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GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
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Initially Posted - 10/01/2011 : 19:13:40

Last night I spent the night on the boat. Got to the boat around 6:30, hooked up the shore power, and got the boat ready to sleep on. The weather was awesome! A cool front came through yesterday afternoon and the temperature was probably in the mid 80's cooling into the 60's during the evening.

Around 11 pm I fell asleep to all of the sounds one hears in a marina along with a band playing somewhere across the lake.

I woke up around 1:30 am because I was getting cold. While moving around getting the hatch boards in place I happened to sit down on the edge of my air mattress, which I have setup across the cabin, and I caught a whiff of electrical hot or melting insulation. It was very, very faint but that smell always catches my attention!

I started sniffing around and found the smell was coming from the area around the batteries and switch panel. At some point I put my hand on the top of the rear cushion directly over the batteries and it was very hot! I immediately flipped off the main ac circuit breaker and the battery switch.

Once that was done I removed the rear cushion and felt the top of the wooden board covering the battery area. It was extremely hot directly over the battery I'd put water in a few weeks ago.

I grabbed the fire extinguisher and slowly lifted the board up while aiming the fire extinguisher under the cover in case the increase in oxygen in that area caused a fire to flame up. There was no smell of actual fire (IE: melting fiberglass or wood), just hot insulation.

I quickly determined that one of the batteries was overheating.

Once I assessed the situation and determined there was no fire my first goal was to get the battery unhooked and off the boat. The battery was blistering hot. When removing the wing nuts securing the battery cables I found they were so hot they were almost untouchable without gloves on.

Once I got the battery freed I lifted it out and while moving it to the dock I could hear it sizzling. I set it on the dock where there was a cool breeze blowing hoping to rapidly cook it down.

Unlike some other types of batteries I don't think lead acid batteries are subject to thermal runaway but I wasn't sure the way this battery was acting so I kept an eye on it for awhile. An hour later the case was still very hot but had cooled enough that I didn't think it would be an issue any longer.

The other battery was only slightly warm as it would normally be while charging.

Once I got the bad battery out I re-attached the good battery but left the battery charger disconnected. The good battery worked fine and the ac worked fine the rest of the night.

This is the first time I've ever had a situation like this and it's very unnerving when you think of the what-ifs! I've slept in the rear quarter berth many times until this summer when I set up a set of boards I can put in place across the cabin. If that battery had caught on fire I would have been right on top of it! Even sleeping where I was I could have easily been trapped inside the cabin since the batteries sit directly below the companionway! My only hope would be to get out of the forward hatch if I could squeeze my fat &%^ through it.

Three lessons learned 1) I'm getting a smoke and carbon monoxide detector, 2) one 5# fire extinguisher doesn't feel like (and isn't) enough when you think you are actually facing a fire. I will be getting more and larger extinguishers before I go back to the boat, 3) I need to lose weight (which I've already been working on) so I'm assured I can get out of the forward hatch if something does happen during the night while I'm asleep.

I haven't taken the bad battery to the auto parts store yet to have it tested but I'm assuming it must have a shorted cell or two. This is the same battery that got low on water a few weeks ago.

I'm hoping they find it has shorted cells. If it doesn't then I'm probably looking at a bad battery charger.

Association Member

GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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4479 Posts

Response Posted - 10/01/2011 : 19:35:10

Wow, scary story, glad you were able to get it sorted out quickly without getting hurt. Is the battery relatively new? I know that smell you're describing, it always meant a bad day when I was an electrician in the USN.

On SL we've got the original fire extinguisher plus a 5lb mounted under our book rack outside the head. The original is attached on the aft end of the galley table, which always seemed like a dumb place to me if something went wrong with the stove, so I placed the bigger one on the opposite side of the cabin.

Our 9v battery powered CO detector is mounted above the port settee about a foot from the overhead as specified by their install instructions. I think I found it at Home Depot or Lowes for $25-$30? I think it's a dedicated CO detector, and we don't have a smoke detector, although we probably should.

Edited by - on

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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4304 Posts

Response Posted - 10/01/2011 : 20:15:18

The battery was in the boat when I bought it almost 4 years ago although it looks like it's new.

