[Rhodes22-list] Battery Advice
R22RumRunner at aol.com
R22RumRunner at aol.com
Wed Apr 4 06:59:39 EDT 2012
Rod,
West marine has a very good charge controller at a reasonable price. You
need to know the charging amperage of your panels. If they are less than 7
amps, the $29.99 unit from Sunforce will suffice.
_http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productI
d=490088&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=50523&subdeptNum=5
0529&classNum=50530_
(http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=490088&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeN
um=50523&subdeptNum=50529&classNum=50530)
Rummy
In a message dated 4/3/2012 10:12:31 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
ellnerrod at gmail.com writes:
What brand and model charge controllers do you have?
Thanks.
Rod
On Apr 3, 2012, at 10:49 AM, R22RumRunner at aol.com wrote:
> Lee,
> Correction on one point. AGM batteries will last longer than lead acid
> batteries. They cost more, but I like the maintenance free part. I use
only agm
> batteries in our SeaDoo and it has more cranking power than a lead acid
> battery. I have two deep cycle batteries on Rum Runner and only use
shore
> power for charging. I know from personal experience that without a
charge
> controller, solar panels can easily overcharge a battery. You can also
buy
> "dual purpose" batteries which allow for deep discharge and also give
you
> cranking power for an electric starter. It all depends on how you use
your boats
> power.
>
> Rummy
>
>
> In a message dated 4/3/2012 9:09:40 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> LKUHN at cnmc.org writes:
>
>
> David and Geoff,
>
> Went to West Marine and Western Auto yesterday. I guess it depends on
the
> individual sales/service person, but the Western Auto staff seem to
know
> far
> more about boat mechanics. We live in a fishing community so I guess
West
> Marine is for recreational boaters and Western Auto is for working
> boaters.
> Last month West Marine couldn't figure out what size spark plug wrench I
> needed (18mm). Last night they checked the volts but not the amps on my
> dead battery and declared it was a connection problem. Sounds like
> something I would do.
>
> Anyway if you have a 9.9, 4-stroke Mercury you'll need a 12V deep cell
with
> about 465 amps of marine cranking and 350 amps of cold cranking. A
> starting
> battery might be better for your electric-start outboard but not for
your
> motor lift. Very important is the group size which tells nothing more
than
> the physical size of your battery. You want to ensure it fits in the
tray
> that Stan installed. Mine was a group 27 (27G).
>
> http://www.mercurymarine.com/service-and-support/storage-and-mai
ntenance/faq
> s/outboards/?category=electrical
>
http://www.mercurymarine.com/service-and-support/storage-and-maintenance/faq
> s/outboards/?category=electrical
>
> I basically bought the same battery that Stan gave me. The Western Auto
> mechanic told me that if it lasted seven years without maintenance then
it
> was the right battery. Like Geoff he said to check the battery
> acid/distilled water level once a year. He said it was impossible to
> overcharge the battery with the outboard or solar panels. If you use a
> charger without an automatic cut-off you could overcharge the battery
> (boils
> the acid/water). Charging the battery if needed is a good idea, but
you
> need to check the volts and the amps. My dead battery had 13.4 volts
but
> hardly any amperage.
>
> Gel and AGM batteries cost more and may not last as long. Big
advantage is
> that they're maintenance-free and won't leak. Just ensure your
> fluid-filled
> battery covers are on tight for those bury-the-rail heels.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Lee
>
>
>
>
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
> _____
> I'd be interested in the same. Original GBI batteries going into their
> seventh year, and the boat has been out of the water for almost two
years.
> I'll pull the plastic shrink wrap off next weekend and see if the motor
> will
> turn over...
>
> David
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 2, 2012 at 11:35 AM, Geoff Farrell
> <geoffreylfarrell at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> I have the same setup as you do. My batteries stay charged with the
>> solar panels. It's interesting to note that although I stored my boat
>> under a roof from April 15 through Dec 1 my batteries were fully
>> charged when I got the boat out of storage. Seems the ambient light
>> was enough to keep them topped off.
>>
>> I do notice that my batteries use a lot of water, perhaps because they
>> are constantly being charged by the panels. I was warned by an old
>> salt to check the fluid often, and he was right.
>>
>> Recently, I purchased a battery meter that simply plugs into the 12V
>> outlet over the galley. It monitors the batteries during charging and
>> also while they are being used, and seems to work great. I can measure
>> voltage drop while using various combinations of equipment (radio, nav
>> lights, etc.). I have been very pleased that on bright sunny days I
>> can use the VHF radio and my Ipod (for navigation and music) and
>> charge an external portable speaker without any battery drain.
>>
>> My motor is hard wired to battery 2. When cruising I set my battery
>> switch to battery 1 to keep battery 2 fully charged for restarting the
>> engine. I haven't, however, done any overnighters so my battery use is
>> minimal.
>>
>> I still have Stan's original batteries and so I would also be
>> interested in what the best replacement batteries are for when mine
die.
>
> Leland wrote:
>>
>> Need some battery advice.
>>
>> Probably should have replaced my battery long ago. When I need to
>> pull-start my outboard in the marina it usually recharges the battery
>> enough that I can use the electric start when I'm ready to come in.
>> Didn't happen yesterday. By the time I unscrewed everything to get to
> the
>> flywheel I was dangerously close to running into the causeway rip-rap.
>>
>> Easy answer would be to replace the battery with the one Stan put in.
>> Wasn't sure if there was something better out there now. I've got the
>> electric motor winch which I assume uses a ridiculous amount of juice.
I
>> have one battery hardwired to the motor which is linked to a second
house
>> battery. Both batteries are linked to two solar panels.
>>
>> I've taken zero care of the batteries since I bought the boat seven
> years
>> ago.
>>
>> Should I be concerned about the solar panels overcharging the
batteries?
>>
>> Should I periodically charge the batteries to full capacity?
>>
>> Any advice on what battery would be best and what care it needs?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Lee
>> 1986 Rhodes22 AT EASE
>> Kent Island, MD
>>
>
> --
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> Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>
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