Whether you have a small trailerable boat or a large blue water cruiser, chances are you have one or more batteries on board. We need batteries for everything from starting the engine to running a blender and everything in between. What is your favorite kind of battery on your boat? Wet cell, maintenance free, or AGM? How important is price versus performance versus longevity? How long do your batteries typically last? How often do you check them and by what means? Perhaps most importantly, virtually all kinds of batteries require some care and feeding. How do you keep your batteries charged? Do you depend on running the engine? Hooking up a charger to shore power? Solar trickle? Or maybe you take 'em home when not in use. Tell us about getting a charge out of your batteries then take the Quick Quiz on the home page. (Quiz by Warren Milberg)
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A 3 stage
quality charger. Statpower Xantrex. Nothing else much works. Stu PS THIS ONE should be REALLY interesting...
quality charger. Statpower Xantrex. Nothing else much works. Stu PS THIS ONE should be REALLY interesting...
Battery experience
I use the installed battery charger while at the dock, but not full time. Only when the batteries have fallen to 85% charge or so, or when I spend time on the boat and run the fridge and stereo. The Balmar 75 amp alternator, with an Incharge regulator takes care of things when motoring. Unlike a lot of people who have mentioned problems with theirs, the original ProMariner charger in our boat has worked perfectly for the five years since new. We only tend to hear about the failures, and never about the ones that work fine. I would be kind of curious to know what the real failure rate of this charger has been. I know it has acquired a bad rep in some circles. With this setup, the original 4D wet cell batteries seem to work as well as ever. I monitor things with a Link 10 on one battery, and don't let the batteries get lower than about 65% when cruising. Usually they're no lower than 85%.
I use the installed battery charger while at the dock, but not full time. Only when the batteries have fallen to 85% charge or so, or when I spend time on the boat and run the fridge and stereo. The Balmar 75 amp alternator, with an Incharge regulator takes care of things when motoring. Unlike a lot of people who have mentioned problems with theirs, the original ProMariner charger in our boat has worked perfectly for the five years since new. We only tend to hear about the failures, and never about the ones that work fine. I would be kind of curious to know what the real failure rate of this charger has been. I know it has acquired a bad rep in some circles. With this setup, the original 4D wet cell batteries seem to work as well as ever. I monitor things with a Link 10 on one battery, and don't let the batteries get lower than about 65% when cruising. Usually they're no lower than 85%.
We live by the generator
We have 4 wet Trojan T-105's for the house and recharge with both the original Guest 30A charger and a 70A switching charger made by Todd Engineering. Todd Engineering is no longer in business but the unit works excellent. I use it only for bulk power replacement as it is manually set for maximum output. The Guest charger is really just used for a boost with the Todd charger. The Guest auxillary output of 3A for the starting battery has failed so the only charge that the starting battery gets is from the main diesel alternator. We run the genset for an hour in the morning and at night for hot water and to top off the batteries.
We have 4 wet Trojan T-105's for the house and recharge with both the original Guest 30A charger and a 70A switching charger made by Todd Engineering. Todd Engineering is no longer in business but the unit works excellent. I use it only for bulk power replacement as it is manually set for maximum output. The Guest charger is really just used for a boost with the Todd charger. The Guest auxillary output of 3A for the starting battery has failed so the only charge that the starting battery gets is from the main diesel alternator. We run the genset for an hour in the morning and at night for hot water and to top off the batteries.
Charging
I keep my two maintenance-free batteries charged by a combination of easy-to-use methods: run the engine to get in/out of slip and only when the wind dies; connect up a 5-watt ICP solar panel when I leave the boat in the slip; and only use the built-in 3-stage Guest charger hooked to shore power once in awhile at the dock to make sure everything works. I check the voltage of my batteries just about everytime I'm on the boat with a DVM in a Radio Shack cigarette lighter plug device. Easy, simple and always reassuring to know the batteries are always fully charged. A happy battery (and captain) is a fully charged one....
I keep my two maintenance-free batteries charged by a combination of easy-to-use methods: run the engine to get in/out of slip and only when the wind dies; connect up a 5-watt ICP solar panel when I leave the boat in the slip; and only use the built-in 3-stage Guest charger hooked to shore power once in awhile at the dock to make sure everything works. I check the voltage of my batteries just about everytime I'm on the boat with a DVM in a Radio Shack cigarette lighter plug device. Easy, simple and always reassuring to know the batteries are always fully charged. A happy battery (and captain) is a fully charged one....