If the battery is bad it's my own fault. I hadn't checked the water in the batteries for a couple of years because I don't usually use or charge them more than a few times per year.

The water in this particular battery had gotten below the top of the plates and I added water to it a few weeks ago. I noticed at that time the batteries were not the same brand and amp-hour rating. One is a deep cycle and the other is more of a starting/cranking battery. They had never given me any problems in the past.

The remaining battery seems to be working fine and since I haven't been sailing at night in over a year I may just operate off one battery until it goes bad.

Edited by - on

Voyager
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Response Posted - 10/01/2011 : 21:42:00

Several folks keep two batteries in parallel, however, they have always made sure that both of the same type, size and year. That's supposed to be a given.

If both are substantially different in type or age, there's always the likelihood that one will absorb more or less charge than the other, or become imbalanced in voltage. This can lead to one discharging the other, which involves current. If the current is well less than the ampacity of the cable, no problem -- you'll just have a two semi-discharged batteries. If, however, the amps start flowing substantially, you will experience overheating and what you experienced in this incident. If you had a shorted cell, 12.7 v was discharging into 10.5 volts.

Even in cases where both batteries are of the same size, type, vintage, there is still the possibility that one may become imbalanced. It's therefore a really good idea to have a fuse inline right beside each battery terminal, and a way to disconnect one battery from the other, just in case.

Extra fire extinguishers are a good idea, but prevention is better than a cure.

Always, always, always turn off your battery power when you leave the boat. Imagine what might have happened if this were to take place when you were not aboard. Many boats burn to the waterline due to electrical failures.

Nuff said I guess, good luck with your reamaining battery. It ought to work that way for a long time.

Edited by - Voyager on 10/01/2011 21:44:08

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 10/01/2011 : 21:58:07

In my experience, if you ever have to add water to a battery, it's days are numbered. The reason electrolyte is missing is that there's an arc somewhere between two plates, and it's turning the water to hydrogen and oxygen (a nasty combination), discharging the battery, and generating heat. That heat can further distort the plates, increasing the arcing. This can be caused by excessive discharges, overcharging (faulty regulator or charger), or just leaving a battery uncharged for many months.

The battery on Passage when we bought her was the same one we sold her with six years later--I never had to add a drop of water--it was always over the tops of the plates. I kept it on a trickle charger over each winter. If I'd found the electrolyte down, I'd have added some water and gone shopping for a battery.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 10/01/2011 21:59:55

dmpilc
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 05:14:41

Great catch, Gary. I'm glad nothing serious happened. I keep a dual purpose battery attached to the o/b motor and primary electrical panel(house & running lights, etc) and a deep cycle to run the vhf radio and other accessories not attached to the fuse panel. Each is attached to a separate trickle charger - I don't have an A-B-Both-Off switch. I'll keep in mind the comment about adding water indicating time to replace.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 05:52:14

Dave,
Your experience with not having to add water for 6 years is interesting and I can understand how having that experience leads you to the conclusion that when you start adding water, then the battery is on it's way out. But I have had totally the opposite experience and this is on all flooded batteries I have had in boats, cars and riding mower.

I have owned my boat since SEP-OCT 2005. I have a 20 watt solar panel and controller that recharges both West Marine flooded batteries. I add water perhaps 2 times or so each year to keep them topped off. Sometimes, I have used more than one water bottle to top off the batteries. These batteries were about a year old when I bought the boat from the PO. I have now started to notice on my solar panel digital controller that when the batteries are not being charged, the resting voltage is starting to drop a bit and so I know I will be replacing the batteries...maybe next Spring/Summer. Even so, the standing battery voltage used to be 13.2 Volrts and now it is more like 12.9 volts. Still...pretty good...but it's coming down.

These batteries have had water filled every year. The batteries are now ~7 years old !!

My riding mower battery - also add water...1 -2 times a year. 2 cars - I add water to the batteries...not often and they have been still chugging along. 1 car has a maintenance free battery and I do not mess with t. It and the other batteries are all getting on in years but i see no real difference in life left in the battery based on my adding water to it.

So....maybe you only had the one bad experience by which you are basing your conclusion regarding adding water and then shopping for a new battery ?

