Battery Question

[LetsRock]

I recently bought a trickle charger and had it attached to one of my batteries and both the power light and charging light came on. I went to switch it to my other battery and neither light came on at all. Is is possible its completely dead? It has the same life/treatment/brand as the other one.

 

[Russ Calasant]

Is the second battery connected to anything that me be causing voltage draw? Best to disconnect and test it with a meter, if still nothing put a more substantial charge on it and check it again in a few hours.

 

[LetsRock]

Is the second battery connected to anything that me be causing voltage draw? Best to disconnect and test it with a meter, if still nothing put a more substantial charge on it and check it again in a few hours.

Russ - They are both disconnected and in my basement for warmth. They were both working fine and removed from the boat the same time. I guess I will hook it up to a charger for a few hours and see what happens.

 

[lucknow]

At the risk of sounding stupid, Did you happen to reconnect the first battery to insure it still gives the same indications? If it does not, maybe a tripped breaker to the charger? If it does, Obviously the battery needs to be tested.
Kevin

 

[LetsRock]

At the risk of sounding stupid, Did you happen to reconnect the first battery to insure it still gives the same indications? If it does not, maybe a tripped breaker to the charger? If it does, Obviously the battery needs to be tested.
Kevin

The charger is fine because I put it back on the first battery and it lights and works fine.

 

[Russ Calasant]

Yeah, sounds like you might have a bad battery. I was unaware they were in your basement. They are not directly on cement are they? Are they wet cells or what kind of battery?

 

[BonBini]

I recently bought a trickle charger and had it attached to one of my batteries and both the power light and charging light came on. I went to switch it to my other battery and neither light came on at all. Is is possible its completely dead? It has the same life/treatment/brand as the other one.

My charger has a "power light" indicating the charger is plugged into 110 vac. Also a "charge light" indicating what it's doing to the battery. On my charger if the "power light" did not come on it would indicate the charger wasn't getting a 110 vac input.

Not knowing what your "power light" is for, from the results of your testing, it does sound like your original prognosis "one bad batt" may be correct.

I would do a open voltage test. You should see results similar to these.
12.00 1/4 charge
12.25 1/5 charge
12.50 3/4 charge
12.75 full charge
Disclaimer: I may be off by one scale above. But you get the idea!

...Ron

 

[LetsRock]

Yeah, sounds like you might have a bad battery. I was unaware they were in your basement. They are not directly on cement are they? Are they wet cells or what kind of battery?

I have them on a piece of carpet that I have folded in half. Thats ok right?

 

[Russ Calasant]

I have them on a piece of carpet that I have folded in half. Thats ok right?

Yes, what kind of battery?

 

[LetsRock]

Yes, what kind of battery?

They are wet cells

 

[tdappleman]

Placing the battery directly on concrete is not an issue with polypropylene plastic housings. I think all batteries now have that case material - after 1970 or so anyway.

 

[Russ Calasant]

They are wet cells

Ok, just so you know the only reason to keep battery off of cement is to insulate it from the possibility of freezing. Next is the electrolyte (fluid) over the plates? Are any of the plates exposed? If so fill only with distilled water but do not overfill, there should be a line.

Now, there are two ways to test a flooded-cell battery. One is to test the electrolyte’s (fluid’s) specific gravity by using a hydrometer, a turkey-baster-looking device that has a float inside with colored markings. By sucking up some of the electrolyte, the float will rise to a certain level, indicating the specific gravity of the electrolyte, which relates to the battery's state of charge. A reading of 1.277 indicates a full charge; at a reading of 1.217, the battery is only 70 percent charged, and at 1.073, the battery is essentially dead.

To properly test with a hydrometer, do not add water before the test. Circulate the electrolyte by filling and draining the hydrometer three or four times before taking the reading. Test all the cells, and correct the readings to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. To do this, add 0.004 to the readings for each 10 degrees above 80 degrees F. Subtract 0.004 for every 10 degrees below 80 degrees F.

If the initial reading was low, fully charge the battery and test again. If the readings persist in being low, take the battery to a shop to have it put through an equalization process. Many home shop battery chargers cannot perform equalization because the voltage requirements are too high. During equalization, the battery is subjected to a very high voltage (15.5 volts DC) to reverse chemical stratification (acid concentration higher at the bottom of the battery than at the top) and to remove sulfate crystals that have built up on the plates. Check your battery manufacturer's recommendations regarding the frequency (or advisability) of equalization.

After equalization, if the electrolyte still registers low specific gravity, one of five conditions exists:

1 There is a weak cell
2 The battery has been left discharged too long
3 The battery is coming to the end of its service life
4 Water was added to the electrolyte prior to testing
5 Electrolyte level is insufficient, due to spillage or overflow

If any of the first three conditions exist, it’s time to go shopping for a new battery. If the problem seems to be nos. 4 or 5, correct the situation and test again.

Of course you could just bring it somewhere and have it checked:smt021

 

[Russ Calasant]

Placing the battery directly on concrete is not an issue with polypropylene plastic housings. I think all batteries now have that case material - after 1970 or so anyway.

Yeah, I just wondered if freezing was a possibility:grin:

 

[Iprof]

A refactometer is the most accurate way to test a battery. It also requires the least amount of fluid to be removed to test the cell, one drop. If the test fails with either a hydrometer or a refactometer then the battery should be charged and tested again. With either of the above testers each cell must be done to the battery. A load test cannot be done on a battery that is not at full charged you can damage the battery. A load test is done at 50% of the CCA but that would require a more expensive tester and best to have a shop test it.

Ken

 

[Gimme Time]

I bought our boat in August 2007 and leave the Inverter/charger plug into shore power and on when ever the boat is at the dock which is obviously allot more than not. I don't know how old the batteries are and check & fill them usually about every 45-60 days. Must admit very little water has ever been added and I wonder how much longer they will last. Also wonder how to tell when it is time pro-actively to change them or wait till I have a symptom that indicates its time to do so. (6) batteries altogether with (2) on each engine and (2) on the gen-set. Also have one in a forward compartment for the bow thruster.

How do I check them to see when they need to be replaced?

 

[Russ Calasant]

I bought our boat in August 2007 and leave the Inverter/charger plug into shore power and on when ever the boat is at the dock which is obviously allot more than not. I don't know how old the batteries are and check & fill them usually about every 45-60 days. Must admit very little water has ever been added and I wonder how much longer they will last. Also wonder how to tell when it is time pro-actively to change them or wait till I have a symptom that indicates its time to do so. (6) batteries altogether with (2) on each engine and (2) on the gen-set. Also have one in a forward compartment for the bow thruster.

How do I check them to see when they need to be replaced?

John, I am no expert but I can tell you what I did. I replaced them in my boat (5). The last thing I wanted was battery failure, much easier fix at the dock, and I had no idea what was in the boat when I bought it. Now I know exactly what I have and how old they are.
But other than measuring electrolyte density (1.280) or if it continues to go dead suddenly and completely indicating a short, the only tell tale sign that I know is if it constantly requires filling (distilled water). If your adding weekly its time for new ones.