Honda works for me
Not having the luxury of shore power, when cruising I use a Honda 1000i generator for charging or running tools if I am working on the boat. It travels well in the cockpit when sailing. At home, I use it during power failures for the fridge and freezer.
Not having the luxury of shore power, when cruising I use a Honda 1000i generator for charging or running tools if I am working on the boat. It travels well in the cockpit when sailing. At home, I use it during power failures for the fridge and freezer.
Solar panels work for us
We use 2 5 watt solar panels, which keep our batteries topped off enough for our weekend lake cruising. We have a trickle charger that we use occasionally while at the slip, but the solar panels almost always keep us running.
We use 2 5 watt solar panels, which keep our batteries topped off enough for our weekend lake cruising. We have a trickle charger that we use occasionally while at the slip, but the solar panels almost always keep us running.
Charger/Invertor works for me!
I installed a Xantrex 2.5 charger / invertor on my H26.5. The unit is connected to my shore power inlet through a 30 amp circuit breaker, with a second 20 amp breaker beyond on the AC side. The unit charges two 200 amp hour Optima gel batteries for the house current, and one 100 amp hour Optima gel battery for starting. The house and starting battery banks are connected via a 50 amp fusible link on the invertor DC side to a 50 amp battery combiner to allow cross charging. I have a switch on the engine side to allow me to switch between banks or use all batteries if the starting battery should fail. All elctronics and cabin loads are connected to the House battery bank, and the running lights are connected to the starting battery bank to through a custom switing panel. While underway, the starting battery is charged by the engine alternator, and the battery combiner allows the house batteries to charge when underway by engine, too, if needed. I have enough reserve on the house batteries to run a microwave and other samll appliances while at anchor, and a little time underway by engine will refresh the batteries quickly. I like the way the unit maintains my batteries automatically while plugged into shore power, and automatically switches to invertor if shore voltage is out of specified ranges (this happens frequently with all the Air units running on neighboring boats). In the two years that I have had this system operational, I have never had a discharged battery problem, and my boat is left unattended for days or weeks at a time!
I installed a Xantrex 2.5 charger / invertor on my H26.5. The unit is connected to my shore power inlet through a 30 amp circuit breaker, with a second 20 amp breaker beyond on the AC side. The unit charges two 200 amp hour Optima gel batteries for the house current, and one 100 amp hour Optima gel battery for starting. The house and starting battery banks are connected via a 50 amp fusible link on the invertor DC side to a 50 amp battery combiner to allow cross charging. I have a switch on the engine side to allow me to switch between banks or use all batteries if the starting battery should fail. All elctronics and cabin loads are connected to the House battery bank, and the running lights are connected to the starting battery bank to through a custom switing panel. While underway, the starting battery is charged by the engine alternator, and the battery combiner allows the house batteries to charge when underway by engine, too, if needed. I have enough reserve on the house batteries to run a microwave and other samll appliances while at anchor, and a little time underway by engine will refresh the batteries quickly. I like the way the unit maintains my batteries automatically while plugged into shore power, and automatically switches to invertor if shore voltage is out of specified ranges (this happens frequently with all the Air units running on neighboring boats). In the two years that I have had this system operational, I have never had a discharged battery problem, and my boat is left unattended for days or weeks at a time!
Combiner Connections
Steven I may have misread your post, but it sounds like you are charging your start bank with the alternator and then, through the combiner, to the house bank. If so, it sounds backwards, based on the combiner literature, which says to charge the house bank first and then, through the combiner, to the start bank, because the house bank almost always needs more charge than the start bank. Also wonder why the running lights would be on the start bank. Other than that, what you have is a great setup, very similar to ours. We also have an 11 watt solar panel and do not leave the boat plugged in at all when we are away from it. Stu
Steven I may have misread your post, but it sounds like you are charging your start bank with the alternator and then, through the combiner, to the house bank. If so, it sounds backwards, based on the combiner literature, which says to charge the house bank first and then, through the combiner, to the start bank, because the house bank almost always needs more charge than the start bank. Also wonder why the running lights would be on the start bank. Other than that, what you have is a great setup, very similar to ours. We also have an 11 watt solar panel and do not leave the boat plugged in at all when we are away from it. Stu
KISS principle.