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 06:13:21

Guys, I was always told that 'water' is not the best thing to add to a flooded cell battery.

Distilled (ie. really clean) doesn't have the impurities of 'water' and impurities lead to shorts between plates.

Paul

Edited by - on

GaryB
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 08:05:49

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Voyager
 Several folks keep two batteries in parallel, however, they have always made sure that both of the same type, size and year. That's supposed to be a given.

If both are substantially different in type or age, there's always the likelihood that one will absorb more or less charge than the other, or become imbalanced in voltage. This can lead to one discharging the other, which involves current. If the current is well less than the ampacity of the cable, no problem -- you'll just have a two semi-discharged batteries. If, however, the amps start flowing substantially, you will experience overheating and what you experienced in this incident. If you had a shorted cell, 12.7 v was discharging into 10.5 volts.

Even in cases where both batteries are of the same size, type, vintage, there is still the possibility that one may become imbalanced. It's therefore a really good idea to have a fuse inline right beside each battery terminal, and a way to disconnect one battery from the other, just in case.

Extra fire extinguishers are a good idea, but prevention is better than a cure.

Always, always, always turn off your battery power when you leave the boat. Imagine what might have happened if this were to take place when you were not aboard. Many boats burn to the waterline due to electrical failures.

Nuff said I guess, good luck with your reamaining battery. It ought to work that way for a long time.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I believe the batteries are the same age but as I mentioned, until a few weeks ago I wasn't aware they were different types (standard vs deep cycle).

Both positive charging leads (12 or 14 ga.) have in-line fuses but neither blew. I will have new in-line fuses on the battery cables themselves by next weekend.

What size fuses should I use? I don't have an electric start motor.

I have an Off, 1, 2, both battery switch and the last thing I check before locking up the boat is that it and all of the individual switches are off. Once or twice I've gotten part way home (45 minutes away) and couldn't remember if I'd turned it off. I turned around to make sure. I am aware of the dangers.

I also never leave the shore power connected when I'm away from the boat. If I run to the store for a few minutes I always turn the shore power off at both ends.

Edited by - on

GaryB
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 08:12:17

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 In my experience, if you ever have to add water to a battery, it's days are numbered. The reason electrolyte is missing is that there's an arc somewhere between two plates, and it's turning the water to hydrogen and oxygen (a nasty combination), discharging the battery, and generating heat. That heat can further distort the plates, increasing the arcing. This can be caused by excessive discharges, overcharging (faulty regulator or charger), or just leaving a battery uncharged for many months.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I agree with Larry about adding water to the batteries. I've done that for years with cars and boats. Unless it's a maintenance free battery it's normal for batteries to use water, especially during hot weather. That's why they have venting type caps.

The advent of maintenance free batteries came about because of people like me that don't check the battery water level on a regular basis. Their design re-captures the water that is normally vented on a regular vented battery.

I've attended a battery training seminar put on by Interstate Battery for the company I work for and the information above was discussed in detail.

I will agree that if a vented battery starts needing water at a regular and fairly frequent rate there is an internal problem and it's probably time to replace before you have the situation I experienced.

My batteries had never needed water before but as mentioned I hadn't checked them in probably two years and I'm sure the water being below the top of the plates while being charged damaged that particular battery (the other battery was down but not below the top of the plates). Totally my fault! I did use distilled water to top off both batteries (also discussed during training).

I'll save testing the charger for daytime when I have the manual handy and some test equipment on hand.

My mistake was 1) not properly maintaining my batteries, 2) not buying new batteries, and/or 3) not disconnecting and removing one of them when I saw they were different types.

Edited by - GaryB on 10/02/2011 08:35:53

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 10:23:00

Gary, from what you described, a inline fuse (while a very good idea) wouldn't have made a difference in this case. It sounds to me like your battery was shorting out internally, and continued doing so on the dock until its voltage dropped sufficiently to end the drama--in other words, it probably was (is) essentially "dead as a door-nail."

However, it's also a good idea in a situation like yours to check for current in your house circuits with everything turned off except the battery switch (on a good battery)--for the possibility of a short. My switch panels have a couple of tiny LEDs indicating Off/On for each switch--that should be the only (tiny) current flow in my case.

