Idiot idiot idiot

[billyfish]

Got to the boat yesterday to find I left the power on for a couple of weeks , idiot . Had to stay on the hook last night have ran the engine for an hour but they only show 50% . Do you think they will recover with a trickle charge ?

 

[Venus1]

Got to the boat yesterday to find I left the power on for a couple of weeks , idiot . Had to stay on the hook last night have ran the engine for an hour but they only show 50% . Do you think they will recover with a trickle charge ?

from a fellow idiot,
can you borrow a portable generator? That’s what I did when I was the idiot - for several hours. The batteries seem to have recovered from the (once only) near total discharge. I doubt whether a trickle charge will cut it.

 

[Refueler]

Once a LA hits and sits at zero ... it tends to cause plate failure in one or more cells. Often they appear to recover on charging - but once you aply a load such as start an engine - they fail. But often they can still power low demand cabin stuff.

Personally ? I would try fast charge till about 80 - 85% charge - then slow trickle to try and get up into full charge range. Then it's a case of testing to see what they can live with ?

You don't say what batterys capacity ... you don't say what alternator rate you have ... but 50% in 1hr from flat is not bad IMHO ... but of course first 50 - 60% of charge capacity is usually pretty quick because batterys have low resistance to charge ... its the high region that actually really slows charge ...

 

[billyfish]

2 lead batteries 110 amp hrs only a year old. Thought I would head to a marina and plug in for 24hrs. Not something I do lightly £30 to charge me batteries. Idiot . Note to self , idiot. Must stop beating myself up.

 

[KevinV]

2 lead batteries 110 amp hrs only a year old. Thought I would head to a marina and plug in for 24hrs. Not something I do lightly £30 to charge me batteries. Idiot . Note to self , idiot. Must stop beating myself up.

Fingers crossed that you're a lucky idiot

 

[MAURICE]

No they are Fd

 

[MoodySabre]

2 lead batteries 110 amp hrs only a year old. Thought I would head to a marina and plug in for 24hrs. Not something I do lightly £30 to charge me batteries. Idiot . Note to self , idiot. Must stop beating myself up.

If it’s only a £30 mistake then you got away lightly. Hopefully.

 

[Sandy]

I am a great believer in checklists. If it is good enough for astronauts and pilots it is good enough for me.

 

[billyfish]

Yep. Was going to write a check list ages ago , but ...

 

[Neeves]

We never shut the power off. But we do shut off all units that use power, though we might leave the fridge running. What did you leave 'consuming' that used all your battery bank. If you switch off all the 'consuming' items, Nav lights, AP, etc etc - and you are still using power - you have another problem.

If you had solar and enough - your battery bank would have some protection.

50% after an hour of charging - either your battery bank is tiny, your assessment wrong or the batteries are scrap.

Jonathan

 

[Baggywrinkle]

I had one of these .... if it wasn't hanging on the chart table hook when I left the boat then something was wrong. My car keys shared the hook ..... on the boat, the car keys were on the hook and I developed the habit of replacing the car keys with the shut-off when I left the boat. Never failed in 12 years. ... now the gas .... that's another story.

 

[Refueler]

2 lead batteries 110 amp hrs only a year old. Thought I would head to a marina and plug in for 24hrs. Not something I do lightly £30 to charge me batteries. Idiot . Note to self , idiot. Must stop beating myself up.

Ok lets look at this calmly .....

You left power on ... we've all done it.

What was still consuming power during that period ?

What was batterys level when you returned to the boat and found them low ? Must have been reasonable - if they started the engine - then they were not zero.
50% after 1hr - starts to look even better ... if they started engine and then you left it 1hr charging .... 2x 110a/hr .... average alternator 40 - 60A max ... (assuming as many have - marinised car alternator).

Your stay now in marina ... ok - its 30 quid you were not expecting ... but you are better off - charge up properly with mains charger ... then if worst comes to worst - which I am now doubting is the case ... at least you don't have to dinghy a battery out to the boat ... its a walk on affair now if needs replace.
I'm a cheapskate and if I needed to replace - I would replace only one ... the worst one ... leaving the other as 'house' till it too throws its hand in. But I'm a Motor Sailer - so my batterys have an easy time of it ....

 

[Koeketiene]

I am a great believer in checklists. If it is good enough for astronauts and pilots it is good enough for me.

+1
I sail an older, 'uncomplicated' boat so the checklist is mercifully short.

 

[Neeves]

2 x LA batteries (110 amp each) or 2 x LA batteries 110 (amp total).

So you went to a marina, as Refueler says - you had enough power to start the engine (or do you have a separate engine start (seems sensible).

Why not suffer quietly, save Stg30, go home and charge them up on a battery charger. Even 110 amp each is manageable to a car (we manhandled 2 x 200 amp LA batteries in a dinghy).

But I'm a Scot - Stg30 would well outside the capacity of my wallet.

Jonathan

 

[LadyInBed]

What was still consuming power during that period ?

I also wondered about that.

I also believe in check lists though in my case, as I've had the boat for over twenty years, it is a mental list that I walk through.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

+1
I sail an older, 'uncomplicated' boat so the checklist is mercifully short.

Ours is pretty simple, and the check list is on the edge of the main hatch, where it pops into your eyeline when you’re locking up.

 

[LittleSister]

I am a great believer in checklists. If it is good enough for astronauts and pilots it is good enough for me.

A commendable approach, but one I've rarely used because for me it's been (at least to date) even more unreliable than routine tempered by logic.

That's because when I have made up checklists I've so often failed to consult them at the critical moment or, worse still, remembered to do so but can't then find the list!

I might have to change my ways, though, as my ageing memory isn't what it was. (I arrived at the boat on Friday without the keys to it! )

But your post has helpfully reminded me that I haven't yet had the medication I should've taken an hour ago!

 

[Praxinoscope]

SWMBO makes numerous lists, me I once tried to make a list but gave up so still rely upon the 'Grey Cells' which are so far holding up but I have to admit are not as quick at responding as they used to be.

 

[billyfish]

Excellent response chaps and thank you all . Its a motor sailer 2 house batteries 110 each , start battery was unaffected which is reassuring. Now hooked up after motoring for a couple of hours start battery 13.9v house13.1v was thinking it would be more by now as used to get to 14v. But hey looks like I've got away with it . I think the idea of pulling the switch keys out exelent will do that and see if I can leave the gas on

 

[billyfish]

And I get me Sunday roast . What's not to like