house batteries

D

davecook

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
88
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Hull Identification Number
FMLT2721A313
Wondering if i have a battery problem or am asking too much out of them . While in the keys ( anchored out ) i run the generator for 1 hour in the morning , and one hour in the evening to charge batteries , I have 2 low draw 12 volt fans , auxillary fridge , the standard fridge , and low draw LED bulbs and LED anchor light . I did run the chartplotter anchor drag alarm ( as i messed up the drag queen one on my phone ) the solar charger is working good in the sun . 2 nights in a row the house batteries have been down to 11.75 volts in the morning . I will not use the chartplotter anchor alarm any more as i think it sucks alot of power . At a marina tonight , and from running the boat for 4 hours , and the charger on tonight , the house batteries sit at 14.29 volts .Boat is a 2013 with the factory AGM batteries . It has been 90 degrees and i know the fridges are working hard . I did see a post about adding the thruster battery to the house batteries . Any suggestions ? thanks
 
Well, it's the refrigerators
Of course you knew that and you just wanted us to say it ain't so, eh? .:mrgreen:
And you have shed some of the loads that you could (the LED stuff is good)

If you want to keep the luxury lifestyle while out on the hook you need more solar panel and less refrigeration.
One fridge has to go and be replaced with an ice chest.
A solar panel(s) has to be added.
Speaking of the ice chest, there are DC powered freezer chests that are better insulated that you can use as an ice chest and also chill them down during the daily engine run sessions and leave them turned off otherwise.

Yes, you can parallel the thruster battery to the house set for more amp hours. That will help, but I don't see it being the answer all by itself as long as the other fridge has the fangs buried into the batteries like a vampire bat. YOu need to remember that the anchor needs power to be raised (though you can run the engine for a bit before trying to raise it)
You can add more batteries. I did that on my R25 by adding a set in the starboard locker.

And finally and as you know, pulling your battery set below 12.06 on a regular basis will drastically reduce the life of the batteries
 
Hi Dave:

I've also noticed that the GPS left on for the drag alarm over night will draw the batteries down quite a bit so I only use sparingly when we are in higher wind and or heavy current/tidal situations. With that said we have a 2012 Ranger Tug and had AGM's for three plus years when the two house batteries crapped out in January this year. We, like you, use our boat almost year round but I would have thought the AGM's would have lasted longer. Interestingly enough our starter and thruster battery were still good. I ended up changing all 4 batteries out for Everstart 27 Deep Cycle batteries. You may find, when tested, that its your house batteries that are weak. We did and decided it was more economical to replace all 4 batteries then replace the two AGM's and besides we now have 4 new batteries. Many others have done the same but you should test them or have them tested. One last question.....is your anchor light an LED?

Jim
 
I leave my extra cooler plugged into A/C only.. That way it shuts off when I leave the dock and comes on when I start the generator or get back to shore power.. I try to run the generator every night and morning to top everything off So far still working well on the hook. I do keep the battery switch to "all" I'm still not sure if that means al the batteries or not .
I do miss the 90 degrees, back in Orillia and getting down to freezing a lot of nights
Good luck.
 
Denny hit it on the head, too much draw. Also a one hour charge is not enough of a charge to get into the batteries. You are only getting a surface charge. You need 3 hours to get a good charge. Add up all your amps that you are using and multiply by hours on the hook and you will see what you are consuming out of the batteries. Off the top of my head you are exceeding the solar charge by a fair amount. The chartplotter is also a big hog. Remember, the worst thing you can do to your batteries is to totally discharge them. At 11.75 volts your state of charge is only 30%.
 
Thanks everyone for the input . Now i know what to do , and not do . I will change a few things down the road and might add the thruster battery to the house batteries . Thanks
 
I would caution about leaving the big switch set to ALL
There will come a time you won't have enough charge left to crank the engine
And maybe not even enough to call for a tow on 16
 
we found that you will definately run your house bateries to very low leaving only 1 frig on. our frig is an isotherm vey well insulated but even 2 804ds as house were depleted after 2 :days. what we do now is prefreeze foods like steaks, etc, precool all drinks etc., and if we are going to be on the hook, store the days' drinks in a portable cooler to minimize opening the frig. we also put a piece of see through plastic carpet sheeting as a cover over the frig contents . so when you open the door you can see the foods thru the transparent window then retrieve what you want withotu a lot of heat loss as you fumble around in the frig... :roll:
 
" but even 2 804ds as house were depleted after 2 :days."

I'm wondering, what is a "804ds"; I googled it several ways and not much turned up.

Thanks,

Bob Lynch
 
Suggest everyone with AGM's read the recent article on AGM's in practical sailor.
 
Captmike":3vjelpng said:
Suggest everyone with AGM's read the recent article on AGM's in practical sailor.
Click to expand...

AGM Battery Care - Inside Practical Sailor Blog - March 17, 2015
 
I would think that the best way to keep track of what is going on with the batteries would be to have a battery monitor installed (not something RT provided on my boat). I plan to install one as it was very useful on our Cat. Has anyone else on the forum put one on their RT?

Ken
R27
 
bakerboat":6t1iwbh4 said:
I would think that the best way to keep track of what is going on with the batteries would be to have a battery monitor installed (not something RT provided on my boat). I plan to install one as it was very useful on our Cat. Has anyone else on the forum put one on their RT?

Ken
R27
Click to expand...

Hello Ken,

I do not have a battery monitor but have studied the options.

The Balmar Smart Gauge Battery monitor is highly rated according to this reputable reviewer. He did a detailed review, comparing it to more complex shunt-based monitors. Details here (http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/smart_gauge). This review is very readable and provides enough background info that you can understand there are A LOT of "moving parts" involved in keeping your batteries healthy and knowing their SOC. If you look around the internets you will find other positive reviews of the Balmar Smart gauge (like on Panbo here (http://www.panbo.com/archives/2014/04/s ... shift.html). Advantages include easier installation than shunt-based options (like victron, Link, BEP DCM, etc).

When your living on the hook, using solar and/or genset to keep enough juice in the battery bank, it seems a SOC (state of charge) monitor is important. As many authorities tell us, just ONE discharge to below 50% SOC can permanently reduce the capacity of deep cycle batteries. The Practical Sailor article Bruce provided the link to details this. Therefore, repeated episodes of >50% discharge will prematurely RUIN your battery bank.

dave
I have no business or other interest in any of the products or websites referenced.
 
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