Andrew_Fanner
New member
I'm sure thiis must be somewhere on the board, but I can't find it, apologies if it was done to death 18 months back.
Last weekend I brought the batteries from the boat back home to charge them up. Two of them are nce simple "looks like a normal battery" things, two terminals, caps over the cells and so forth. Check the voltage, 12.5V or so, bung them on a charger and Robert is your mother's brother.
However, the remaining one is made up of individual cells coupled together with metal bars. Yup, OK, that's what is under a normal one's top, but it looks odd. Count the cells and there are 10 of them. Very strange, I think that should give about 21-22V fully charged and so, I assume, the 12V system on board has done rock all for it. Cells all in the red with the hydrometer so pretty much water rather than acid. I assume that a normal 12V battery charger is a waste of time but could I sensibly decouple 4 of the 10 cells and expect that to act as a 12V battery? It seems quite logical, I just don't understand why the thing was fitted and wired up to make use of all the cells. Will a 12V charge running into it from the engine or charger when on shore power have fouled it up? Its a hefty thing, weighs about 20 kilos.
Bright ideas anyone? What uses 20V that a previous owner might have removed?
I might, depending on your answers, have an 8 volt battery going begging!
<hr width=100% size=1>Two beers please, my friend is paying.
Last weekend I brought the batteries from the boat back home to charge them up. Two of them are nce simple "looks like a normal battery" things, two terminals, caps over the cells and so forth. Check the voltage, 12.5V or so, bung them on a charger and Robert is your mother's brother.
However, the remaining one is made up of individual cells coupled together with metal bars. Yup, OK, that's what is under a normal one's top, but it looks odd. Count the cells and there are 10 of them. Very strange, I think that should give about 21-22V fully charged and so, I assume, the 12V system on board has done rock all for it. Cells all in the red with the hydrometer so pretty much water rather than acid. I assume that a normal 12V battery charger is a waste of time but could I sensibly decouple 4 of the 10 cells and expect that to act as a 12V battery? It seems quite logical, I just don't understand why the thing was fitted and wired up to make use of all the cells. Will a 12V charge running into it from the engine or charger when on shore power have fouled it up? Its a hefty thing, weighs about 20 kilos.
Bright ideas anyone? What uses 20V that a previous owner might have removed?
I might, depending on your answers, have an 8 volt battery going begging!
<hr width=100% size=1>Two beers please, my friend is paying.