Keeping it simple(and cheap) is my motto. Three Gels(6 summers so far) for house and a new AGM for starter. Completely isolated except for a combiner. A Freedom 2000 inverter/charger and alternator are both connected to the house bank. I never use anything but switch position #2, the house bank. I did spring for a Link 2000 so that I can make sure the combiner is working. With three gels in the housebank I can easily spend a long weekend with the frig and lights. If I motor(old 55-amp Hitachi alternator) at all I can stay out all week. When the gels give up I will replace with AGMs. If you could see where my batteries are stashed you would know why I want nothing to do with wet cells.
Keeping it simple(and cheap) is my motto. Three Gels(6 summers so far) for house and a new AGM for starter. Completely isolated except for a combiner. A Freedom 2000 inverter/charger and alternator are both connected to the house bank. I never use anything but switch position #2, the house bank. I did spring for a Link 2000 so that I can make sure the combiner is working. With three gels in the housebank I can easily spend a long weekend with the frig and lights. If I motor(old 55-amp Hitachi alternator) at all I can stay out all week. When the gels give up I will replace with AGMs. If you could see where my batteries are stashed you would know why I want nothing to do with wet cells.
Solar is the only way
We have 300 Watts of solar panels mounted just aft of the mast on the cabin top. This provides enough battery charge to run all the nav. instruments, autopilot, and refrigerator, plus give us some lights at night. So we can cruise under sail without running the engine indefinitely, if we are a little cautious about how late we burn the lights at night. It's true that if the cabin stays really hot all day, the refrigerator duty cycle increases and starts to eat into our power reserve for night lights. But if the cabin stays really hot all day, we will probably head for a marina to plug in for some air-con to get a break from the heat. When at dock, I never turn on the shore-power charger. The solar panels are more than enough to maintain the batteries. But the best part of having solar panels on the boat is: you never ever worry about not being able to start the engine due to a dead battery! See our post-Ivan panels on the web link. Al Carlson Wings of Dawn C36 # 2059
We have 300 Watts of solar panels mounted just aft of the mast on the cabin top. This provides enough battery charge to run all the nav. instruments, autopilot, and refrigerator, plus give us some lights at night. So we can cruise under sail without running the engine indefinitely, if we are a little cautious about how late we burn the lights at night. It's true that if the cabin stays really hot all day, the refrigerator duty cycle increases and starts to eat into our power reserve for night lights. But if the cabin stays really hot all day, we will probably head for a marina to plug in for some air-con to get a break from the heat. When at dock, I never turn on the shore-power charger. The solar panels are more than enough to maintain the batteries. But the best part of having solar panels on the boat is: you never ever worry about not being able to start the engine due to a dead battery! See our post-Ivan panels on the web link. Al Carlson Wings of Dawn C36 # 2059
Home fries?
My batteries are kept at optimum charge by my shore powere connection at my slip, and the factory installed bAttery charger. Unfortuneately, I have to add almost a quart of battery water to each battery every month. My fears are that the charger is out of control, and the batteries are frying. Any comments on this matter?
My batteries are kept at optimum charge by my shore powere connection at my slip, and the factory installed bAttery charger. Unfortuneately, I have to add almost a quart of battery water to each battery every month. My fears are that the charger is out of control, and the batteries are frying. Any comments on this matter?
Alex...
It's normal to have to add a few ounces of water to top off a wet cell battery now and then, particularly in the heat of summer. It's not normal to add a quart of water to each batter each month. I suggest you start the fix by powering up your charger and testing the output with a DVM. It ought to be about 14.5v or so, but not much higher. (NOte: the charger might also be faulty if it puts out less than 14v). If the charger checks out, make sure your batteries are full and then connect them to the charger and hang around a while doing other chores. If you can open the cells, do that and then cover the batteries with an old towel. Check to see if the electrolyte is boiling every now and then (be careful!)and feel how hot the battery is getting. My guess is you either have a very bad charger or very bad batteries, or both. Good luck.
