When charging a new battery........

[Chrisj CMA]

add acid.......wait an hour..........plug holes..........put on trickle (2A) and in 4 hrs the green light is on...........does this sound right, I thought it should take a bit longer. 

Thoughts?  TIA

[Earl in Pensacola]

That should be more than enough prepo. work,  so long as your alternator is puttin' out.   So, How ya' been.  Those timming belts you installed have worked perfectly. Thanx again.
Earl Pensacola

[Chrisj CMA]

Cool Earl..........battery is in.....13V not running.........14V running............Im a happy camper again..........I was in Pensacola today for PGR...........should see us on the news.....glad them belts are acting right for you

[DeathWishBikerDude]

The only battery that has lasted for me has been a sealed power max.
A battery that requires filling should be charged for 24 hours,to get long life from the battery.
My original battery lasted 6 years,and the replacements lasted about 1 year,even with trickle charging and removal for the winter months.
The power max is now in it's 4th year.
 

[Steve K (IA)]

I had the same experience when putting a new Yuasa into service 2 months ago.  I thought it would take longer to charge, but according to the charger, about 4 hours was all it took.

[MarkT]

If you want the battery to have it's full potential and longest life - according to Battery University - and I concur with my experience - a new battery should get 14.4 volts - that's 2.4 volts per cell, optimum for a lead acid battery - at 6-10 amps for 10 hours.  Cheap chargers don't have timers or controls on the volts and amps, but if you have the ability, that's what you should dial in.  I bought a big charger on a cart a little while back, got a special offer at NAPA - now I can charge like I'm supposed to. Also according to Battery University, you "can't overcharge a lead-acid battery" like you can nickle chemistries.  I think what they mean is, they aren't as sensitive to being charged exactly according to their discharge level.  I know you can boil the acid off, I've done it with my Compufire, before I upgraded the battery.