Bad battery charger?

C

Clydo

.
May 28, 2013
341
Catalina C310 SF Bay/Delta
My 2003 C310 still has original battery charger which some have said not the
best. Yesterday did monthly water check in cells on 4D batteries. Shut of charger
for about 20 minutes and check voltage and found:

12.78 on starter battery
12.81 on "house" battery

My understanding 12.6 volts equals 100% capacity. Is my original charger not
doing its job and overcharging or is this range considered normal? Batteries
new April 2014. Four years old. Appreciate any thoughts.

Clyde Thorington
C310 # 245
I LEAN TOO
San Jose, CA
 
Don S/V ILLusion

Don S/V ILLusion

.
Sep 25, 2008
7,096
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Given it's a 15 year old boat, shall we assume it's the original and if so, what charger is it?
 
B

Benny17441

.
May 24, 2004
7,131
CC 30 South Florida
20 minutes is not an adequate resting period. The batteries are likely to still have some residual voltage from the charging process. Try 2-3 hours as a minimum to get a more reliable reading. You mentioned you check the water level every month, how was it this time around? The usual tale tell for an overcharged battery is the rapid loss of battery water. There should be no perceptible loss of water in 4 weeks time but a problem battery or one being overcharged could require more water in a week or two. From your voltage readings it looks as if the charger is working and the batteries are in fair state. Some of these old chargers are not as delicate on the batteries and may not charge as fast as the newer ones but they get the job done. Wet cell batteries are quite forgiving so I would not worry much about the old charger. Save some $$$.
 
Last edited:
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C

Clydo

.
May 28, 2013
341
Catalina C310 SF Bay/Delta
Clydo said:
My 2003 C310 still has original battery charger which some have said not the
best. Yesterday did monthly water check in cells on 4D batteries. Shut of charger
for about 20 minutes and check voltage and found:

12.78 on starter battery
12.81 on "house" battery

My understanding 12.6 volts equals 100% capacity. Is my original charger not
doing its job and overcharging or is this range considered normal? Batteries
new April 2014. Four years old. Appreciate any thoughts.

Clyde Thorington
C310 # 245
I LEAN TOO
San Jose, CA[/QUOT
Clydo said:
My 2003 C310 still has original battery charger which some have said not the
best. Yesterday did monthly water check in cells on 4D batteries. Shut of charger
for about 20 minutes and check voltage and found:

12.78 on starter battery
12.81 on "house" battery

Bought boat when nine year old so would guess original charger. In dim dark past think (dangerous)
it is a "Charles" battery charger. It is difficult to access but will check next time at boat.

Clyde Thorington
San Jose, CA



My understanding 12.6 volts equals 100% capacity. Is my original charger not
doing its job and overcharging or is this range considered normal? Batteries
new April 2014. Four years old. Appreciate any thoughts.

Clyde Thorington
C310 # 245
I LEAN TOO
San Jose, CA
Click to expand
Click to expand
 
C

Clydo

.
May 28, 2013
341
Catalina C310 SF Bay/Delta
Don S/V ILLusion said:
Given it's a 15 year old boat, shall we assume it's the original and if so, what charger is it?
Click to expand
Not much water loss in about six weeks time. Wild eye guess would be about 1/8 to 1/4" in some cells.
Plates always covered.. Don't know if that would be considered a lot.


Clyde Thoringon
C310 # 245
I LEAN TOO
San Jose, CA
 
JK_Boston_Catalina310

JK_Boston_Catalina310

.
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
The original charger is the Charles Flyback charger. It is an "egg timer" charger and not an actual smart charger.

See Benny's post on the battery voltage test you did.

You have a fair amount to learn if you want to jump into the DIY battery/electrical world but we were all there one day. I would start by going to MaineSail's site called Marine How To and reading every electrical article except the one on LiFePo batteries (way to complicated for where you are right now). When you have done that, let us know and we can suggest some other places to go next.
 
Don S/V ILLusion

Don S/V ILLusion

.
Sep 25, 2008
7,096
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Clydo said:
Not much water loss in about six weeks time. Wild eye guess would be about 1/8 to 1/4" in some cells.
Plates always covered.. Don't know if that would be considered a lot.


Clyde Thoringon
C310 # 245
I LEAN TOO
San Jose, CA
Click to expand
That doesn't tell us what charger it is...

If it is the period Charles charger, do yourself a favor and get rid of it asap. Those things killed more batteries than any other brand.
 
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C

Clydo

.
May 28, 2013
341
Catalina C310 SF Bay/Delta
JK_Boston_Catalina310 said:
The original charger is the Charles Flyback charger. It is an "egg timer" charger and not an actual smart charger.

See Benny's post on the battery voltage test you did.

You have a fair amount to learn if you want to jump into the DIY battery/electrical world but we were all there one day. I would start by going to MaineSail's site called Marine How To and reading every electrical article except the one on LiFePo batteries (way to complicated for where you are right now). When you have done that, let us know and we can suggest some other places to go next.
Click to expand
Thank you very much for reference "Marine How To". Real eye opener on reading "Standard" State of Charge
Tables. That guy really knows his stuff. Thanks again.

Clyde Thorington
C310 # 245
I LEAN TOO
San Jose, CA
 
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JK_Boston_Catalina310

JK_Boston_Catalina310

.
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
Clydo said:
Thank you very much for reference "Marine How To". Real eye opener on reading "Standard" State of Charge
Tables. That guy really knows his stuff. Thanks again.

Clyde Thorington
C310 # 245
I LEAN TOO
San Jose, CA
Click to expand
Read through his forum here too. Some of the info is redundant but then people ask questions that might give some more insight. He also used own a C310 so he has lots of input into our boats.

Fair winds,

Jesse
 
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