I'm hoping someone can help me with a very frustrating problem. After staying on the boat over the weekend, I noticed that both of my batteries lost power. This happened with the battery charger switch 'on' and minimal usage (radio, bilge pump). After looking at the survey of the boat, I noticed that the surveyor couldn't locate a battery charger for the boat. It stated that he observed wires running from the battery charger switch to the batteries. I don't have much confidence in my surveryor, but I'm still wondering if anyone else has seen this configuration... The batteries started trickling back up when I turned all switches off (I have a battery indicator), but neither battery climbed past 10.3 or so. Any thoughts? Thank you..
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Sounds like...
dead or near dead batteries to me. Also, if you have the original charger, which you MUST locate, it may not be up to the job of maintaining the batteries installed. My 94' 35.5 had it's "factory" charger hidden away in a location that was impossible for me to reach without cutting a bulkhead out! I'm betting someone on here can give you a location to look on your 30. FIND IT first and foremost, it's not good to not know where things are on your boat. Test it's output, test the batteries with no load then with a load. Whole system probably needs an update.
dead or near dead batteries to me. Also, if you have the original charger, which you MUST locate, it may not be up to the job of maintaining the batteries installed. My 94' 35.5 had it's "factory" charger hidden away in a location that was impossible for me to reach without cutting a bulkhead out! I'm betting someone on here can give you a location to look on your 30. FIND IT first and foremost, it's not good to not know where things are on your boat. Test it's output, test the batteries with no load then with a load. Whole system probably needs an update.
Battery charger not there or not wired
I assume you where attached to shore power. If your batteries "came up" to 10.3 V once you turned off all the switches and the battery charger is turned on and you are connected to shore power then the battery charger is either not there or not wired to the AC/DC curcuits. To check, disconnect the shore power, pull the electrical panel and look at the battery charger circuit breaker. There should be a wire from it to the battery charger. If you have no wire running away from the CB then you still may have a battery chargere it is just not wired to the AC power. If you find the wire trace it to the other end. This would be the battery charger. There should be 3 wires going to the panel. The one you traced (hot), a white one that goes to a buss bar near the AC circuit breakers (neutral) and green ground wire going to another buss near the AC circuit breakers. There should also be a set of wires going to (eventually) the batteries. You need all of them to be connected to get a charge.
I assume you where attached to shore power. If your batteries "came up" to 10.3 V once you turned off all the switches and the battery charger is turned on and you are connected to shore power then the battery charger is either not there or not wired to the AC/DC curcuits. To check, disconnect the shore power, pull the electrical panel and look at the battery charger circuit breaker. There should be a wire from it to the battery charger. If you have no wire running away from the CB then you still may have a battery chargere it is just not wired to the AC power. If you find the wire trace it to the other end. This would be the battery charger. There should be 3 wires going to the panel. The one you traced (hot), a white one that goes to a buss bar near the AC circuit breakers (neutral) and green ground wire going to another buss near the AC circuit breakers. There should also be a set of wires going to (eventually) the batteries. You need all of them to be connected to get a charge.
Same problem - installed new charger & batteries
I just bought a '79 Hunter 30 and couldn't keep both batteries charged regardless of what position the charger selector switch was in. I performed put a volt meter on the battery that wouldn't charge (Batt-1) and set the charger switched the charger that battery only - even with a dead battery it should have given a reading of 12 volts, but I got nothing. Rather then trying to trouble shoot and repair the old charger I bought and installed a new 20amp marine charger and fresh batteries. I figured safe rather then sorry.
I just bought a '79 Hunter 30 and couldn't keep both batteries charged regardless of what position the charger selector switch was in. I performed put a volt meter on the battery that wouldn't charge (Batt-1) and set the charger switched the charger that battery only - even with a dead battery it should have given a reading of 12 volts, but I got nothing. Rather then trying to trouble shoot and repair the old charger I bought and installed a new 20amp marine charger and fresh batteries. I figured safe rather then sorry.
Batteries
If you are 10 volts, the batteries (one or both or all) are dead. (Full discharge should be about 11 volts) Find the charger.... a modern 3 stage charger is "turn it on and forget it." An old charger can burn up your batteries... litterally burn, and can definitely boil them dry.
If you are 10 volts, the batteries (one or both or all) are dead. (Full discharge should be about 11 volts) Find the charger.... a modern 3 stage charger is "turn it on and forget it." An old charger can burn up your batteries... litterally burn, and can definitely boil them dry.
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