I am buying new batteries for my 34' sailboat and have researched enough to decide to go with 2 wet cell deep cycle types. I want to use both batteries for starting and house loads. I have a universal 21 HP diesel that probably doesn't draw to much starting current so decided to use deep cycle for this purpose. Does anyone know if this could cause a problem with these batteries, other than not having the dedicated battery for emergency situations? I use the boat mostly for day sailing and short overnight stays.
New batteries and which type
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I just bought a deep cycle battery today to replace the one we have tortured for the last 7 years. We often ran it to dead before recharging.
I was wondering while we are talking about batteries and keeping them healthy....A new charger I bought gets all the way up to 15.1 volts. Does this seem exceesive?
I was wondering while we are talking about batteries and keeping them healthy....A new charger I bought gets all the way up to 15.1 volts. Does this seem exceesive?
If your batts are tough to get at, you can use one of these sets.. I put one set in with the new batteries 5 years ago and it has worked really well..
http://www.basspro.com/FlowRite-QwikFill™-Onboard-Battery-Watering-System/product/52557/-1014739
Takes a couple of minutes to water all cells simultaneously.
http://www.basspro.com/FlowRite-QwikFill™-Onboard-Battery-Watering-System/product/52557/-1014739
Takes a couple of minutes to water all cells simultaneously.
Sounds like you bought a Schumacher..
YES it is excessive and these chargers will kill batts quickly.
Just a thought...
If your boat already has an A-B-Both-Off switch, you may gain some piece of mind by adding one more battery to the mix. Parallel the 2 12V batteries you are looking at to be the12V A bank with twice the amperage capacity. Buy one more 12V starting battery and wire it to the B bank.
I operate this way on Island Girl. I keep the switch on A all the time -using it for starting and continuing to run it as the house bank. That way there is always an emergency backup batteyr on the B side of the switch in case Murphy strikes and your house bank gets corrupted one way or the other...
This set up does require a 2 bank charger however....
Ken
If your boat already has an A-B-Both-Off switch, you may gain some piece of mind by adding one more battery to the mix. Parallel the 2 12V batteries you are looking at to be the12V A bank with twice the amperage capacity. Buy one more 12V starting battery and wire it to the B bank.
I operate this way on Island Girl. I keep the switch on A all the time -using it for starting and continuing to run it as the house bank. That way there is always an emergency backup batteyr on the B side of the switch in case Murphy strikes and your house bank gets corrupted one way or the other...
This set up does require a 2 bank charger however....
Ken
For your needs. that is the way to go. Yes, the deep cycle batteries have the power to drive the starter motor. I have always suscribed to the policy of using one battery at a time and keeping the 2nd one fresh as a backup for starting the engine. I will alternate from Battery 1 and 2 on different outings to exercise both. Battery capacity and loads are just one side of the equation you also need to look at your recharging options and capacity. We do a few long trips a year (10+ days) and I don't recall ever starting a day without freshly (90%+) charged batteries. My recharging options are limited to 1) 55 amp engine alternator 2) Marina shorepower to drive 40 amp charger 3) Honda eu2000 generator to drive 40 amp charger. Mind you we run 12V refrigeration. I shy away from running the diesel or the generator exclusively for recharging batteries, it usually comes as a byproduct of motorsailing to maintain speed or running the air conditioner for comfort. While sailing we will cycle the refrigerator one hour ON and two hours OFF. When motoring you can direct the charge to the selected battery via the switch and will direct the alternator charge to battery in use that day. I would recommend you perform a power survey so you may know on the average what are your power requiremnts in amps per 24 hour period. Knowing that and the capacity of your batteries in amps it makes it easy to schedule recharging. For battery longevity it is not recommended that a battery be discharged beyond 50% of its capacity but if you occasionally need to go beyond that threshold it will not cause that much harm. I consider batteries expendable and as much as I like to protect them I will not hesitate to use them to their utmost capacity if the situation warranted it. One beauty about lead acid batteries is that you can easily find replacemnts at reasonable prices in most "port o' call".
Thanks for that info Benny,that seals it for me I will use 2 deep cycle and no separate starting battery. I will be able to keep track fairly closely of battery amp hours used, to prevent from going more that 40% discharged before recharging.I have an ampmeter on my house loads so i can monitor that on short trips.
