Batteries...where to start?

kloudie1 · Sep 13, 2011

Those are around 100 amp hours.. if ya look at this post from Maine Sail and follow, I think you'll find some better ones..
http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=132350

sailaway78 · Sep 13, 2011

Golf Cart

I do not believe there is any way you can beat the Sam's club golf cart batteries, when it comes to bang for the buck. The AGM batteries are good, but they are very expensive, and require a great deal more care. ( Read the Mainesail post on this ) If you have the space, I can highly recommend a bank of 4 golf carts. Gives you a 450ah bank, for around 300 bucks. If space is tight, get a battery tender, which makes filling them a snap.

Bill Roosa · Sep 13, 2011

For the most AH/$ flooded cell are what you are looking for. I won't attempt to recommend a brand but I have used Trojan 6 volt golf cart and been very happy.
I know there are some that swear by AGM but there are more that swear at them. Yes they give you more bang for the pound but they require more precise charging voltages to have a long life and are generally "futtzy" and expensive. IMHO sailing is not about pulling maintenance every time you go to the boat and worring about, of all things, batteries. Perhaps if you are on the bleeding edge of cruising this would make sense but even then I'd recommend NiCad, If you are going to bleed then go for it.

zeehag · Sep 13, 2011

i got my 6v golfcart batteries at costco--have a 10 yr warrantee.... ye cant beat sams club or costco for pricing...

tommays · Sep 13, 2011

I am happy with the Costco 27 deep cycles and Mainsail has found the Sams or some other club store also sold a brand he likes

I have floor scrubbers and pallet jacks with 4 x 6 24 volt banks and have NOT seen much difference in the lifespan of any of the wet cell brands

tommays · Sep 13, 2011

The 6s are combined to make 12 volt banks with more amp hours while using the less space and weight to allow for ease of movement to install and remove

zeehag · Sep 13, 2011

6v batteries do not like the quick charge stuff the juice in the batteries kind of charging. do it slow. i found 10 amp and 2 amp charge levels about right for longevity, and make sure you charge them completely.. should run at 13.6 or so volts for a few hours--i usually do 4 hours at 13+ volt reading. mine lasted around 7 years last time-- these new ones, we see.....these have a 10 yr warrantee, so......

zeehag · Sep 13, 2011

alternator is fine. does your charger have settings for different kinds of batteries..... usually the marine ones have that.

seadaddler · Sep 13, 2011

6 volt

I got rid of my interstate 4D's even 1 after 1 year warranty and now very happy with 4 6 volt T-105.
Nick

mitiempo · Sep 13, 2011

The Promariner charger will be fine. Smaller charger only means it takes a bit longer to charge on shorepower. I think your alternator is ok as well. I wouldn't change everything at first anyway. But I would get a good battery monitor like a Victron BMV-600.

Below is a series/parallel diagram for 4 6 volt batteries. As posted probably $300 or so for 4 batteries. The Victron is $158 at Jamestown

Stu Jackson · Sep 13, 2011

I agree with Brian. How old is your ProMariner charger? The Flyback models they produced have had very poor results, don't know about your model.

With your 1-2-B switch, you should wire the alternator output to the house bank and get an ACR or echo charger for automatically charging your reserve (some say starter) bank if you are going to keep or buy one new 12 V battery as a separate bank, which you should. Wire all four 6V together as Brian suggest for a house bank.

Here's some information on electrical systems (don't know what you do or don't know): http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5977.0.html

Maine Sail · Sep 13, 2011

sailcruiser said:
Hi everyone,

I'm working through some issues on a recently purchased boat. It can be one of several things but my first thought is the 5 year old batteries. They are Interstate SRM-29s. There are 2 total and they are 5 almost 6 years old so IMHO they need to be replaced. I can't decide what is our best route moving forward. Replace these with identical or look at other brands. It seems this particular brand has a love/hate reputation with little neutral.

The system has a Perko 3 position switch, a Pro Mariner New Pro 20 20 amp charger, a Powerline 120 alternator. I will be looking into a solution like a wind generator or solar when underway within a couple years. I have other things to take care of first.

I will be buying a hydrometer this week to test but I suspect they are toast. The batteries lose power even when they shouldn't.

Anyway, this boat needs a good bank. I am looking for suggestions on what to start looking into for a purchase in the Spring. (we're a few weeks from winter storage) If you happen to have an idea of approximate cost please include it in any replies. I don't want to reinvent the wheel if at all possible.

Thanks! SC

I don't so much have any brand preference just a "type" preference. You want a thick plate deep cycle battery for house loads. The thicker the plate the longer they can last. 6V batteries have significantly thicker plates than a comparable size 12V battery deep cycle or not.

The Interstate SRM series is not even rated in amp hours, I have personally spoke with Interstate tech support and they can't even find this information. They are really more of a hybrid starting/deep cycle battery than a deep cycle. Hybrids have plates that are in-between deep cycle thickness and starting thickness and really don't do deep cycling application as well as a deep cycle will.

Deka/East Penn (sold by Sam's Club, NAPA, O'reilly Auto & West Marine etc.), Superior, US Battery, Trojan, Crown

My Synopsis of Wet Cell Batteries by Grade/Quality:

Top Tier:

Rolls/Surrette

I intentionally left a space here because the Rolls batteries are significantly more top tier than US or Trojan are all good quality batteries that vary widely in price.
___
___
___
Trojan
US Battery

Second Tier:

Dyno
Crown
Superior
Deka/East Penn

Third Tier:

Johnson Controls / Private Label
Exide
Interstate (most of these are made by Johnson Controls)
Various Private labeled batteries

Care and feeding of your banks is what matters more than who's sticker is on the box.

I just returned from replacing a set of 3, less than 4 year old Lifeline batteries that cost over $1000.00 new. They were replaced with 3 Deka/Duracell batteries from Sam's Club for $269.00 TOTAL COST. I know the Deka's will outlast the Lifelines in this application as I have many of them in-service on similar boats well beyond 4 years. Even if they did not and he replaced them once to get beyond the 4 years he's still at about HALF the price of the Lifeline's.....

The price and "perceived quality" of a battery does not usually equate to cycle life gains that are the equivalent.

6V Batteries are great and dolalr for dollar the least expensive bang for the buck but you need a little more height and room for five batteries or three batteries total to get a house and reserve/start bank.

mitiempo · Sep 13, 2011

Sailcruiser

If the charger is that old it could use replacement as well. If it is an inverter as well and that old it should be replaced probably for that reason alone. There are many choices on either separate chargers and inverters or combination units from Xantrex, Victron, Magnum and others.

Re the alternator. The common way many manufacturers did (and some still) wire alternators is to the common on the 1/2/both switch. If the switch is turned to off or through off alternator diodes are usually fried. It is a lousy way to wire the alt but it is also the least expensive way.

As Stu posted the better way to wire the alt (and shorepower charger, solar and wind gen as well) is direct to the house bank and install either an Echo Charge or an ACR between the house and start banks. This means that the switch, which should remain, becomes only for battery use and not charging. The ACR or Echo will automatically keep the start battery charged anytime a charge voltage is sensed. To go one step further use the house bank for both engine starting and house loads, keeping the start battery as an "emergency" battery. It creates the simplest system to use and nobody can damage anything with the switch - even if it is turned off while the engine is running.

Batteries...where to start?

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