I have two new Interstate D4 batteries. In the past six weeks I have put two gallons of water in them. I suspect the battery charger is over charging them. How can I tell if this is true and are chargers normally repaired or just replaced? I've turned the charger off for now but that means no cold beer when I arrive at the boat. Thanks.
Battery Charger
- Thread starter Paul (Affinity C320)
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what type of charger do you have?
Paul: What type of charger do you have? Some of those old Guest chargers were notorious for this.
Paul: What type of charger do you have? Some of those old Guest chargers were notorious for this.
Yes, that is what I thought. I can't remember what type charger it is and I am about one hours from the boat. So I plan to go there this weekend and pull it out.
Replaced Mine
Paul, I have a C320 and had to replaced my charger after I cooked off a couple of batteries. What I saw was the original Pro-mariner charger was rapidly cycling. It kept the charge a bit high but not into overcharge on my circuit breaker panel voltmeter. when I looked at the charger in the port lazerette I could see the needle just bouncing so I assume that the charger would start to chage, see the chage was fine, stop the charge cycle, instantly decide to charge and repeat. Each cycle was a about 1/2 a second. When I looked at the batteries I'd see a small bubble every few second. When I turned off the charger the voltmeter showed a full charge (not charging / overcharged) after 10 to 15 minutes so when you return to your boat everything may look normal. I replaced the charger with a NewMar charger. Fit right in the same slot as the old charger. Now there is no more cycling, no more bubbles in the batteries and the voltmeter is at 100% charge. Good luck.
Paul, I have a C320 and had to replaced my charger after I cooked off a couple of batteries. What I saw was the original Pro-mariner charger was rapidly cycling. It kept the charge a bit high but not into overcharge on my circuit breaker panel voltmeter. when I looked at the charger in the port lazerette I could see the needle just bouncing so I assume that the charger would start to chage, see the chage was fine, stop the charge cycle, instantly decide to charge and repeat. Each cycle was a about 1/2 a second. When I looked at the batteries I'd see a small bubble every few second. When I turned off the charger the voltmeter showed a full charge (not charging / overcharged) after 10 to 15 minutes so when you return to your boat everything may look normal. I replaced the charger with a NewMar charger. Fit right in the same slot as the old charger. Now there is no more cycling, no more bubbles in the batteries and the voltmeter is at 100% charge. Good luck.
Probably a charger problem, however
it could be a bad cell in one of the batteries. They're new so it's not likely but it does happen. Get a hydrometer and check the specific gravity of the individual cells. When fully charged you should have a reading of 1.275 in each cell. If you find one cell significantly lower than the others due to defect the charger will interpret that as a need for a higher voltage which will, of course, endlessly cook the electrolyte. It's a cheap and easy way to diagnose that the problem isn't the batteries before you rip out the charger and spend money. A poor quality charger (even working properly) may be worth replacing anyway but checking the electrolyte is a good habit to get into. A gallon in six weeks is a bunch so your problem should be obvious.
it could be a bad cell in one of the batteries. They're new so it's not likely but it does happen. Get a hydrometer and check the specific gravity of the individual cells. When fully charged you should have a reading of 1.275 in each cell. If you find one cell significantly lower than the others due to defect the charger will interpret that as a need for a higher voltage which will, of course, endlessly cook the electrolyte. It's a cheap and easy way to diagnose that the problem isn't the batteries before you rip out the charger and spend money. A poor quality charger (even working properly) may be worth replacing anyway but checking the electrolyte is a good habit to get into. A gallon in six weeks is a bunch so your problem should be obvious.
Xantrex/Statpower is a excellent choice
Paul: If you opt for a new charger the Xantrex/ Statpower is an excellent choice. They have a new one that will even allow different battery chemistries on a single charger. It is their XC series, they come in 30 & 50 amp models.
Paul: If you opt for a new charger the Xantrex/ Statpower is an excellent choice. They have a new one that will even allow different battery chemistries on a single charger. It is their XC series, they come in 30 & 50 amp models.
