Dead battery blues

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BobM

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
Battery died because the holding tank full warning light drained it. PO apparently bypassed the 1/2/off switch. Thanks...like anyone needs a little red light on in the head when they are NOT aboard. I just cut the sensor wire for now until I can wire it to run off battery 2 only when 2 is switched on.
 
Warren Milberg

Warren Milberg

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Dec 1, 1999
2,391
Hunter 28.5 Chesapeake Bay
I feel your pain. Always interesting to find out how a PO wired something or other on one's boat. In my case, I had the opposite problem: no power to the automatic float switch on the bilge pump unless the main switch was left on 1, 2, or All. Who thought that scheme up? I recently rewired and fused the line from the switch directly to battery No. 1. I suppose this could result in a dead battery one of these days if a continuous leak developed, but that might be better than the alternative....
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,049
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Do you have solar on your boat? Even a small panel (we have an 11W) can keep up with that kinda stuff.

I spent the first six months we had our boat tracing almost every single wire so I knew what was going on. I was given a "wiring diagram" but found many inconsistencies and errors.
 
catsailor

catsailor

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Jan 10, 2009
590
PDQ 32 Deale, MD
I've seen more than a few things wired straight to batteries that shouldn't be. Explanations offered were:

* Getting the wires to the panel was more difficult and would waste wire.
* They didn't understand the panel but they did understand the battery. There is a lot of truth in this one, but it should have been a hint.
* Panel was full.
* Panel access was difficult. In one case the installer pulled all of the slack out the panel leads after installing it, making removal of the panel impossible without cutting the leads. My first boat and my first expereince with rewiring.

Sometimes fused, sometimes not.
 
BobM

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
Solar

I bought a nice 5W flexible panel as I had a panel on my last boat and loved it. Unfortunately I haven't mounted it yet as I haven't found a really good place for it. On the sea hood is probably a good location, but if it is too portable it might grow legs even at my mooring. I lost a 9.9hp outboard year one! I am thinking I should have bought a fixed panel and mounted it off the pulpit. Perhaps I will mount the flexible panel to some oak I have and then to the pulpit.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,049
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Bob, if you have a lockable locker in your cockpit, lock the flex panel to the hasp and use some bungee cord to keep it horizontal in the cockpit. It won't grow legs, 'cuz no one will see it unless they come on board. If that happens, you have lotsa different problems. I did that for 12 years on our old C25 in a marina that had no dock gates.
 
BobM

BobM

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Jun 10, 2004
3,269
S2 9.2A Winthrop, MA
Nice!

Stu Jackson said:
Bob, if you have a lockable locker in your cockpit, lock the flex panel to the hasp and use some bungee cord to keep it horizontal in the cockpit. It won't grow legs, 'cuz no one will see it unless they come on board. If that happens, you have lotsa different problems. I did that for 12 years on our old C25 in a marina that had no dock gates.
Click to expand
I do! Great idea Stu.
 
N

Nelsonhow

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Jan 4, 2007
406
Hunter 30 Centerport
10W Harbor Freight Solor Panel

I bought a 8W(i think) glass solar panel from Harbor Freight for about $15.00 Made up a blocking diode with parts from Radio Shack ($2.00) haven't had a dead battery in 3 years.......
 
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