[Rhodes22-list] Battery Advice
Rod ELLNER
ellnerrod at gmail.com
Wed Apr 4 09:59:28 EDT 2012
Thanks Rummy. I imagine our 10 watt solar charger are well below 7 amps. Does any know?
Rod
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 4, 2012, at 5:59 AM, R22RumRunner at aol.com wrote:
> 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
>>>
>>
>> --
>> View this message in context:
>> http://old.nabble.com/Battery-Advice-tp33544997p33545025.html
>> Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>>
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