Baffled again

[All U Get]

Hi all,

I've been baffled by a few systems on our boat but this one might be slowly unveiling its secret. We have a Trace charger/inverter that works from shore power or genset. Since adding solar and wind generator, we rarely use it for charging but we were at a slip plugged in so I decided to top up the batteries. We didn't need much so we quickly got to 14.2V and with gel batteries I expected it to step down to a slower charge like it did in the past. It continued to charge at 20 amps and soon got to 14.5V and my little alarm beeped. The unit that reads these charge rates is an Ample ESP device which dates back to the 90's.

Reading their user guide it says you might have to reset values occasionally and disconnect the sensor to restore proper settings. I checked my batteries with a meter an had 13.8V at the batteries. Since I had cleaned the battery posts on one house back several months back, do you think it disturbed the way my charger thinks it's charging? And then would it be a simple fix just to find that sensor and disconnect it for a bit?

In my mind it sounds simple but I could be opening Neptune's Locker.

All U Get

 

[Bill Roosa]

Don't think there is much risk in resetting the monitor.

 

[LeeandRick]

If you cleaned the terminals of the battery you may have removed the inverter power which would probably cause an older inverter to go to default settings. Default would not be a gel battery and it thinks you are charging a standard vented lead acid battery. There is a "big" difference in charge profiles for a gel.

 

[All U Get]

If you cleaned the terminals of the battery you may have removed the inverter power which would probably cause an older inverter to go to default settings. Default would not be a gel battery and it thinks you are charging a standard vented lead acid battery. There is a "big" difference in charge profiles for a gel.

Being old, the charger has dialed settings and is set on the 14.2V, and I had turned my switch to the other bank while cleaning the posts. That doesn't mean it didn't do what you said, I just think it wouldn't unless I turned the little dial. I read Maine Sails article on monitoring batteries and I think the monitor needs an adjustment now that they are more fully charged. Maybe the cleaning made it work better?

All U Get

 

[All U Get]

We're anchored out now and I ran the charger from the gen set and the battery monitor is reading high while the Trace charger is reading 14.2V for the batteries. So I'll just need to reset the battery monitor.

All U Get

 

[Maine Sail]

We're anchored out now and I ran the charger from the gen set and the battery monitor is reading high while the Trace charger is reading 14.2V for the batteries. So I'll just need to reset the battery monitor.

All U Get

As long as the Trace is charging correctly, and measuring batt voltage at the batteries is always the best test, then the issue is the EMON. Yours would not be the first EMON or older link I would have seen suffer calibration drift.

#1 Try cleaning all connections including the internal ribbon cable & shunt connections.

#2 Perform a factory reset

# 3 Reprogram the EMON.

If the EMON is still not agreeing with battery voltage it's time has likely expired...


Are you guys still using the same GEL bank?

 

[All U Get]

Still using the gels, they're only ten years old. I'll clean the connections.

All U Get

(I actually had to go to the beach and then Happy Hour, its on the list)

 

[All U Get]

OK I cleaned ten connection today just on one house battery. Must be that many in the smart regulator too. Might be a while before I get to them all.

All U Get

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Drinking too much coffee?

 

[All U Get]

OK, cleaned the battery posts and reset the monitor as best as I could determine from the user manual. It charged today without reading over 14.2V on the monitor. Then it dropped to 13.6V and around 10 amps so I called it good. Maybe it's fixed, but fixed is permanently.

All U Get