Beep when voltage spikes

[Hydraulicjump]

For some reason I occasionally get voltage spikes above 15v. This can occur when I first hook up shore power or, like today, when the sun was coming and going on the solar panel. I know the spike has occurred because my Balmar Smartgauge blinks an error code telling me that the voltage was too high. But it is always short-lived and things drop down.

But this often is accompanied by a loud "beep" somewhere in the boat. And of course, when you go to trace the beep, the voltage is back to normal, so I can't find the beeping (bleeping?) culprit.

Here is today's dumb question: is the "beep" the CO detector? I think it is coming from that general direction. And the second dumb question, is it really a problem if there is a voltage spike above 15v, but it settles back down? Today's beep occurred after shut-down in the slip, before hooking up to shorepower. Apparently the solar panel can cause spikes as well.

Thanks electrical wizards.

Jeff

 

[knotflying]

The beep could very well be the co detector. It is sensitive to voltage. It definitely beeps when voltage is low. Not sure if it happens when on the high side. An intermittent spike to 15v, in my opinion, won't hurt the batteries. It would be a problem if it was a continual charge at that rate.

 

[Levitation]

What Mike said
First, you can unplug the CO detector and see if it is the source of the alarm - unsnap the cover and there is an internal power plug - at least on mine.
I would plug an analog VOM (or plain old auto voltmeter) into the cigarette lighter socket and pay attention to the needle while someone turns on/off the shore power and then the same with the solar panel.
15 volt spikes are nothing to your battery bank - the batteries won't even notice it. In fact, the desulfating battery chargers apply a roughly 30 volt pulse a few times a second to the battery to blow sulfate off the plates.
And modern electronics designed for use on vehicles are protected against voltage surges.

 

[Hydraulicjump]

Thanks all. I appreciate all the electrical expertise on this site.

Will test the CO and see if it is the right beep.

All of this "can't find the bleeping beep" is ammunition for my wife's push for a hearing test, of course. What, dear?