Engine start battery

[Guest]

Leakage 7 Ah per month

I suspect internal discharge is greater than that rate of discharge.

Certainly a dirty / damp battery top would be a far greater problem. Is all clean and dry, both around the battery and the alternator?

 

[Guest]

Fit an isolator switch?

Peter,

A leakage of 0.01A is not a lot. Say 56A/h divided by 0.01 gives 5,600 hours to discharge, about 2/3 of a year! If your battery is much larger capacity than this, then correspondingly longer.

Although it is not good to isolate a running alternator from the battery, I would fit a switch somewhere, where you can turn it off as you leave the boat but not easily knocked by accident? Having said this, our switches are not well placed and have often been knocked out by accident with no ill affects to date.

You might possible have a faulty regulator, is it internal to the frame i.e. easily swapped out? You may be able to obtain one on a sale-or-return basis to check the leakage of a newer unit.

 

[Guest]

Following my engine start battery going flat, I’ve found a small leakage current, 0.01A going through the alternator. Is this a problem? If yes what to do?

Thanks for any help, Peter

 

[Guest]

If the battery is going flat over a period of weeks, then self discharge is more likely to be the culprit, particularly if you are using 'car/van' batteries, rather than marine ones. I would recommend a small solar panel from Maplin (about £40) which simply connects to the battery terminals with croc clips, & will trickle charge the battery even in our sunless summers. You then needn't worry about small leakage currents, isolator switches or new bateries etc.

Regards.

Ian