Battery Failure

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neville147

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The domestic battery on my Hanse 325 yacht has failed in a rather alarming manner. Does anyone have any idea what has happened to it? Do I just need to buy a new battery or is there some other underlying fault? The battery is a Victron Energy 165Ah deep cycle batttery. Any ideas would be welcome.
 
Hmmmm....yes. Rather alarming is an understatement. We could wax lyrical here about over voltage charging etc but in your position I think I'd send that photo to Victron and ask for some advice. They're very helpful at Victron.

rob

ps - welcome to the forum
 
Thanks guys. What I need to know is whether the fault is in the battery, in which case I just buy a new one, or it's been caused by something else. I guess I'll have to dig a bit deeper.
 
What voltage reading do you get when fully charged? what is the voltage after 12 hours standing? How old is the battery? has it been overcharged/dried up? you can try to revitalise it; there are a few ways; look at the youtube
 
Difficult to answer most of those questions. The boat and battery were brand new two years ago so I just assumed everything would work fine and didn't pay too much attention. I'll be keeping a much closer eye on things in future! There's no possibility of resurrecting the battery; it was very hot and leaking acid so I disposed of it immediately.
 
I had a battery melt when the alternator rectifier failed. But the whole battery overheated and bowed out of shape.
 
Obviously OP needs a new battery. He could fit a substitute battery even his car battery or a replacement then check the parameters of charging. The voltage is perhaps the critical thing both shore charger and engine alternator. (it is unlikely solar or wind gen could do that damage.) If the charging seems OK ie 14 volts witha standard alternator or 15volts with a smart charger. The 15volts should drop down to less than 14 once it is fully charged. (all approximate) I am sure Mr Victron will be asking questions about charging.
good luck olewill
 
I think both batteries were charging from the alternator at 14.4V. I've only used the shore power charger once in 2 years. If it was a charging problem, wouldn't it also have damaged the other (engine start) battery?
 
Most batteries these days are guaranteed for at least 2 years, and if the boat is only that old as well I think I would start by going back to the Hanse agent.
 
VicS said:
One cell shorting internally and overheating I'd think.
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+1

Victron badged batteries - I don't know who actually makes them - are v expensive and claim long life and high cycle capability (600 x 50%, 1500 x 30%).
Unless you've done something really horrible to it, this looks like a manufacturing fault.
They have a 2 year warranty are you within it?
 
Troubadour said:
+1

Victron badged batteries - I don't know who actually makes them - are v expensive and claim long life and high cycle capability (600 x 50%, 1500 x 30%).
Unless you've done something really horrible to it, this looks like a manufacturing fault.
They have a 2 year warranty are you within it?
Click to expand...

Just outside the 2 year guarantee unfortunately!

It does look like one cell has failed, which suggests a manufacturing fault. Presumably if the battery was overcharged, the damage would be more widespread.

I have sent the photo to Victron and the Hanse dealer, so I'm just waiting for a response.
 
neville147 said:
......I've only used the shore power charger once in 2 years.....?
Click to expand...
Batteries don't die they get murdered. You have murdered the battery by not getting it back to 100% regularly. The engine will only take it to about 85% unless you run it for 24 hours, so the plates will sulfate and the battery will lose capacity. Not a warranty issue me thinks!

If you then try to charge a dead battery it will overheat. One cell has gone before the others and so only one has burst - you were lucky.

You should monitor a battery several times a day with a digital voltmeter to keep an eye on what is happening.
 
sailinglegend420 said:
Batteries don't die they get murdered. You have murdered the battery by not getting it back to 100% regularly. The engine will only take it to about 85% unless you run it for 24 hours, so the plates will sulfate and the battery will lose capacity. Not a warranty issue me thinks!

If you then try to charge a dead battery it will overheat. One cell has gone before the others and so only one has burst - you were lucky.

You should monitor a battery several times a day with a digital voltmeter to keep an eye on what is happening.
Click to expand...

Do you really need to use the battery charger if you run the engine regularly?

What do you do if you keep your boat on a mooring, or somewhere else without shore power?
 
sailinglegend420 said:
Batteries don't die they get murdered. You have murdered the battery by not getting it back to 100% regularly. The engine will only take it to about 85% unless you run it for 24 hours, so the plates will sulfate and the battery will lose capacity. Not a warranty issue me thinks!
Click to expand...

Absolutely right, sorry I didn't notice that bit of OP's post. He probably has done something "absolutely horrible" to it after all. It may be a shorted cell from separator puncture but that's very uncommon in modern batteries.

I'm intrigued that Hanse would fit as OEM a battery of this claimed quality and retail price. Must say something about the retail margin and the OEM price I think!!
 
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