1988 26D Battery Location
- Thread starter alabamaranger
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On mine, it is under the starboard setee. A stainless steel strap secures it to the vertical walll of the setee with two long 3/8 bolts.
Regards,
Karl
Regards,
Karl
Mine had 2 batteries , 1st in the port side & 2nd in the starboard side setees. That is a lot of weight. I would think I really would just need 1 battery since it's just for the lights and maybe radio. The lights on my Cat 22, never really got used. So I'm thinking of moving the battery under the sink? Thoughts?
that is the easiest place to install it.
-however, I find my lists to stb since what is where the storage is, and the weight goes. putting the battery on port can help balance the rest of the supplies.
but it doesn't sound like you plan to load your boat up for long camping trips? or?
-however, I find my lists to stb since what is where the storage is, and the weight goes. putting the battery on port can help balance the rest of the supplies.
but it doesn't sound like you plan to load your boat up for long camping trips? or?
My battery (and then batteries) used to be under the sink and they had somewhat of a short life party because it was such a huge pain in the axx to get water to them. I moved them under the Vberth partly for weight distribution for both trailering and sailing but also so I could get to them to maintain the water.
I’m still thinking about one of the battery watering systems like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgJnPp9oHF8
I think they are a little pricey but if the battery goes in a spot where it’s hard to get to the water caps (of see if the battery is full or not), might be worth looking into.
I’m still thinking about one of the battery watering systems like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgJnPp9oHF8
I think they are a little pricey but if the battery goes in a spot where it’s hard to get to the water caps (of see if the battery is full or not), might be worth looking into.
I started with one under the galley. Added a second one there for a camping trip. I found it too hard to deal with. I ended up moving them under the V berth so I could maintain them easier.
Now I'm reading this and being reminded that I haven't even been inside my boat in a few months! I feel like I need to go make sure I haven't boiled them out.
I have 100 watts of solar hooked up permanently and they are being kept at peak.
I wonder often others have to add water.
?
Now I'm reading this and being reminded that I haven't even been inside my boat in a few months! I feel like I need to go make sure I haven't boiled them out.
I have 100 watts of solar hooked up permanently and they are being kept at peak.
I wonder often others have to add water.
?
If you have two 12 volt batteries and are charging them in parallel, I would check the water "more often" than if you are just charging a single 12 volt battery.
This is just based on my experience but I was maintaining 2 12 volt batteries always in parallel with a 20 watt panel and a Morningstar PWM controller and one battery would always have a lot of water loss. I had even gone through the effort to make sure the wiring was balanced, that did not solve the problem. That is it main reason I now have two 6 volt batteries, I’m basically just charging one single 12 volt battery.
I think you have had this issue in the past and so have I but every charge controller I’ve had experience with takes its power for the control (i.e., the brains) from the battery side - not the panel. So if for some reason the battery gets low, the charger just stops working and no longer charges the batteries. Where I had the problem was leaving the solar panel just sitting in the boat and left it for a few months. The wind blew the panel over so that it barely got any sunlight and when I finally got to the boat, the batteries were something like 9 volts but they seemed to recover OK.
I now have a fixed mount 10 watt solar panel charging the batteries through a morning start PWM controller and it’s been reliable for over a year now. That is also with the boat and batteries getting very hot during the summer (Havasu). I get very little water loss with the single 12 volt battery (composed of two six volt golf cart batteries in series).
Your controller should manage the 100 watt panel just fine, it’s just the two 12 volt batteries always connected together that I would worry about. But that is just based on what happened with my batteries, I could have had one weak battery to begin with.. don’t know.
This is just based on my experience but I was maintaining 2 12 volt batteries always in parallel with a 20 watt panel and a Morningstar PWM controller and one battery would always have a lot of water loss. I had even gone through the effort to make sure the wiring was balanced, that did not solve the problem. That is it main reason I now have two 6 volt batteries, I’m basically just charging one single 12 volt battery.
I think you have had this issue in the past and so have I but every charge controller I’ve had experience with takes its power for the control (i.e., the brains) from the battery side - not the panel. So if for some reason the battery gets low, the charger just stops working and no longer charges the batteries. Where I had the problem was leaving the solar panel just sitting in the boat and left it for a few months. The wind blew the panel over so that it barely got any sunlight and when I finally got to the boat, the batteries were something like 9 volts but they seemed to recover OK.
I now have a fixed mount 10 watt solar panel charging the batteries through a morning start PWM controller and it’s been reliable for over a year now. That is also with the boat and batteries getting very hot during the summer (Havasu). I get very little water loss with the single 12 volt battery (composed of two six volt golf cart batteries in series).
Your controller should manage the 100 watt panel just fine, it’s just the two 12 volt batteries always connected together that I would worry about. But that is just based on what happened with my batteries, I could have had one weak battery to begin with.. don’t know.
I finally went to my boat this evening and looked.
None of the cells were low enough to have exposed plates but they all looked a little low. I'm not real sure how full it should be. I see there's a little slot on the side of the tops. I tried to fill to the top of the slots and I was too sloppy. I might have over filled a little but it's done.
I'm encouraged though because I thought they would have been much lower.
Now I'm really getting the itch to go get the boat wet.
I have a week vacation coming in about the second week of October and I plan on staying on the boat all week. Lots to do...
My one 12v battery is under the Starboard settee too. Not nicely installed, 2x4 frame drywall screws through settee side to hold it in place. (Sigh.. PO..)
I do have a 18w solar panel and a controller (Coleman kit). It works great!
I just leave the panel on one of the cockpit seats. I put it in the cabin under the cockpit when sailing.
I do have a 18w solar panel and a controller (Coleman kit). It works great!
I just leave the panel on one of the cockpit seats. I put it in the cabin under the cockpit when sailing.
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