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Volt meter

KC24

KC24

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Haven't been using the boat much this year in the middle of building a new house. Last time we were out the Volt meter was all the way down. everything worked fine. Where do I start looking for the issue.
 
You are going to get natural discharge simply from it not being used. I would run the boat and let it charge back up but bring a portable jumper just in case. A sealed L.A. battery needs to be charged 6-9 months NOT hooked up to anything. Also, depending how old your battery is will also be a determining factor on how fast they can discharge naturally.
 
Battery has plenty of power , I noticed it after being on the water for several hours. Must be a short somewhere.
 
KC24 said:
Battery has plenty of power , I noticed it after being on the water for several hours. Must be a short somewhere.
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D’oh! Hope you find it asap! Don’t want to risk something more developing from a potential short in a wire somewhere. Good luck!!!
 
KC24 said:
Haven't been using the boat much this year in the middle of building a new house. Last time we were out the Volt meter was all the way down. everything worked fine. Where do I start looking for the issue.
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Start at gauge and work backwards. Possibly just loose ground or power connection if everything else was fine.
 
gotnitro said:
You are going to get natural discharge simply from it not being used. I would run the boat and let it charge back up but bring a portable jumper just in case. A sealed L.A. battery needs to be charged 6-9 months NOT hooked up to anything. Also, depending how old your battery is will also be a determining factor on how fast they can discharge naturally.
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Question for you or any battery experts.

In the off season, the weather is still decent enough some days in Texas to take the boat out, so we dont winterize the boats here, as I have been told, it isnt necessary either. How often do I want to run the batteries to keep them in decent health after sitting in the off season? And would this be a time I would perhaps want to run 1/2 at the same time, charge both while out?

My neighbor says he has let his sit for a few months and no issues, but as far as battery health goes, any ideas or suggestions? Thanks
 
Mozekian said:
Question for you or any battery experts.

In the off season, the weather is still decent enough some days in Texas to take the boat out, so we dont winterize the boats here, as I have been told, it isnt necessary either. How often do I want to run the batteries to keep them in decent health after sitting in the off season? And would this be a time I would perhaps want to run 1/2 at the same time, charge both while out?

My neighbor says he has let his sit for a few months and no issues, but as far as battery health goes, any ideas or suggestions? Thanks
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Winterization is a bad word in Texas these days...;)

I had always tried to keep my deep cycle batteries above 80% at all times, deep discharge for prolonged periods can apparently impact longevity/# of charging cycles. I didn't have any rule of thumb other than to charge them back up every month or two.

Keep in mind this was not for performance reasons - I'm sure for starting or running accessories even an 80% charged battery probably can get the job done. I did this really to preserve the life of the battery as long as possible so I wasn't buying new every 3 years.
 
Potomacbassin’ said:
Winterization is a bad word in Texas these days...;)

I had always tried to keep my deep cycle batteries above 80% at all times, deep discharge for prolonged periods can apparently impact longevity/# of charging cycles. I didn't have any rule of thumb other than to charge them back up every month or two.

Keep in mind this was not for performance reasons - I'm sure for starting or running accessories even an 80% charged battery probably can get the job done. I did this really to preserve the life of the battery as long as possible so I wasn't buying new every 3 years.
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Yeah, that was my desire too, to keep the batteries at their healthiest. I guess in the end, just run them.
 
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