Shark Shield mystery disharge

     Last time I went out, when I returned I did the usual: rinse the SS gently, drip dry, plug in, wait for the green light to go on, unplug, test by turning knob on, then knob off.  Yesterday, getting ready to go out today, I plugged it into charger (it only takes a few minutes to top it off), but this time it took 4 hours to get the green light. 
    The only thing I could find to explain it is that there was some "shellac" around the base of the charging prongs -thin brownish layer.  So I got out my electronic cleaner and toothbrush and cleaned the prongs and the area around them. I charged it for a few minutes and waited until this morning and plugged it in again, and the green light came on immediately, and it worked fine all day.  I'm hoping that the problem was just the electricity traveling between the prongs by way of the shellac.   
    You might want to make a routine of cleaning those  prongs if you don't already. 

Thanks for the info. I've definitely got some buildup on the charging prongs, and it does seem to take longer than it should to charge.

In any case, I think my battery might be starting to give out, as I only get about 4.5 hours out of a full charge.

  The more I think about it, while I think it can't hurt to keep that area clean, I wonder if it would discharge that way. After all, it's designed to be submerged in salt water, and there is no insulating covering for the prongs in case they came accidentally came in contact with metal.
    There's not much in the manual about the electronics/battery - just make sure it has some charge when stored for long periods, dry the pins before charging, and make sure it's turned off before charging. It also says the slight brownish tint on the metal parts  has no effect on the unit.
     I imagine the battery is by far the most expensive part of the unit, hope you can avoid having to service it.
   
     

  , hope you can avoid having to service it.
   
      Getting the unit serviced is a problem.  Ocean Guardian has yet to respond to e mail or phone messages.  One of the prongs became loose enough and backing nut fall off along with the wire.  It seems like a simple fix  if I could access the insides.  I may have craft a special tool to remove the access nuts.  If O.G. ever responds they have reconditioned units for sale for $275. It would be nice to have a back up unit.