Try these references
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?t=2143 http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=605.0 from the C34 website Message Board.
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?t=2143 http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=605.0 from the C34 website Message Board.
Yes that charger may be frying ...
your batteries. We had the charger fail on our H320 and contacted the manufacturer. He indicated it was out of warranty which we knew and offered to replace it with a rebuilt unit for approx. $275 if we shipped our unit to them. They did not repair. He indicated the charger was priced new at $500.(???) It was a 30 amp three cycle inboard unit which I already forgot the brand. After giving it very little thought I went to west Marine and got a brand new Xantrex 20 Amps multistage smart charger for $310. This charger outperforms the original unit, it charges quicker, can handle 3 banks, has a refresh function and safety circuitry protection for over temperature, overload,surge and short circuits. That same day our beer was cold. Call the manufacturer of your unit and see if you have better luck.
your batteries. We had the charger fail on our H320 and contacted the manufacturer. He indicated it was out of warranty which we knew and offered to replace it with a rebuilt unit for approx. $275 if we shipped our unit to them. They did not repair. He indicated the charger was priced new at $500.(???) It was a 30 amp three cycle inboard unit which I already forgot the brand. After giving it very little thought I went to west Marine and got a brand new Xantrex 20 Amps multistage smart charger for $310. This charger outperforms the original unit, it charges quicker, can handle 3 banks, has a refresh function and safety circuitry protection for over temperature, overload,surge and short circuits. That same day our beer was cold. Call the manufacturer of your unit and see if you have better luck.
Thanks
Thanks to all -- Stu, the link was a good read and I appreciate the time you took here to deliver some very impressive information.
Thanks to all -- Stu, the link was a good read and I appreciate the time you took here to deliver some very impressive information.
Xantrex 20
My origonal charger died a few months ago and I replaced with an Xantrex 20. Check the internet for the best price as West will match it if you print out the page and bring it in. I got mine for $239. My brand new X20 was a bad unit and I am lucky it did not burn the boat to the water line. After install I left it on to keep the beer cold for the next week. When we arrived at the boat the next weekend it was clear something didn't smell right. I opened up the battery bank and they were hot as hell, fully cooked, not a drop of water left. When I pulled the hold down boards off the batteries they were cooked like charcoal. I suspect if there was more air flow in the battery compartment they would have ignited. West/Xantrex replaced the charger for free but not the batteries. The good news is I know somene in the auto supply business and I got new exides for $80 each, which is cost. No problems since.
My origonal charger died a few months ago and I replaced with an Xantrex 20. Check the internet for the best price as West will match it if you print out the page and bring it in. I got mine for $239. My brand new X20 was a bad unit and I am lucky it did not burn the boat to the water line. After install I left it on to keep the beer cold for the next week. When we arrived at the boat the next weekend it was clear something didn't smell right. I opened up the battery bank and they were hot as hell, fully cooked, not a drop of water left. When I pulled the hold down boards off the batteries they were cooked like charcoal. I suspect if there was more air flow in the battery compartment they would have ignited. West/Xantrex replaced the charger for free but not the batteries. The good news is I know somene in the auto supply business and I got new exides for $80 each, which is cost. No problems since.
Nightmare
This is a terrible story. I was chatting with one of the local marine store managers who seemed to know a little bit about 12 volt systems. She recommended a book, The 12 Volt Doctor. According to this person, a bad ground could cause this same problem and recommended cleaning and tightening the ends of all connections, to the charger, the switch and the batteries. Ahhhh, work on a boat is never done.
This is a terrible story. I was chatting with one of the local marine store managers who seemed to know a little bit about 12 volt systems. She recommended a book, The 12 Volt Doctor. According to this person, a bad ground could cause this same problem and recommended cleaning and tightening the ends of all connections, to the charger, the switch and the batteries. Ahhhh, work on a boat is never done.
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