any lead acid battery of any chemistry,even deep cycle, will give a longer service life if kept at full charge. The guy that charges his battery at the end of a 2 day event will not get as long a service life as the guy that charges his every evening. And the guy that charges his battery every evening will not get the service life as the guy that charges his after every run. This only works if the charger is automatic and set up for the chemistry of the battery. If you overcharge it with a straight 2 amp charger between every run then it will shorten the life of the battery even more than charging it at the end of the weekend with the 2 amp charger. How much effort you put into it is up to you. It does seam that they will last a year or so with the 500 mah wall charger pluged in over night before the race treatment. But its not the best way.