do i need a new battery ?

simonfraser

simonfraser

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checked the 110A sealed lead acid leisure battery DOB summer 2008 today. showing 14.4 from the wind and solar regulator.
on startup from eber voltage drops to 12.05 and it tries to start once. air in the line, so i need more than one go.
not enough oomph in the battery for a second try until the voltage is back to 14.0, 30 mins, as it's nice and windy out there today :-)

i did run it down to 12.1 end of november, this caused the battery trouble ?
or it was just a dud buy ?

so, what type of lead / gell one would be best for the eber ?????
 
One discharge down to 12.1 volts, even if that's the rested volts (ie the reading after sitting with no charging or discharging for 12 hours) should not kill it. at least not if you recharged it again promptly

If you are getting 14.4 directly at the battery terminals then it ought to be pretty nearly as well charged as its going to get but if you can disconnect it for 12 hours and see what volts you get with a decent digital meter. If it is charged you should get 12.6 or 12.7. If you dont it might be worth charging with a mains charger or the engine.

If/ when you get a rested reading of 12.6-7 check all connections +ve and -ve.

try again .

Then think about taking it back or at least having it properly tested.

Stick to flooded wet acid batteries is Sterlings general advice on batteries, and preferably one that's not sealed so you can top it up when necessary.
 
Fancy battery's - loads of questions.

Heavy Duty Truck batterys designed to operate tail-lifts AND start big diesel engines like the 6 litre in my Mercedes - they work and deliver OOOOOOOMMMMMMPH ! But they are not hard to charge - they charge up with standard charge systems. Just take a little longer because of size that's all.
 
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perhaps you need thicker wire to the Eberspacher

[/ QUOTE ] I thought about that and bad connections. It's a valid consideration but i felt that if it was necessary to wait for the battery to recharge between starting attempts that was were the trouble is most likely to be.
 
All voltage drop ie bad battery or wiring is cumulative. Better wiring might help the problem. But basically if your battery won't do the job then it is no good. A 110AH is a big battery and should be good for many starts of Eber.
Find the receipt and ave a noo one. olewill
 
tnx olewill, would you like to hazzard a guess as to what the smallest good quality battery is that would do the eber job ????
don't think i have the receipt & thinking of spending more on traction/gell one.
no engine to start. main task is eber during the winter and autohelm during the summer.
can't charge faster than 3Ah, unless 30knots and sunni, so cooking a gell not a prob.
 
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As Vic suggested, THIS is essential reading before any battery purchase.

[/ QUOTE ] Read it and then read Nigel Calder, and then you should seriously consider Mr Stirling's conclusions. I spoke with several people at the London boat show and they were all critical of his ideas.
 
Hi Simon... goodness you are asking me? I suspect that the heavier truck batteries might be the best value for money. As Nigel (refueler) suggests.
The Eber I think draws 10 amps or more on start up and a few amps when running so I would imagine 110 AH would be a min sized battery.
No matter what size battery you will need to replenish(recharge) it as soon as possible. 3 amps from a wind charger or solar should be OK and certainly won't cook the battery.

According to our news this morning London is in a freeze so I hope if you are on the boat you have a new battery by now. Just to balance that we have had weeks of very hot weather. I nearly melted while sailing on Sun.
No Ebers here. good luck summer will come olewill
 
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can't charge faster than 3Ah, unless 30knots and sunni, so cooking a gell not a prob.

[/ QUOTE ]I'd fit a charge controller and a new battery of around the same size as the original. 110Ah should be good for the Eber but remember the volts drop through the battery master switch, fuse and wiring. Your battery should not be damaged if you don't let the volts fall below 10.5V on load though most liveaboards target 12V as the minimum voltage before starting engine, genny, etc. Most people make a point of starting the engine or battery charger before starting the Eber. Ebers draw a very high starting current (glow pin) of around 20A. I don't know why they are so sensitive to voltage but Mikuni are the same.....don't know about Webasto. At a guess, it's probably because the power into the glow pin in Watts = V2/R i.e. the power falls off with the square of the voltage. So a small drop in volts means the glow pin is running much cooler. But that's just a guess.
 
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tnx, looking at a sunnenscheiner 85Ah, as you say it's the 20A start up that's the problem.
p.s. i don't have an inboard / alternator.

[/ QUOTE ]I think you ought to have a charge controller anyway, and set it for whatever type of battery you choose. The Sonnenschien gels are very expensive....when I bought my boat she was fitted with two large ones that were only a couple of years old but ruined by overcharging. I've forgotten the discharge characteristics of Sonnenshiens but normally you work on a C/10 rate. C/10 for an 85Ah battery is 8.5A. I'd be inclined to stay with the 110Ah size that you have, and go for a flooded lead acid (which you can top up) of the leisure or semi-traction type. Personally I think that it pays to buy a premium product such as Varta and not a badged product though many have had good experiences with cheap batteries. It depends on luck, I suspect.
 
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