SeaDoo Battery Charging

[jtackle]

All the manuals and even a sticker on the SeaDoo warn about charging the battery while still installed.

Is this just a caution to avoid gas vapour issues or does charging while installed risk some mechanical / electrical problems?

[Technical Support]

Re: SeaDoo Battery Charging

Yes ,you could damage the electrical system with voltage spikes by charging with the battery hooked up to the ski. Tom SBT tech

[jtackle]

Re: SeaDoo Battery Charging

Thx for the quick reply Tom.

Follow-up questions:

1) Is there still the same risk if only a 2A charge applied?

2) How about a battery tender?

3) Which parts might be damaged? Regulator? MPEM? Others?? ( I just charged it last weekend without disconnecting so maybe I need to check a few parts out to be sure now)

4) Why OK to charge a car battery while connected and now a PWC?? Curious.

[Steve762us]

Re: SeaDoo Battery Charging

1) Is there still the same risk if only a 2A charge applied?

2) How about a battery tender?

3) Which parts might be damaged? Regulator? MPEM? Others?? ( I just charged it last weekend without disconnecting so maybe I need to check a few parts out to be sure now)

4) Why OK to charge a car battery while connected and now a PWC?? Curious.

It's not a matter of the current, it's the voltage. Solid state devices are extremely voltage-sensitive, and chargers are made to charge big, dumb, (relatively) voltage-INsensitive batteries.

Try checking the voltage output on your charger sometime. I've seen automotive chargers putting over 25 VDC on the leads. I don't know what kind of over-voltage protection the Seadoo MPEM may have, but I wouldn't trust it to deal with 25 VDC for several hours.

[dsolie]

Re: SeaDoo Battery Charging

The electronics on the CDI and MPEM's on the ski's are a lot more sensitive to a current spike compared to a car. If you insist o charging the battery while it's in the ski, at least take off the power lead, that will keep any current from going into the electrical box.

Battery charger and even the tenders do not put out a constant 2v, it cycles the battery, and varies the voltage while charging (that's how it knows the battery is fully charged). Typically, even this voltage curve will not hurt the electronics, but it has happened to people who have had a tender go south while charging...

In my opinion, a screwdriver and 10 seconds of your time is worth WAY more than trying to daignose and replace the expensive (if not impossible to find) electronics.

[dsolie]

Re: SeaDoo Battery Charging

Dang.. Steve beat me to it as I was typing mine lol..