It's normal to have to add a few ounces of water to top off a wet cell battery now and then, particularly in the heat of summer. It's not normal to add a quart of water to each batter each month. I suggest you start the fix by powering up your charger and testing the output with a DVM. It ought to be about 14.5v or so, but not much higher. (NOte: the charger might also be faulty if it puts out less than 14v). If the charger checks out, make sure your batteries are full and then connect them to the charger and hang around a while doing other chores. If you can open the cells, do that and then cover the batteries with an old towel. Check to see if the electrolyte is boiling every now and then (be careful!)and feel how hot the battery is getting. My guess is you either have a very bad charger or very bad batteries, or both. Good luck.
East Penn Mfg.
This will be hard to believe, but it is a true story.....We bought our O'Day 272 LE in a snow storm in December 1986. I know nothing of electricity. Our dealer installed this big monster of a charger that had diodes and the such and gave it to us as a gift for buying the boat. Over the next 14 years of owning this boat, I would check the batteries once or twice a year and they always had fluid and never once gave us any problem. Toward the end of the 14th summer I began to blow fuses in the charger. Assuming the issue was the charger, I replaced the charger with a new stat power charger......At the time of replacement, I also thought I'd check the battery level....afterall, they were only 14 years old. Bingo, they were dry and gone....the poor charger had died trying to keep them charged. When we put the old batteries on the dock to carry them away, people were standing around not believing how old they were....They were DECA, batteries from East Penn Mfg. I called the company trying to find out how I could get two new ones, and was told by the President of the company that their batteries were not typically available West of the Mississippi. He told me that the model I was replacing were big old Mercedes Benz batteries & that the technology used to make these batteries had been developed by the Nazi's during WW2....At any rate, the replacement batteries from Auto Zone were dry when we took them off the shelf...not uncommon I hear, and now I'm using East Penn Mercedes batteries again....the boat always starts immediately, and the lights just keep on shining....probably more than you ever wanted to know.
This will be hard to believe, but it is a true story.....We bought our O'Day 272 LE in a snow storm in December 1986. I know nothing of electricity. Our dealer installed this big monster of a charger that had diodes and the such and gave it to us as a gift for buying the boat. Over the next 14 years of owning this boat, I would check the batteries once or twice a year and they always had fluid and never once gave us any problem. Toward the end of the 14th summer I began to blow fuses in the charger. Assuming the issue was the charger, I replaced the charger with a new stat power charger......At the time of replacement, I also thought I'd check the battery level....afterall, they were only 14 years old. Bingo, they were dry and gone....the poor charger had died trying to keep them charged. When we put the old batteries on the dock to carry them away, people were standing around not believing how old they were....They were DECA, batteries from East Penn Mfg. I called the company trying to find out how I could get two new ones, and was told by the President of the company that their batteries were not typically available West of the Mississippi. He told me that the model I was replacing were big old Mercedes Benz batteries & that the technology used to make these batteries had been developed by the Nazi's during WW2....At any rate, the replacement batteries from Auto Zone were dry when we took them off the shelf...not uncommon I hear, and now I'm using East Penn Mercedes batteries again....the boat always starts immediately, and the lights just keep on shining....probably more than you ever wanted to know.
Simple is better
I just run the engine for a while each time I cruise and operate off one battery for starting, gps, radios, lights and depth finder. Not much draw and lots of amps while charging. I have two batteries and never had both so low I couldn't start the engine with one and charge the other, in 20 years of sailing keel boats. Keep the electrolite up, check the condition with a hydrometer, replace when necessary, be happy, don't worry.
I just run the engine for a while each time I cruise and operate off one battery for starting, gps, radios, lights and depth finder. Not much draw and lots of amps while charging. I have two batteries and never had both so low I couldn't start the engine with one and charge the other, in 20 years of sailing keel boats. Keep the electrolite up, check the condition with a hydrometer, replace when necessary, be happy, don't worry.
Power
Tula a Beneteau Oceanis 390 has two 125 solar panels installed by the former owner on her radar arch. They provide all the power Tula needs. After socializing in the cabin in the evenings the Link 10 shows power falling off a little. However, the next morning those panels are back at it again and by 10am the house and separate starting batteries are back to full charge per the solar panels power monitor at the nav station. When not cruising I only plug in to shore power over the winter from mid-Nov to mid-Feb just for security for the 5 watt heater. Al, I am glad I cruise in a part of the world (BC Gulf Islands) which does not have hurricanes!!!
