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Batteries constantly dying even though on trickle charge - help!

OliveOyl

By OliveOyl
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WotEver Veteran II

WotEverDonate to Canal World

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I have uploaded a pico f the inverter. I will also upload a pic of the fusebox, as Iam not sure it is as it should be.

 

That is the RCD - residual current device. It is a safety device for the incoming mains.

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WotEver Veteran II

WotEverDonate to Canal World

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(My CTEK did not prevent my car battery failing when I was away for 3 months but battery was quite old, odd because it was fine when I left)

 

Odd that, they're normally really reliable

Which would explain the tv going off if switched

 

Indeed it would ;)

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mross Influencer

mross

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Posted (edited)

OP should get a boat electrician to check his setup. It's odd that the sockets are only fed from the inverter. I wonder if the shore power is properly protected, earthed etc?

 

guess he has no inverter! glad he does have an RCBO!

Edited by mross
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WotEver Veteran II

WotEverDonate to Canal World

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My suspicion here is that we simply have a static boat on hook-up but with no engine running and a teensy charger that can't keep up with the 12V loads. The result is that the battery now requires replacement. The fix is to buy a decent charger.

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OliveOyl Collaborator

OliveOyl

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Thanks all for identifying the RCD (where is my inverter then - or haven't I got one???)

 

Re some of the other comments/questions, my son actually stays on the boat, not me, hence difficulty answering some of the questions, but he rarely uses the lights (or water pump sadly!), so I don't understand why it all used to work but now doesn't. He spends hours on his xbox though.

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Naughty Cal Veteran II

Naughty Cal

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Thanks all for identifying the RCD (where is my inverter then - or haven't I got one???)

 

Re some of the other comments/questions, my son actually stays on the boat, not me, hence difficulty answering some of the questions, but he rarely uses the lights (or water pump sadly!), so I don't understand why it all used to work but now doesn't. He spends hours on his xbox though.

That is part of your problem.

 

I suspect as I said in an earlier post that your battery charger can not keep up with your power demands hence why the battery is dying. Which would explain why the charger works when you took it back. It just isn't big enough.

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Jess-- Rising Star

Jess--

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read and type here everything it says on your charger, hopefully it will give us enough info to tell us it's capabilities.

 

I'm suspecting that it's one like the one pictured (sold under many brands including streetwize)

 

549779681.jpg

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OliveOyl Collaborator

OliveOyl

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Yesterday, I stood in the engine room and took pics of the whole set up.Imagine and L shape.

 

 

Fusebox on long side. Turn right, battery in box, connected yellow wires to a small board with 2 fuses ion it, one 25amp and one 50amp. Wire up to what I know know is an RCD. Wires from RCD go to end of boat where the connection is for shoreline.

 

The yellow wires from the battery go right around the engine room and connect with a load of red wires at back of control panel and up into ceiling of engine room and into boat via bedrooom.- I don't think I have an inverter - does anyone else?

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WotEver Veteran II

WotEverDonate to Canal World

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MROSS

 

Do I actually have an inverter though? It seems from the comments re the rcd that I don't have one?

 

I have asked his neighbours - one of whom I bought the boat off - and they don't have a clue.

 

No... as far as we can tell from what you've told us you do not have an inverter. With a single leisure battery you don't really have enough power for one anyway, so let's forget that entirely.

 

You need a new battery (you've killed the existing one) and to keep it like new you also require a 'proper' battery charger, properly installed. Something like this would do well: http://sterling-power.com/collections/marine-battery-chargers/products/pro-charge-ultra

 

Yes, it's a lot more money, but needs must. Perhaps someone else is aware of a cheaper charger of at least 10A output?

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

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Yesterday, I stood in the engine room and took pics of the whole set up.Imagine and L shape.

 

 

 

So where is this photo

 

No... as far as we can tell from what you've told us you do not have an inverter. With a single leisure battery you don't really have enough power for one anyway, so let's forget that entirely.

 

You need a new battery (you've killed the existing one) and to keep it like new you also require a 'proper' battery charger, properly installed. Something like this would do well: http://sterling-power.com/collections/marine-battery-chargers/products/pro-charge-ultra

 

Yes, it's a lot more money, but needs must. Perhaps someone else is aware of a cheaper charger of at least 10A output?

But if there is no inverter then the boys stuff should be running off the shore supply and not loading the batteries. He could could of course leave all the lights on.

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Alan de Enfield Veteran II

Alan de Enfield

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MROSS

 

Do I actually have an inverter though? It seems from the comments re the rcd that I don't have one?

 

 

 

Follow the big, fat, wires from the battery - 'some' will go to the engine but there should be two that go to an 'electrical' box - It could be a 'cube' about 18" cube, It could be 'long and flat'. It will probably say something like "2000 watts" (it may be 1000w, or it may be 3000w or any number). It should have a 'mains' cable coming out of it (or some of them have a standard 3-pin mains plug). It should have lights on it showing it is 'powered'.

 

There are a number of variables available.

 

I think the suggestion that you get someone (pay someone) to look at your system would be beneficial and would save you buying new batteries every few weeks.

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OliveOyl Collaborator

OliveOyl

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Ditchcrawler

 

Are you being facetious? clapping.gif

 

In case you hadn't gathered, the boat was not exactly a 'top end ' one, and I am an impoverished single parent who simply wanted to give my offspring a roof near his place of work. Yes I know you think I got off the last bus, but one has to cut ones cloth according to ones purse help.gif

 

Yours appreciativlely

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WotEver Veteran II

WotEverDonate to Canal World

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But if there is no inverter then the boys stuff should be running off the shore supply and not loading the batteries. He could could of course leave all the lights on.

 

Lights, water pump, bilge pump, self-discharge... a tiny battery maintainer won't keep up with that lot.

... phone charger...

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