Whistles nervously. I did a bunch of reading and the Schumacher Ship N Shore got high ratings from everything I read. It starts at 15.1 and progressively gets down to 13.2. It scared me when I saw the voltage that high though.Sounds like you bought a Schumacher..
I see that Group 24 wets go for $129.99 at Worst Marine and I paid $59.99 at Walmart this last weekend.
I bought a couple of 27s from West in December that were not only grossly over priced but also about 20% lighter than the BJs Wholesale Club version I was replacing. Of course the BJs batteries didn't have pictures of boats on them....
Just looked up the price of G 24 AGM batteries at WM, 350% of what I paid for wet ones at Wally World.
Yeah, I'll just water what I've got.
I bought a couple of 27s from West in December that were not only grossly over priced but also about 20% lighter than the BJs Wholesale Club version I was replacing. Of course the BJs batteries didn't have pictures of boats on them....
Just looked up the price of G 24 AGM batteries at WM, 350% of what I paid for wet ones at Wally World.
Yeah, I'll just water what I've got.
These chargers are pure junk don't let reviews by folks charging car batts fool you. I don't use strong language like that with to many products. I have one on my bench that charges at up to 15-16+ volts!!! Keep in mind that Trojan says 14.8 is max charge voltage for flooded unless equalizing.
15.1+ is unacceptable for normal everyday charging. I have spoken with Schumacher about this and their tech support said flatly that the 15.6V I am seeing is "normal" for that battery and if I want less to use the GEL setting. The real problem is that a GEL battery will be destroyed if charged higher than 14.1V and the Ship-n-Shore goes as high as 16V when set to GEL..
If you want to ruin batts the Ship-n-Shore series is a good way to do it. The one I have ruined a set of $1400.00 GEL batteries.
When I bought new AGM's this year we compared the weight of the new batteries to the old ones. My old ones were West Marine and my new ones I got from a friend that owns his own automotive repair business and a 46 foot diesel cruiser. He got me the new batteries from his supplier. They are much heavier than the old batteries. To the extent that I could lift the West Marine batteries into the car but the new batteries were too heavy for me and I needed help. The price of batteries in the same group from the same maker can vary with the quality.
Marketing has many secrets and I know that manufacturers will modify a product to meet a price demand for a large buyer. That is one of the reasons that you can no longer but a one pound can of coffee.
Marketing has many secrets and I know that manufacturers will modify a product to meet a price demand for a large buyer. That is one of the reasons that you can no longer but a one pound can of coffee.
Ross,
I don't think West Marine mark ups have anything to do with handling a higher quality product than a discount store or wholesale club. They've bought out or driven the other chain stores out of business and if not for the internet, would have most of us over a barrel. Thank the good ol' US Army for the world wide web and for ruining thier evil plans!
I like the idea of the AGMs and am a big fan of no maintenance but have to keep the boat buck budget in check.
There seems to be a perception that profit is a dirty word. It is what keeps a company in business. The wholesale clubs know what their market is and they buy with that always in mind. If company "A" wants to buy one million group 24 batteries from manufacturer XYZ they will specify a desired selling price and mark-up. XYZ can then design a battery that meets the requirements for CCA and reserve capacity. If they can reduce the lead in those batteries by just 2 ounces they can save 62.5 tons of lead.
When I researched AGM batteries I found a broad range of price, and weight in group 31 batteries. West Marine was not far off the competition for price and specifications.
If you want nice clean fresh oats they are 8.50 per bushel. If you don't mind that they have been through the horse once they can be had for much less. Competition is good it keeps sellers honest.
You don't need the interweb to do what my mom and many others have suggested to me: comparison shopping!
WM Grp 31 wet cells -- well over $130 each plus almost 10% tax here in CA
American Battery (local supplier) -- $115 including tax, were $95 each five years ago.
No brainer.
Shop wisely.
Stu, by buying locally you also reduce shippage a
good thing to do while we are still gulping down fossil fuel. There's 2 advantages
good thing to do while we are still gulping down fossil fuel. There's 2 advantages
Ross, it also gives an incentive to cheat and/or cut
corners as you yourself pointed out previously. It's a double edge sword. It is not flawless and not a panacea.
corners as you yourself pointed out previously. It's a double edge sword. It is not flawless and not a panacea.
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