Tula a Beneteau Oceanis 390 has two 125 solar panels installed by the former owner on her radar arch. They provide all the power Tula needs. After socializing in the cabin in the evenings the Link 10 shows power falling off a little. However, the next morning those panels are back at it again and by 10am the house and separate starting batteries are back to full charge per the solar panels power monitor at the nav station. When not cruising I only plug in to shore power over the winter from mid-Nov to mid-Feb just for security for the 5 watt heater. Al, I am glad I cruise in a part of the world (BC Gulf Islands) which does not have hurricanes!!!
Battery Combiner
Regarding some earlier comments on this subject, it's my understanding that a battery combiner "opens" when it senses a charge source and charges both banks at the same time. The weakest battery will initially accept the charge more quickly than the stronger, but they are being charged at the same rate. When there is no charge source, the combiner closes and isolates the start battery when the charge begins to drop in the start battery. I installed one a few months ago and am very pleased. Haven't touched a battery switch since!
Regarding some earlier comments on this subject, it's my understanding that a battery combiner "opens" when it senses a charge source and charges both banks at the same time. The weakest battery will initially accept the charge more quickly than the stronger, but they are being charged at the same rate. When there is no charge source, the combiner closes and isolates the start battery when the charge begins to drop in the start battery. I installed one a few months ago and am very pleased. Haven't touched a battery switch since!
SOLAR POWER IS "IN !"
I have been using a solar panel for the past seven years, to keep a three battery bank fully charged (never take them off the boat and, never have had to replace one). I use three 75 AH gell-cell batteries, one 22 volt (no load) solar panel and a circuit combiner, and will be willing to provide instructions, circuit diagrams, and other electronic specifications to anyone who wants to keep their DC supply up to 13.5 Volts for every weekend. Send 9 x 13 SASE (97 cents postage) to Jim Gorman - PO Box 11, Accord Station, Hingham, MA 02018-0011. I'll share my good news with anyone.
I have been using a solar panel for the past seven years, to keep a three battery bank fully charged (never take them off the boat and, never have had to replace one). I use three 75 AH gell-cell batteries, one 22 volt (no load) solar panel and a circuit combiner, and will be willing to provide instructions, circuit diagrams, and other electronic specifications to anyone who wants to keep their DC supply up to 13.5 Volts for every weekend. Send 9 x 13 SASE (97 cents postage) to Jim Gorman - PO Box 11, Accord Station, Hingham, MA 02018-0011. I'll share my good news with anyone.
Use Two 5 Watt ICP Solar Panels
I have two wet cell hybrid Deep Cycle 27 Series batteries from West Marine. Keeping Mac26X "FOREVER" on a trailer in an RV storage yard with no electical outlet, I have used two separate 5 Watt ICP solar panels to provide tickle charge to the batteries at my storage space. Kept on portable on cabin top deck with leads down to the cabin location of the batteries. Monitor the batteries everytime on the boat to confirm 13.+ voltage using DC outlets to the batteries. The 5 Watts are low enough not to need a regulator, and the charge is only a tickler, so the batteries have to be up as these solar panels will not bring them to full charge if below 50%. Batteries last about 3-4 years here in the desert heat. One is currently not holding a charge and will need to be replace. Probably will replace them both as the other is about at end of useful life per hydrometer readings.
I have two wet cell hybrid Deep Cycle 27 Series batteries from West Marine. Keeping Mac26X "FOREVER" on a trailer in an RV storage yard with no electical outlet, I have used two separate 5 Watt ICP solar panels to provide tickle charge to the batteries at my storage space. Kept on portable on cabin top deck with leads down to the cabin location of the batteries. Monitor the batteries everytime on the boat to confirm 13.+ voltage using DC outlets to the batteries. The 5 Watts are low enough not to need a regulator, and the charge is only a tickler, so the batteries have to be up as these solar panels will not bring them to full charge if below 50%. Batteries last about 3-4 years here in the desert heat. One is currently not holding a charge and will need to be replace. Probably will replace them both as the other is about at end of useful life per hydrometer readings.
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