Re.Is it time for new batteries

[Butch]

How do you know, I know the Bow thruster runs weak, i already replaced the charger, and the batteries are 3 and 1/2 yrs old , the house set is the worst, does it make sense just to replace one set and not the other...What do they cost, can anybody shed some light on this. thanks!Albin 28

[Capt Paul]

I'm no expert on batteries but the bow thruster running slow is obviously pointing to something. It may not be the batteries though. Although I would start there.

A) Are they sealed maintenance free or flooded? If they are sealed or maintenance free you need to have a load test done.

B) If not sealed how often do you check them, I check mine ( which are not sealed once a month to make sure the electrolyte level is OK.

C) You can check the cells of the batteries using a hydrometer (which can be bought at most auto supply stores). The basics for this is that the all the cells in the battery should read about the same level. Hydrometer readings should not vary more than .05 differences between cells. The lowest SG you should read is around 1.225, after this the battery plates do not yield the proper current anymore.

D) You can measure the voltage on a fully charged battery by checking it with a voltmeter. You must disconnect it from the electrical system. If in the fully charged state it is reading lower then 10.5 volts this usually means a cell is shorted. For 6 volts batteries about 5.25 volts.

E) Check with the manufacturer.

Hope this helps.


Paul

[Mariner]

Borrow a load tester and check it's CCA vs. what it's supposed to be. Check the water level in the batteries regularly.

[AlMar]

Along with what the other guys said; do you have a switch where you can use a different battery? My thruster is on a dedicated battery, and when the battery died, it gave me the same indications as you describe. I have a 4D battery for the house battery, and I plan on getting another one for the thruster. They have enormous power, and seem to hold up much longer than the 27 or 31 size. About a hundred bucks at Sams club.
AlMar

[Veebyes2]

Having a load tester of your own is well worth the money.

3 1/2 years is not long for battery life. I have 3 gel cells which have given 8 years of service. We do something between 30 & 40 overnights a year always on the hook & seldom use the genny. These batterys do not know what shorepower is.

Start by checking all of your grounds. Do the load test. Check all other connections.

[tomcat rio]

...it may be drawing too much current and you may fry it if not corrected.

[SpaceCoaster]

Tomcat is correct. From a previous post on the topic of bowthrusters I posted...

"I noticed one day that the thruster was dead. All I heard was a clicking noise from the area where the motor is located, but the prop didn't appear to be turning. After some discussion with the guys at Florida Bowthruster we determined that I'd burned up the solenoid in the thruster. The vetus I have has a solenoid of some sort that is relatively expensive to replace; somewhere in the $335 range for just the part (part no BP94 for my unit).

The following is what the tech at FL Bowthrusters told me:

"What causes the solenoids to burn is low voltage. When the batteries are low the contact points do not close and open correctly and they burn and arc. When this happens they either weld shut and stay on, don't work or they click and can't make contact due to burnt points."

Moral of the story... Always make sure to keep up with the health of your batteries. Especially the one that powers your thruster."

[Denis]

I have a suggestion to put out here, give me some feedback. How about putting a gell cell or similar battery up in the forward compartment where the bow thruster is located. Run a line back to the battery charger or even put a small battery charger up front with the new battery. If the battery were located up where the thruster is located, it would eliminate all this talk about cable size, overloads etc. Does this sound feasable? Plus those of you who have a windlass, there would be a battery right there for you to use. Denis

[Mariner]

Denis,

This is a very common way to set it up. You need to configure isolators/relays or whatever in such a way that you don't fry any batteries, but yes, that could work. On many boats, they also do the same thing for all their bridge electronics, isolating them from the rest of the boat.

[SpaceCoaster]

Hey Denis,

One thing to consider may be the combination of gel vs traditional batteries. I was about to buy a gel battery at West this weekend, but I'd heard that you need a battery charger specifically designed to charge gel batteries. The sales manager at West confirmed this for me so I ended up buying a regular battery. Maybe one of the smart guys on this forum can confirm. ??

Jorge

[Russell]

From what I have been reading the absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries seem to be the way to go. If charged too fast the gel batteries can form bubbles in the gel but the AGM design does not have that problem. They cost more than gels but I have found deep cycle series 27 AGMs for less than $150 on eBay, including shipping. I recently purchased an AGM specifically made for my Miata and no change in the charging system was recommended.

[DougSea]

Found this link, has a guy's write-up on everything you could want to know about batteries:

http://www.vonwentzel.net/Battery/

In a nutshell, my understanding is that traditional and AGM batteries use the same charger settings. GEL batteries require a lower charging voltage and you'd have to convert all of your batteries to this type. I know my charger/inverter can be switched to do either but all batteries must use the same charging voltages.

[elad]

I run Odyssey batteries. They are dry cell, 1/3rd the size, use regular charger and are not that much more expensive.




You will never consider another battery again.

Dalehttp://www.odysseyfactory.com/

[jcollins]

The above post was tricky for me. Do I enforce the rules or do I thank Dale for his post since I am looking for new batteries?
I'll remove the link but leave the post.
Dale - I guess you could post in the For Sale section.

[DougSea]

The above post was tricky for me. Do I enforce the rules or do I thank Dale for his post since I am looking for new batteries?
I'll remove the link but leave the post.
Dale - I guess you could post in the For Sale section.

I looked at this post and tried to decide if it was an ad or just a guy posting a link for a company he liked. He signed up in December and posted in late January...and I couldn't find a match for his name on the website.

Fine line you walk sometimes; I'd leave the link in this case but prefer when guys somehow validate that they don't work for the company mentioned or explicitly state that they do.