Battery Is flat again!

[Moose]

You may remember my post last week, about our engine start battery being flat. Well we went to the boat today and the battery is once again completely dead (Therefore, the only way to start the S'board engine is to link the domestic batteries together) The battery was even dead when I started the engines after an hours run to Portsmouth. But the battery was (according to the voltage indicator) charging.
So, what could be wrong with it?

P.s I have now been moved over to ' I 45' at Chichester. And I will have a big moan to Premier Marinas tomorrow because:
a) Took away our lovely great big 4-pin shore power cable and replaced it with a tiny measly short 3-pin one that needs the adaptor to go in the plug.
b) Gave us a berth where the pontoon along the side is tiny, and hardly reaches the boat (ok a little bit longer than that, but not much!)
c) The measly tiny little short cable, now gives us the wrong polarity.
d) They tried to charge us twice for our mooring fees, because they lost the cheque!
e) They gave us the wrong code to the toilet block 3 times!!!
f) They say that the new berth is the only one available ( I don't think so! I saw about 50 billion trillion empty berths today.
OH well!! I bet they can't wait to see me walk in the office tomorrow!! Does any one want to come and watch? It will be good, I can assure you!

Moose

I've got a boat at last!!!
WHOOPEE!!!!!!!!!!

BUT WHAT SHOULD I CALL IT?

 

[mtb]

Yes Mate they are nackered cos the sediment thats settled at the bottom between the plates alows a volt drop !!
The cold wont help either
If you check each cell with a volt meter you'l see which are down.

You need a code to go for a poo !!
thats posh that is ...............


http://homepage.ntlworld.com/boats
I want a steel ex trawler or tug cheap needing work

 

[BarryH]

Whats wrong with your battery. Umm.......its knackered! If you've got out put from the alternaters then its not holding a charge. The battery is dead, deceased, knackered, tits up, bo***ed, you need a new one. Should sort it!

What should you call your boat! Still no name huh. What about Whopee or Eureka.

 

[coliholic]

So you think that there could be a problem with it then Barry?

 

[BarryH]

Well, just a small one 'praps. Why do I gine that impression/forums/images/icons/wink.gif

 

[Guest]

Life of typical starter battery max 5 years sounds like its shot. Have you got a constavolt or similar charger when on shore power?
My new marina has really posh new loos & showers with no need for a code cos its inside the pontoons (unlike Penton Hook where they were outside) Oh and the lights come on when you walk in.

"The Med has got me" (no not the Medway the other Med)

 

[Moose]

Oh, I forgot to say that the batteries are only a few months old and they are bigger than standard batteries.

Moose

I've got a boat at last!!!
WHOOPEE!!!!!!!!!!

BUT WHAT SHOULD I CALL IT?

 

[yachtbits]

if batteries are quite new, it sounds like you are leaving something connected. Try charging them up with the alternator. then disconnect them at the battery post while you are away. Re-connect on next visit. If still flat, then return under warranty. If batteries are still charged, check to see what is draining them. Might even be a duff alternator/regulator.

kev

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachtbits.co.uk>http://www.yachtbits.co.uk</A>
sales@yachtbits.co.uk
marine electrics & electronics

 

[mtb]

No point in just trying a new battery then .
Not untill you have checked the voltage from your alternater , it could be the recitfier pack has gone down and to much current has cooked the battery.



http://homepage.ntlworld.com/boats
I want a steel ex trawler or tug cheap needing work

 

[Guest]

Having read this thread again in Flat mode (pun) I see they are practically new. I take it you turn the isolator switches to off when you leave the boat. Do you have a battery charger on the boat?

Now my engine starter batteries (two per engine) have never caused a problem, and I always isolate them. Then got to the boat tother week and the sb batteries were flat. Charged them with the constavolt and went out. Next trip back to boat same again. However the problem only happened twice they seem to have recovered, moreover dont know what made them flat in the first place.

"The Med has got me" (no not the Medway the other Med)

 

[Guest]

Take the battery off, take it home, charge it over night and get your local garage to load test it, should only take a few minutes, if no fault is found with the battery there has to be something draining it when left.

If you connect an ampmeter in the circuit between the battery and plus lead see if you have a negative figure on the amp meter if answer is yes, there HAS to be something staying on.

Finding it could be a pig ! Does your bilge pump run off the engine battery or domestic ?.......just a thought

Ian

 

[boatone]

I was wondering if he shouldnt be thinking of a new boat........all this hassle.......doin my hed in...cant be doin wiv it at all..........probably just needs a new canopy wiv lots of windows then the batteries would pick up cos more light see.....!

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boatsontheweb.com/galleryframes.html> BoatsOnTheWeb Photo Gallery</A>

 

[ccscott49]

Get it out and take it for testing, If ok, that will eliminate that once and for all. Then try the other things, alternator output, unknown drain etc etc. But get the battery tested first! With it keep going flat like this, you are going to bugger the battery if it continues, especially with the cold weather coming, once the eletrolyte has turned to water, (flat battery), it will freeze! then you are totally stuffed! stop peeing about! /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

 

[JEG]

Based upon my limited experience may I offer the following: if the battery has been standing overnight it should read 12.7 v if in good condition [12.6 not a disaster], with the engine running the reading ought to be at least 13.5v. If you can borrow a clamp meter [many only measure a.c. current] you should be able to detect if current is flowing with the engine off. It is possible that the diode in the alternator has failed & that current may draining back - bonne chance!

 

[Col]

Are you sure battery is flat? You said
<The battery was even dead when I started the engines after an hours run to Portsmouth. But the battery was (according to the voltage indicator) charging.>
Could you just have a poor connection somewhere, and the battery is actually ok? Earth possibly?
Even with a fairly knackered battery, a run of an hour should, put in enough to give a glimmer of life momentarily.


<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/colspics> Cols Picture Album</A>

 

[RayB]

What was the outcome of your "little chat" with premier? Have they moved you off "I" pontoon since (seen your boat on G?).



"Hopefully that won't be too expensive to fix?"

 

[Bergman]

Agree with Mr Max - you need an ammeter in there. A voltage indicates charging, amps proves it for a fact.

Same with discharge, if you see some amps with everything off you've got a problem.

 

[simongoldthorpe]

I had exactly the same problem. Checked the batteries - no dead cells (newish like yours) took the alternator off and had it checked - OK. Checked nothing left on,bilge pumps running etc. Still the starter battery was going flat.

Eventually took all the connecting leads off and cleaned EVERY terminal, I mean every terminal! Those on the battery, took the isolator switches to bits and cleaned every single connection. The ones you don't normally do like the earths on the most innaccesible part of the engine blocks which are a complete pain in the a**e.

Whole thing took 3 hours, but since then it has been absolutely perfect. It seems that with a little deterioation on each connection the actual charge getting through to the batteries just weakens. It sounds too simple but believe me the results were brilliant.