Different types are not a problem unless you combine them, as with a 1-All-2-Off switch turned to All. Then they should be identical in type, age, and condition.

A second extinguisher is definitely an excellent idea--if your boat were one foot longer, it'd be a USCG requirement.

Larry, my experience with good old "non-maintenance-free" batteries goes back to before you were born.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 10/02/2011 10:27:10

GaryB
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 13:55:40

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 Gary, from what you described, a inline fuse (while a very good idea) wouldn't have made a difference in this case. It sounds to me like your battery was shorting out internally, and continued doing so on the dock until its voltage dropped sufficiently to end the drama--in other words, it probably was (is) essentially "dead as a door-nail."

However, it's also a good idea in a situation like yours to check for current in your house circuits with everything turned off except the battery switch (on a good battery)--for the possibility of a short. My switch panels have a couple of tiny LEDs indicating Off/On for each switch--that should be the only (tiny) current flow in my case.

Different types are not a problem unless you combine them, as with a 1-All-2-Off switch turned to All. Then they should be identical in type, age, and condition.

A second extinguisher is definitely an excellent idea--if your boat were one foot longer, it'd be a USCG requirement.

Larry, my experience with good old "non-maintenance-free" batteries goes back to before you were born.

That experience says you can keep a marginal one (that boils off only a small amount of electrolyte) going with frequent charges, as it typically gets in a car... until you find that the battery is self-discharging overnight or in a few days of non-use... Then you're taking a chance that the internal distortion will grow until it acts like Gary's, which can result in hydrogen gas + oxygen gas + spark = BOOM! A friend of mine had one go BOOM... Maybe that's why I tend to err on the side of caution and replace a battery (and check the charging system) when it shows the first sign of unusual self-discharge... Others have different rules.

"Marine" batteries (other than AGMs) "generally" have thicker plates made of stronger alloys, more like maintenance-free car batteries. I don't buy batteries for my boats from Walmart--I buy them from Defender--again, erring on the side of caution for the price of a six-pack or two. That's just me.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Dave,

Thanks for the information. Now that you mentioned it, when I turned on the main switch Friday night I didn't get any lights until I flipped the switch to 2. Once I turned the AC on I flipped the switch to 1 to see if I got anything and I got very dim lights slowly getting brighter with time.

Thinking back on it that should have tipped me off that battery 1 was shorting internally and should be disconnected. I just didn't put two and two together.

Before I started having problems I would always keep the battery switch on both to try and keep them balanced. Now I guess I should have used one or the other since one is a deep cycle and the other is not.

As for a short elsewhere it seems to me that I started having battery problems not long after I installed a new am/fm radio and I've wondered a couple times if that was causing a problem. It has one wire that keeps the memory alive so I thought maybe that was draining one fo the batteries over time.

How would one check for a short or a leak in the wiring as you suggested? Does anyone make a battery temperature meter? Who makes a good battery voltage meter that I could mount so I can keep tabs on the battery voltage of each battery? I've been thinking about upgradng my switch panel, any suggestions on make and/or model?

As for batteries, I think I will most likely go with Optimas or AGMs once the remaining battery dies. My battery charger is a Xantrex Trucharge 10TB. Unless I'm mis-reading something it looks like it should have shut off when the battery over-temped.

Edited by - on

GaryB
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 15:14:40

Well, it's official! Took the battery to the local auto parts store and it tested 0% charge and 5.76 volts. I asked the guy what that meant and he said it's shorted internally.

I did find a sticker on the battery that said it was made in May 2006 so it's older than I thought and may have been time for it to die anyway.

I saw Optima batteries on the shelf and asked how much. Base price for a Blue D34M (which fits Group 24 battery boxes) battery - $229.99 Battery with tax and core charge - $264.95 That is a lot more than I expected and I'm sure if I shop around I can find them at a better price. It comes with only a 2 year warranty which surprised me.

They had a lead acid marine battery for $49.99 and it had higher amp-hr rating CCA than the battery I fried. Guess I'll be sticking with lead acid although not from the auto parts store. They said their batteries are made by Pennstate. Anyone ever heard of them?

Edit - They must have meant East Penn Manufacturing aka Deka although it definitely did not have a Deka label on it.

