house battery not charging

[BrentB]

You upload to

http://www.c-brats.com/viewforum.php?f=36

[Kushtaka]

This place just keeps getting cooler. Check here:

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?p=307110#307110

[Kushtaka]

bad terminal connection the wire from my ACR to my house battery. ACR was fine the whole time, easy fix! I could probably didn't need the troubleshooting guide, but I used it as I went through, and I actually identified the issue on my meter because i did.

Overall, it was a very minor issue that showed me 3 things:

1. The ACR unit is robust, and has that redundancy to make my system work in a pinch when a connection is lost.

2. I definitely got lazy making connections. All of my terminal ends were great, except for this one. I think I was probably tired when I made it, or I made that one first, and got better as I went. I recall having some issues with my butane soldering iron at first, maybe I didn't get things hot enough.

3. Customer service from Blue Seas was outstanding. Fast, knowledgable, helpful, and available. In the future I'll be likely to use their stuff again, even if it costs more, because of their great showing on this minor issue.


Aside from that, I learned that I am not all that comfortable with a fuel line running in front of my switch/ACR, among all that potential for sparks. If I had an electrical fire because my connection was loose instead of parting, and it would have become catastrophic very quickly.

this is the line that runs out my fuel selector switch to my racor (mounted in my splashwell). It will be a bit of a chore to re-route it, and then I still have the selector and hoses in the same compartment.

Can I wrap the fuel line with anything to protect it if there is a fire? I'm concerned that I wouldn't be able to tell if a small fire started in there while underway, can anyone recommend a sensor I can put in that compartment that would alarm in the cabin? Am I just being overly cautious here? Maybe I just need to be talked down?

Thanks for all the input. This was a pretty easy one once I got in there. The toughest part was taking everything apart just to access the terminals to test.

[BrentB]

Type A1 fuel hose has the highest fire resistance at 2.5 minutes open flame.

[thataway]

Glad you found a simple problem. At the Hontoon Island gathering I saw at least 5 boats which were having electrical problems. Every one was a bad connector--either corrosion or not properly tightened.

I have my ARC and transfer switch, in the same compartment (Starboard Lazarette) that my Racor and the fuel line goes in and out of. But the electrical circuits in and out are protected by circuit breakers, and the hoses are some distance from the (about 6" closest) from the ACR and negative circuit shunt for the Xantrex Link Lite. I don't worry about that; the best way to prevent electrical fires is to have adequate circuit breakers. When we are not using the boat for any length of time, we disconnect the batteries. But fire aboard is always a grave danger.

On our larger boats we had Aqualarm systems. These had multiple remote systems, connected to a very loud bell. Included in these were water flow for the main engine, generator, several remote high temp alarms, including exhaust and engine room.

There is a standalone Aqualarm system with 135 or 195* fire/temperature sensor and remote panel with alarm buzzer for $84. That is probably your best bet for a marine high temp alarm. (Although not listed as a package, you probably can get the smaller remote for the same deal0.

I am not sure I would trust a home fire detector in the marine environment.

So was this a bad solder connection? Was there corrosion in the joint? Are the lugs both soldered and crimped?

Last week I was called to investigate why an inverter was not working. The owner was out of town, and it was running the freezer on a concession trailer. I could not find a bad connection--but I failed to take the inverter off its mount on the wall, and check where the cable lug was bolted to the inverter input. The owner had failed to properly tighten this connection...(reason a lock washer is suggested under the nut on these connections.)

[Kushtaka]

I think maybe I had some grease in my terminal end when I made the cable? I used good 6AWG marine grade cable, tinned and crimped (with a bench vise) It just came out. I know exactly when I did it. I had my cables loose in the gunnels after some tidying work, and went to rebundle. I found a pair of cables in the run that were attached to nothing on both ends, so I removed them. I encountered a little resistance when pulling them through and gave it a tug when I probably shouldn't have. I ended up yarding on one of my big red battery cables. I thought it was a different one and checked to make sure it was ok, but I think I missed it. I just pulled the cable right out of the terminal.

It's all clean, looks fine in terms of oxidation, but there is some crud impregnated in the solder. As I said, probably grease.

I did check all of my other terminals and they all remain good, solid, low resistance connections.

I think I'll swap out the fuses on the ACR to circuit breakers. I didn't blow a fuse, but I like a switch much better. You can run out of fuses. Plus, I've had mine get moisture in them, just from humidity. I think I'll use a Blue Seas breaker!!

[BrentB]

Are you using crimper like
Double Crimp Ratchet Too,l 22-10 AWG Part # 701030
DOUBLE CRIMP TOOL 22-10 AWG
https://www.amazon.com/Ancor-701030-Double-Crimp-Tool/dp/B000NI3EMK

[breausaw]

[thataway]

[BrentB]

Yes wire size is important when crimping. What size wire were you crimping from ACR to battery?

Another crimper for big wires is made by
FTZ

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/battery_cables

and

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/wire_termination

Lug size is important to properly fit the battery post

Thanks Bob!!

[thataway]

No question that the rotary dies which Brent mentions are superior. A professional electrician should have them. I probably should have bought a set 40 years ago--and they would have paid for themselves...and been cheaper then...But I have gotten along without failure, using the other techniques, with some soldered as well as the crimp on over several hundred thousand sea miles...You do want to do a pull test to see if they will fail before clamping down.

Avoid the wing nuts which often come with the batteries. You cannot get them tight enough by hand!

[Kushtaka]

Not even close.

I make low tech connections with either a vise grip or a bench vise using tinned cable. Yes, I know. I measure the resistance across these cables and they work fine. This was the first one I've had come apart. It's probably time to get a crimp tool.

Any suggestions on a good crimper that I can also use to make heavy duty halibut tackle?

[Kushtaka]

It's funny, I have a set of wing nuts on my start battery that I've been meaning to switch out, and I keep an adjustable wrench right behind my helm chair (and not in the tool box) just for tightening them. If I finger tighten they always come loose.

[BrentB]

I use nylock nuts and washers on one battery the other a washer, lock washer and hex nut to see if one is better than the other.

I have an Ancor crimper mentioned earlier and plan to order a FTZ crimper soon. New and used ones show up on ebay often and other places but don't need one at moment and I expect local places will add lugs either from them or ones I supply but haven't checked.

No help on making halibut rigs but always wanted a bench crimper

[thataway]