Battery Charger - is it working?

[FiremistSLK_old]

I have my boat in my driveway with an adapter for the shore power plugged into my 110v house current. The voltage on the AC panel reads 110v. When I turn the key on, the VOLT gauge always reads 11.6 volts. I've had the battery charger checked out during the survey and it was reported to be working perfectly! So... Is the charger charging my batteries? What should the volt gauge be reading when on shore power? I have put the battery switch "ON" both while the boat has been plugged in. After three days, the battery voltage still only reads 11.6v. When I run the engine, the volt meter reads 13.5v. The engine turns over very slowly, like it only has 11.6v to the starter. Is there an on/off switch somewhere for the charger?? Or is it working and the batteries will not charge above 11.6v?? Am I missing something? I've never used shore power before.

 

[paulswagelock]

Chargers have multiple voltage output phases, the highest being 14.6 volts or so, and the lowest being 13.2. So short answer, no your charger is not charging your batteries.

Look on your AC breaker panel for a breaker labeled charger, inverter, etc. something isn't turned on or it is not functional.

 

[Bt Doctur]

or the batteries are trash

 

[FiremistSLK_old]

Batteries were checked during the survey also. They were found to be one season old and in very good, servicable, condition as well. I will look for a breaker on the service panel as suggested.... Thanks.

 

[Little Ducky]

What kind of charger do you have?

If you find the "AC converter" switch to be on......I bet if the charger is circa 1997 it's toast.

If it's a newer ProMariner there is an LED display that tells you what it's doing.

 

[Lazy Daze]

At 21 years old, it's hard to know what setup you have there. But if it's OEM (or installed the same way), then your battery switch position does not matter. However, like Ducky said, from that era the battery charger is labelled as "AC Converter", which can confuse some people (although there should be mention of this in the manual, which is also available on SR's website).

Also, confirm the resting battery voltage directly at the batteries (switch NOT in "both") with a DVM. 11.6V is quite low for a battery. You can also confirm charging voltage at the batteries with the engine running and the charger turned on. If you physically look at your charger when it's on, it will tell you more info.

 

[M Prod]

If your batteries are down to 11.6V, they have less than a 20% charge and are being damaged. Typical flooded lead acid batteries should never go down below 50%. Test the battery with a voltmeter to be sure it's not your gauge.

 

[FiremistSLK_old]

OK, I found that the battery charger is a newer ProMariner model. There is no switch in the "AC Converter" position on the main panel, but there is a switch for the AC outlets. This switch was "off" and when I turned it on, the charger came to life and is now charging the batteries! Thanks all.

 

[Little Ducky]

OK, I found that the battery charger is a newer ProMariner model. There is no switch in the "AC Converter" position on the main panel, but there is a switch for the AC outlets. This switch was "off" and when I turned it on, the charger came to life and is now charging the batteries! Thanks all.

May all your boating issues be this easy.

Enjoy.

 

[Lazy Daze]

OK, I found that the battery charger is a newer ProMariner model. There is no switch in the "AC Converter" position on the main panel, but there is a switch for the AC outlets. This switch was "off" and when I turned it on, the charger came to life and is now charging the batteries! Thanks all.

Well, that explains it. The boat probably never had it and a previous owner added the battery charger. However, instead of giving it it's own circuit, they tapped into an existing circuit (could overload the circuit). All to save a few bucks on a breaker!

 

[FiremistSLK_old]

Yeah Lazy Daze, I agree. And since the boat is currently on the trailer in my driveway, I will buy some wire and a circuit breaker and wire it in correctly!

 

[electricaldoctor]

While you are at it, please ensure that you get the correct wire for marine application. WM sells it.

 

[FiremistSLK_old]

Will do!