Vex Battery Question

[GVSUKUSH]

I got a Vex FL-18 for christmas and I'm wondering how long I should charge the battery after every use. What's worked the best for you guys for the longest battery life? How long does a fully charged battery usually last?

Thanks!

[jb10]

If you call Vexillar they will tell you to charge it two hours for every hour of use.

[Fishfoote]

When I charge it - it's pretty much always over night. There's an indicator light that goes off on the charger to know that it's fully charged. Depending on conditions - I'll run it 8 hours before worrying about charging it. I think I've had it going on 4 years now.

[Northlander]

Your Vexilar charger light should come on after a fully charged battery. Sometimes the indicator light will come on as well if you have one. It states right in the book that you should charge the battery everytime after you use it, no matter how long after use. The key is to wait at least a hour, (Or a little longer) with the unit indoors before you charge it. You do not want to charge the unit when the battery is still cold! Them battery's contain GEL and are designed to last numerous years if you charge them properly. Just read the manual if you were provided with one, if not, goto Vexilar's website and download their PDF manual.

[scottyhoover]

Kush after you get done fishing, bring it in the house, let it sit for an hour to warm up, then plug it in and forget about until at least the end of the next day, I pretty much leave mine plugged in all the time, but for me its a day at most between trips. NO problem leaving it on charge for a couple days.

[GVSUKUSH]

Kush after you get done fishing, bring it in the house, let it sit for an hour to warm up, then plug it in and forget about until at least the end of the next day, I pretty much leave mine plugged in all the time, but for me its a day at most between trips. NO problem leaving it on charge for a couple days.

Thanks Scott and others, exactly what I was looking for.

[9mmruger1]

I recharge after every weekends useage. Usually for 8 to 10 hours. My unit is 4 years old and still going strong. In fact it's so old that the charger and unit does not have indicator lights at all.

I do not recharge over the summer, I just let it sit. My brother in law has a 2 year old unit that he recharged every month during the summer and the battery has already had to be replaced.

[Fishfoote]

Your Vexilar charger light should come on after a fully charged battery. Sometimes the indicator light will come on as well if you have one. It states right in the book that you should charge the battery everytime after you use it, no matter how long after use. The key is to wait at least a hour, (Or a little longer) with the unit indoors before you charge it. You do not want to charge the unit when the battery is still cold! Them battery's contain GEL and are designed to last numerous years if you charge them properly. Just read the manual if you were provided with one, if not, goto Vexilar's website and download their PDF manual.

I must have a different charger then - the light is on when it is not drawing amps, and off when it is...it is possible that I am using a charger from my Atlantis camera, but the batteries for both units are the same.

[GVSUKUSH]

I must have a different charger then - the light is on when it is not drawing amps, and off when it is...it is possible that I am using a charger from my Atlantis camera, but the batteries for both units are the same.

Yeah, the light on mine is on when I plug it into the wall, the light goes off when I connect to the battery.

[E Man]

My FL18 charger does the same, the light goes on when battery is charged. I've only had it a month or so but the manual says to recharge after every use. It also says that it will not overcharge the battery if it is left on for a day or two after a full charge.

[joefsu]

The chargers differ in how the light works, but for the most part it's not a big deal as long as you know what the light on or off means. My charger light is red when charging and turns green when the battery is fully charged. I don't think it's a big deal using other chargers meant for the 12V sealed lead acid batteries. I think it's more of a patent thing about the indicator light.

Joe

[bigsid]

I was curious about this also. Thanks for clearing it up!

Sid

[Lucky_Eddie]

Yeah, the light on mine is on when I plug it into the wall, the light goes off when I connect to the battery.

Sounds like you have the same charger that I have. The reason that the light turns on when you plug it in is to show you that you have power through that outlet. When you connect it to the battery, it should turn off to show you that it is charging. When the battery is fully charged, the light will turn on again. Make sure that your battery is at room temp. when you start charging it. This helps with the longevity of your battery.

I use the Fl-18 and my battery is 3 years old. I used it for about 14 hrs. in one day. Lasted all day long with no problems. Definitely needed a charge after that though.

[woodie slayer]

:) read the book it says to charge after every use or charge every 2 months in the off season. if you use it and lets say you use 1/2 the battery life and don't charge it the battery will retain a memory and won't charge back up fully again.
mine takes about 3 hours to recharge everyday 100%:fish:

[William H Bonney]

I bought an FL-18 the first year they came out and I still have the original battery. Its actually difficult to run one of those batteries dead using it for the Vex only. I've done it twice and I had to let in run for 2 days straight in my house. Only reason I did it was because I couldn't remember the last time I charged it and didn't wanna run outta juice on the ice. One little reminder though,, don't leave the charger plugged in all the time, I've seen more chargers go bad than actual batteries.