Charging, or lack of

Cableguy Greg

My house batteries haven't been charging the greatest over the last 2 to 3 weeks. When I am out and the engine is running, I am lucky to get 11.9VDC on my chartplotter, which I have set up to show VDC. On the VVM app, my engine battery has been at a solid 13.5VDC, so I know that the alternator is doing it's thing. I have checked the on board charger multiple times and it shows the batteries as full. I put a digital multimeter on the batteries and the house will show 12.4VDC and the starting battery will show 13.3VDC.

When I was out this past weekend, I went to pull up the anchor with the windlass and it was slow as can be. I checked the voltage on the chartplotter and I was down to 10.5VDC. I checked the charging breaker and it was tripped. I reset it, it trips again. Try to reset it, it won't reset. So I resort to the Emergency Start position on the battery switch and I was able to pull up the anchor and I go on my way. Today I head to the boat to grab a part for a friend and I check the batteries. The house is pretty much dead. The charger shows full. The starting battery is 13.3VDC. I am thinking the charger is bad, so I change the leg that charges the house and no change. I switch the battery switch to the Emergency position and the charger starts charging like normal. I am beginning to think that the charging breaker at my battery switch has gone bad, or the switch has gone bad or a combination of both. I didn't feel safe leaving the switch in Emergency, so I switched it back to the On position. One thing I did notice is that the screw on the back of the charging breaker was loose. I am sure that didn't help anything at all. I am planning on changing the breaker first unless someone on here has a different idea.

MarkB

How old are the batteries? Sounds like they are shot, and can't hold charge.

Michael T

I would put a meter on the charger, check that all grounds are tight and put the batteries on a metered charger. I think Mark is on the right track. If itès batteries Ièd look at Series 31 AGMs or even Series 31 TPPLs.

Cableguy Greg

Batteries are 9 months old. The loose connections on the battery breakers wouldn't cause the connection to arc?

frenchship

Even if the batteries are only 9 months old could be some bad cells.... If you have an hydrometer should check all cells this would definitely tell you if the batteries are the culprit. A voltmeter only read the total of all the cells.
good luck

BellevilleMXZ

How is the charger wired? right to batteries? If loose wires that will surely cause an issue. If batteries very low, that can also cause high loadon charger and trip breakers....as for low voltage reading running, have you checked the isolator?

Cableguy Greg

There are two house batteries wired the RBOF way. The alternator feeds the isolator, which was replaced this spring, then to the breaker, which is then connected to the battery via a terminal on the switch. The charger is connected to the "output" side of the isolator then follows the same path to the breaker then to the battery via the switch.

Cableguy Greg

Here is the switch panel.



Connection #4 was very loose. Connection #5 doesn't even have a nut on it. I have 2 new breakers on the way.

BellevilleMXZ

Thereis a wire on 5 but no nut on it?!

Cableguy Greg

BellevilleMXZ said:

Thereis a wire on 5 but no nut on it?!

Yep!!!

BellevilleMXZ

Did the loose connections show signs of heat?

Cableguy Greg

It was hard to tell. I will investigate it further later this week. I pulled the panel out, but it only comes out 3 inches.

BellevilleMXZ

As heat will damage the breakers for sure

Cableguy Greg

That is what I was thinking. The connections being loose doesn't help either. I remember when I was a kid, I had a loose connection on my 1968 Ford F100 and I got caught with a dead battery. Jumped the truck and tightened the connection and I never had a problem again.

When I put the battery switch in Emergency Start, it bridges the two banks together and the charger starts doing its thing. I didn't want to leave it that way while I wasn't at the boat in case something went wrong.

randy56

Last year my alternator, when out on my boat pulling  truck, so I got a rebuilt one. lasted 3 months. Then bought a new one.
Did you have the engine running when you try to pull up anchor? 
Looks like your problem is loose wires.

Cableguy Greg

I replaced both house and starting breakers today and my house batteries jumped to 13.5VDC. This is the best that I have seen them at in a long time. I am almost positive that the loose connections on the back of the breaker has something to do with the breaker going bad. I will know more this weekend when I go out. 

rasbury

Greg, you have been running this boat foe awhile? Did all these just vibrate loose?

Cableguy Greg

Sitting at my slip, I shut off the battery charger and I fired up the engine. I have 13.9 on the VVM app on the starting battery and my chart plotter is showing 14.2 on the house batteries. In the 4 seasons that I have had my boat, I have never had better readings. Now I am figuring that I turned in 2 perfectly good AGM house batteries thinking that they weren't holding a charge when in fact they weren't getting a good charge. 

rasbury

I know crap about electrical, or much else, but when I first got our boat I was fighting batteries, got new ones and still had problems...my starter was bad and had that rebuilt and no problems since?

Cableguy Greg

rasbury said:

Greg, you have been running this boat foe awhile? Did all these just vibrate loose?

I doubt it. All of the other connections were tight in the switch panel. The PO might have had a mechanic in there for some reason. Who knows...

rasbury

But you have been running the boat for some time?

Cableguy Greg

rasbury said:

But you have been running the boat for some time?

Yes, for four seasons. I have put close to 200 hours on the boat. 

randy56

Cable are you talking about this breaker?

BellevilleMXZ

Cableguy Greg said:

Sitting at my slip, I shut off the battery charger and I fired up the engine. I have 13.9 on the VVM app on the starting battery and my chart plotter is showing 14.2 on the house batteries. In the 4 seasons that I have had my boat, I have never had better readings. Now I am figuring that I turned in 2 perfectly good AGM house batteries thinking that they weren't holding a charge when in fact they weren't getting a good charge. 

Great to hear it's fixed up!! Lucky it didn't cause damage and melted wiring.....

Cableguy Greg

@randy56, not that style breaker. I have two of these in the battery switch panel for the batteries.

randy56

Got it ! Thought that's what your talking about.  just trying to learn, glad your up and running. Your Dam Pittsburgh water got here. Looking like first launch date for me is about June 10th Gerrrrrrrrrrr

rasbury

I don't have those on my 270..your talking in the access door for the battery switch, correct? I have a breaker like that for my anchor.....if I have them, I'd sure like to know where they are! And it went bad or tripped?

Cableguy Greg

The breaker on your 270 is a push button type breaker. They are there. 

reneechris14

Those breaker must just be in the newer boats,my 05 is still just the push in type.

jme097

After reading this whole thread, I am going to check all my connections tonight when I get to the boat for sure. Good find Greg

rasbury

I have a push type that looks like that but it's on the top of the motor which I'm guessing is a whole different thing...