It is always good to charge a battery to its full capacity before it is fully charged.
By fully charging and fully discharging some batteries the expected charge time can be increased. Some rechargable batteries will last longer per charge if they are fully discharged before you recharge them again. Recharging batteries before they are fully discharged may cause a battery memory effect that will allow the battery to run for a shorter period between recharges.
Fully charge the battery before its first use. The first 3 or 5 cycles try to fully drain and fully charge the battery.
I recommend you use an automatic charger but if you do not have one and the battery is fully discharged then click the link and insert the battery capacity in mAh and the charge rate in mA to determine the amount of hours to charge the battery.
You sure can! I charge a marine battery with a 75 watt panel and it goes from a fairly good discharged state to fully charged in about four days.
A rechargable deep cycle battery can be fully discharged without damaging the battery. Any auto battery cannot be discharged without damaging the battery. Any dry cell rechargable battery can be fully discharged without damaging the battery.
It depends on what type of battery it is. Ni-CD battery do need to be discharged completely before recharging it (I would recommend getting a discharger), Ni-MH batteries can be discharged but don't need to be, and Li-PO batteries should absolutely not be discharged completely, because they catch fire and explode when fully discharged (Ni-CD batteries have a memory effect, while Ni-MH and Li-PO batteries do not).
There is no usual. Depends on the quality of the battery and if it was ever fully discharged. 3-4 years is normal. Each time the battery is fully discharged, the life of the battery is shortened.
More than likely the battery is discharged. It can also be a defective starter. Fully charge the battery and see what you have.
A battery float charger is intended only to keep a fully charged battery from losing its charge. It will NOT work to charge a battery that is discharged or damaged. Check the voltage of the battery to be charged. Do not use charger if the battery voltage is less than 9.6 volts.
It is called a deep cycle battery
Dead battery Fully charge or replace Dead battery Fully charge or replace Dead battery Fully charge or replace
Rechargeable batteries normally have to be charged fully before first use.