Edited by - GaryB on 10/02/2011 15:36:16

aaron
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 16:05:21

When it comes time to replace the battery in my boat, I'm going to be looking closely at going with two 6v golf cart batteries. Don Casey recommends them highly, and the price looks great for the amp-hour ratings - ~$200 or so for two batteries and 225 Ah or so. Bit more if you want the higher-end Trojans. I'm kind of burned out Optimas these days (4x4 hobby); they just seem overpriced anymore and don't seem to be the same quality they used to have.

And Gary- be careful of CCA ratings, they aren't a measure of available amp-hours. A legit deep cycle will have amp-hour information available.

Edited by - aaron on 10/02/2011 16:07:11

GaryB
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 16:17:37

I mis-typed that CCA comment. I meant to refer to the amp-hr rating not CCA's.

What is the advantage of 6v golf cart batteries? Is it just a higher amp-hr rating.

Edited by - on

OJ
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 16:32:15

This post is a couple of months old - but . . .

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/electrical-systems/77173-battery-buyers-good-news.html

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Dave5041
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 19:00:48

Upside to golf cart batteries: durable and heavily constructed, maybe less expensive; downside: requires two 6V batteries in series to get your required 12V, if one battery fails you lose all electrics - very dim lights and no LED lights. Two 12V 130A batteries gives you 130 (almost) usable Amps with redundancy, and two 6V 260A batteries would give you about the same without the benefit of a redundant system - take your pick. I buy my maintenance free deep cycles at Walmart and they hold up quite well, all of them over the last two decades have lasted more than 5 years. Unless you have an inboard diesel, there is no reason to get combination starting/deep cycle battery. A standard deep cycle can generate the 20 - 30 amps that cranking an outboard draws.

Edited by - on

delliottg
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 19:55:30

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Base price for a Blue D34M (which fits Group 24 battery boxes) battery - $229.99 Battery with tax and core charge - $264.95 That is a lot more than I expected and I'm sure if I shop around I can find them at a better price. It comes with only a 2 year warranty which surprised me.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I'm pretty sure I paid right around $150 each for my D34M batteries at Costco.

Edited by - delliottg on 10/02/2011 19:56:05

aaron
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Response Posted - 10/02/2011 : 22:25:25

Gary, from what I understand the primary benefit is the high amp hour rating, a Trojan T40 is something like 225 amp hours, which is way higher than most "marine" batteries in the stores. They are quite heavy and are true deep cycles. They are designed for a bulk charge at night and a deep discharge all day in a golf cart. And they are supposed to last years doing that. But that's what I read, no direct experience with them. I will get some at my next battery replacement, though. I figure if they've got a Don Casey recommendation, they are good enough for me to try.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 10/03/2011 : 06:41:18

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave5041
 Upside to golf cart batteries: durable and heavily constructed, maybe less expensive; downside: requires two 6V batteries in series to get your required 12V, if one battery fails you lose all electrics - very dim lights and no LED lights. Two 12V 130A batteries gives you 130 (almost) usable Amps with redundancy...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Good point. Friends of mine have golf cart batteries on their C-34, but they have (I think) two separate banks of them--something like 4 on one and 2 on the other. Unless you're really power-hungry, I'd agree that two 12Vs are better than two 6Vs. If you want some more AHs and can find the space, you can also go up a size to Group 27s.

Edited by - on

GaryB
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Response Posted - 10/03/2011 : 17:31:33

As little as I use my boat at night away from the slip I'll probably go back with deep cycles since they are so much cheaper than AGM's. As I mentioned I still have one good battery and I'll probably get by with that one until it goes bad.

My Xantrex 10TB is designed specifically to charge 12 volt deep cycle batteries per the literature. It will not charge other higher or lower voltage batteries so I would have to buy a new charger if I went with the 6 volt golf cart batteries.

Also, it looks like Xantrex makes a nice battery monitor with several functions.

Edited by - GaryB on 10/03/2011 17:32:31

GaryB
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Response Posted - 10/20/2011 : 18:56:22

When I had my little scare a few weeks back I disconnected the battery charger and removed one battery in the middle of the night and didn't pay attention to the way the charger and battery's were wired together. Now I need to hook the charger back up so I can charge the remaining battery.

