R25 Battery Replacement Question

[Fly-fish]

Earlier I had posted a question on battery replacement to this site and received some sound advice on battery type, advantages, disadvantages, etc. I ended up choosing the AGM batteries. Further, as these were almost 80lbs. each and carrying them or lifting them onto the boat and the battery well was a concern for my back (especially with the boating season upon us), I decided to have the local marina install the batteries.

One and a half weeks later, the installer called me and said "you're all set"..."damn those batteries were heavy". I asked if he test started the engine and he said he had not. I asked if he changed the charger to the dip switch settings I copied from the battery charger pamphlet furnished with the boat. "Yes, I did. I've been doing this for thirty years. Got it, no problem".

So after work tonight I stopped at the marina to fire her up. I check the battery banks 1-2-3 via the toggle switch on the DC panel and got 14.4 volts out of 1 &2 and 14.5 out of 3 switch setting.

I turned the key (still on shore power and charger) and the boat went click click clikc clikc (4 clicks equal "one Mississippi" counting. I tried again with the parallel switch on and got the same thing. Click click click click. The worst sound!

Now if this were a car, I would think dead battery (first), bad connection or ground (second), bad solenoid (third) (do we still have solenoids on car starters). But the batteries are new, so the first idea I toss out. I am guessing a bad ground or he hooked up wrong somehow.

Does anyone out there have any ideas on what to check? How to check this?

Of course, I am calling the marina in the morning and letting them know that they needed to do more than carry the batteries down there and put them in some confoguration. They need to start to boat too.

Thanks in advance for any ideas !

Mike

 

[Sterellie]

On R21 had a similar experience. My problem was solved by sanding the slightly corroded starter cable connection.
Good luck with yours

Strega

 

[knotflying]

Check all your terminal connections. Sounds to me like you have a bad connection on the starter battery.

 

[pugtug613]

The ONLY thing to do is let the marina do it. Once you touch it, they can walk away. It's probably a simple fix, but you paid them, let them fix it.

 

[Fly-fish]

Thanks everyone.

Fortunately I took pictures of the wiring on each battery prior to change out. I printed these off and used them as reference to the new battery pictures I took. I found that the marina omitted putting a wire on the starter battery and misplaced a wire on another. When I called and described this to them, they changed them, and voila, the boat is back to normal operation.

I was saved by taking pictures of the battery set-up earlier, when I was thinking I may need to change them myself. Good thing as that fortunately saved the day.

Thanks to those who commented. I appreciate it.

Mike

 

[Brian B]

Along with taking pics of the wiring I number each battery and then number each wire to the corresponding battery + or -
I also zip tie each battery's group of + and - together when they are disassembled.
This makes it a lot easier when all the batteries are out and you are looking at a birds nest if wires.

 

[PhilR]

Before replacing my batteries recently, I Took several pictures of the wiring. Also, I cable tied and tagged each group of wires. Can't imagine doing the job any other way.

 

[HRowland]

One of my goals when I reconfigured my batteries to merger the house/thruster banks was to simplify the cabling as much as possible. My combined house/thruster bank batteries have only one cable on each terminal. The engine battery has more but all cables are clearly labeled.
The only extra cable on one of the house/thruster batteries is the temperature sensor from the battery charger, this is on one of the ground terminals.

I also have pictures, these are valuable. I would be concerned with maintenance people that did not either label, tie together, or take pictures of the cables before replacing batteries.

Howard

 

[baz]

Yes... a picture is like a 1000 words. One could stick this kind of photo on the underside of the battery hatch to help with any maintenance of the batteries.

 

[Fly-fish]

So, one other questions for the battery kings responding earlier.

Last night while docking in the Columbia river, I lost my stern thruster. The subsequent "second try" docking was quite interesting to say the least, with the powerful current of this river and swirling eddies around my moorage. I made it in ok but it was a nailbiter.

Afterward, a colleague checked the fuses and we had blown the 150 amp fuse for the stern thruster. Though I have picked one up and am getting ready to replace the set eventully, I am wondering if the blown fuse could be from the greater deep cycling of the AGM batteries. Just wondering if this thought has any merit and if they may be facing more amos than in the past. Or is it just a replacement issue and they go periodically? I appreciate any input.

And by the way, I run the thrusters for typically one-to-two seconds each, as needed, then await the result. Not In short pulses, as some Tugnuts have instructed that they are not intended for pulsing nor long duration. Is this correct?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[knotflying]

Mike, the fuses do develop hairline cracks at times and wind up developing more resistance and then blow.

 

[Fly-fish]

Thanks