[Rhodes22-list] Dead Battery (Again)

[Bill Effros]

Lee,

How much motoring do you do?  How much gas do you burn in a year?

Bill Effros

R22RumRunner at aol.com wrote:
> Lee,
> Sounds like a lot of problems without an easy way to determine exactly  where 
> the problem is. Many years ago a hail storm took out my solar panel so I  
> removed it and replaced it with a MARINE charger on board. They are sealed units  
> with no accessible or serviceable parts anywhere. All solid state. I like 
> this  arrangement because I always know that I will have fully charged batteries. 
> I  would isolate the batteries or at least put in a battery switch allowing 
> you to  chose how you want to use the power.
> Your house battery should be a deep cycle battery and your battery for the  
> motor should be a starting battery. West Marine and several others have a duel  
> purpose battery which can be used as a starting battery and also takes to 
> deep  discharges.
> If you go with just the starting battery for the motor, I would isolate it  
> from the rest of the electrical and have only the motor connected to it. 
> Running  the motor should keep it fully charged. If it doesn't, at least you have  
> isolated that problem.
> I don't have an electric start motor so I don't have that problem. I have  
> two deep cycle batteries beneath the V berth. One is connected to only the  
> running lights. The other runs the cabin lights, VHF radio and a very power  
> hungry stereo. Hope this helps.
>  
> Rummy
>  
>  
> In a message dated 11/26/2008 12:16:49 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
> LKUHN at cnmc.org writes:
>
>
> I  seem to ask the same question around this time every year and I hate  to
> beat a dead horse, but I am about ready to start beating my dead  battery.
>
> I have two batteries and two solar panels.  
>
> The  cabin battery is for everything but the motor and has both solar  panels
> attached to it.  For three years it has been fully charged,  although it is
> rare that it operates much aside from my depth/fish  finder.
>
> The motor battery is only for the motor and is hard-wired to  the motor--it
> gets charged by the motor.  All three years it has lost  its charge during
> the winter.  It is also connected to the cabin  battery.  Last year there was
> a charge coming from the cabin battery  to the motor battery, but I suspect
> that it is too low to keep the motor  battery charged.
>
> I haven't checked the batteries' charges yet nor have  I cleaned/checked the
> connections, but I certainly will.
>
> I own a  trickle charger that connects to a 110 outlet and I own an  AC/DC
> convertor.
>
> I think my new marina only has 220 electrical and I  haven't yet purchased an
> expensive 220 cord nor have I had a need to do  so.
>
> 1.  Should I re-run the solar panels so that one charges the  motor battery
> and one charges the cabin battery?  I assume there is no  danger with the
> motor battery being hard-wired to the motor.  I don't  want to do this if one
> solar panel won't be strong enough to keep the motor  battery charged or if I
> will risk not being able to keep the cabin battery  charged with only one
> solar panel connected to it instead of  two.
>
> 2.  Should I break down and buy a 220 cord and use my AC/DC  converter and
> trickle charger to charge the motor battery?  Any  dangers to the trickle
> charger, converter, or battery?
>
> 3.   Should I buy one of those rechargeable jumping battery panels to start
> the  motor when the battery is dead?  I was thinking about getting one for  my
> motorcycle anyway.  I hate it when I want to go for a ride or a  sail and
> have to wait for the trickle charger to do its  thing.
>
> 4.  Any other recommendations?
>
> Thanks for your  advice.  Just want to make sure the electrical juice is
> worth the  economic squeeze.
>
> Lee
> 1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
> Kent Island,  MD
>