I know the positive (red) wire connects to the positive terminal and the black ground wire connects to the negative terminal of the battery. Is there supposed to be another black wire running from the negative terminal of the battery to the ground terminal block for the DC system? It seems like there was one when I took the system apart.

Also, the diagram on page 8 of the charger manual seems to indicate there should be but I may be mis-reading it. http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/battery-chargers/truecharge.aspx

Please advise!

Edited by - GaryB on 10/20/2011 19:00:56

Voyager
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Response Posted - 10/20/2011 : 20:50:04

Gary,
The boat's electrical system should be independent from the charging circuit, and need only meet at the battery terminals.
Your battery's positive terminal should be connected through a 40-60A fuse to a wire leading to your electrical panel positive connection, or the main switch (usually a red wire) and the negative terminal should connect to a black wire connected to your electrical ground block. All your lights, instruments and radio negative wires should lead there.
The charging system should have a positive and negative lead that connects directly to the positive and negative battery terminals respectively. The positive connection should have a fuse (10-20A) connected close to the positive battery terminal.
Both circuits can and should be independent.

On Passage, my (1) solar panels/regulator, (2) battery charging circuit and (3) boat electrical system are all wired in parallel, and only connect at the battery terminals.

I hope this gives you a pretty good idea of the wiring for Andiamo

Edited by - Voyager on 10/20/2011 21:03:19

GaryB
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Response Posted - 10/20/2011 : 21:06:53

I have a Off,1,Both,2 switch and the positive lead from the battery goes to that switch. The negative lead goes to the (I believe) electrical ground block (I used wrong terminology earlier). I'll have to double check that.

If I understand you correctly, the charger leads need only go to the positive and negative terminals on the battery.

After your explanation the diagram in the chargers owners manual makes sense. The wire I see in the diagram coming off the battery going to ground is just the negative cable going to the ground block, correct?

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 10/20/2011 : 21:25:26

Gary--you are correct--there is actually no true "ground" on your system. "Ground" in this case is synonymous with "negative", and the terminal block is just a collection point for the negative sides of all circuits. (I don't even like the term "ground" in a DC system--it leads some people to think there's a relationship to the shore power ground (NOT!!) or a lightning protection ground (also NOT!!). It's just the NEGATIVE side of the circuit.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
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Response Posted - 10/21/2011 : 03:49:39

Gary,

Mine is hooked up similar to yours. I have two batteries. The positive wire from each battery goes to the battery switch position 1 and 2, respectively. The batteries have a wire connecting between the negatives of each battery and then from one of the negative battery terminals, there is a wire to the negative bus bar that connects all the DC negatives together.

I have a dual battery charger with separate positive and negative leads for each battery and they are hooked up directly to each battery. In-line fuses are on each positive lead from the charger to the battery.

I also have a solar panel and that goes thru the solar panel controller. From the controller, I have one negative lead going to a negative battery terminal (though it would probably be better to have it going to the negative bus bar to avoid wire clutter on the battery terminals). The positive lead has an in-line fuse and that lead I have wired to the top of the positive connector in the switch panel. That positive connector gets it's juice from the battery switch and so if the switch is in the "both" position, the panel charges both batteries or the switch can be in the "1" or "2" position to charge and use just one battery. But I always leave the battery switch in the "Both" position.

No issues with above setup for past...well this Fall it is now 6 years on those batteries and the batteries were at least one year old from the PO. So...not bad !

Why a battery charger and a solar panel ? My marina charges separately for electricity. I do not pay the $20/month for that service. I find that I generally make light use of DC power and the panel charges the batteries fine. However, if I stay overnight at a marina, then I generally pay for electricity and use more loads (cabin lights, mini-boombox, etc), so my battery charger automatically kicks in when I hook up the 120 volt juice. (My battery charger is hooked up permanently to the terminals behind one of my 120 volt AC outlets.) Some have indicated that it is not a good idea to both use DC loads and at same be charging via a 120 volt charger....but I have not had any issues. Maybe if I were using a lot of DC power approaching the charging capability of the charger, perhaps that is when one should not be charging at same time as using the DC system for running loads.

Edited by - OLarryR on 10/21/2011 03:57:25

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