Batteries - Again / Still

If you go for the xc3012, its display can be remoted and will give you
a digital volt meter readout of each bank. You can also add an amp
meter device that I guess will tell you how many amp-hours you've
taken out. Not too sure about this add-on. You should check
the Xantrex website for more info.

I mounted the remote display on my helm...see my photo album if
interested.

Mike
 
Forgive me. There is 1 wire to each of 2 banks. and one common return. It can charge 3 banks, but I only use 2. I believe the charger I have drives all batteries simultaneously. At least they both go to 13.6 VDC at the same time.

The fusing is from the factory, except the inverter, which has it's own 100 amp breaker.

Boris
 
OK, I am crying "Uncle" and heading to Boat Electric I guess (there is a SMALL chance that when the clouds of poisonous gas clear we will get things working I suppose). ALL I did was un-do all of the red and black wires from the old tarting battery, put in a new starting battery, charge up both the house batteries and the starting battery, and replace the red and black wires on the starting battery. How difficult can that be? What was there to screw up? First I turned on the house battery switch. Everything in the house that was on (cabin lights, water pressure pump and Airhead fan) came on, were running fine. Then I turned on the starting battery switch...and huge amounts of gas came pouring from BOTH the starting battery AND the house batteries (I noticed somehow the Parallel switch had got turned on too), it was like a rupture in a steam pipe. I had to scramble to get out holding my breath of course. The clouds of gas have mostly abated, I don't know how long it hangs around, I don't know how long I should wait before venturing back in the cockpit or cabin (the cabin door was open). I don't have any SCUBA gear either...Advice?
 
Well, the clouds of gas have cleared, and I found the problem/ Am I color blind? Was it dark? Was I in too much of a hurry? Or should I just not even try to do this stuff? I had the big RED cable from the VSR battery switch that was supposed to go to the RED post on the starting battery connected to the BLACK post...so when I turned the starting battery switch on, KABOOM! The cable insulation is melted, I am pretty sure the VSR is toasted, but the batteries still all have juice. Think I will run and buy a regular 1-2-BOTH-OFF switch with no VSR, they are about $30 I think.
 
Wow ! Pat, I thought I was the the only one who was electrically and mechanically challenged person on this forum. :cry

I feel your pain :oops:

It makes me feel like I should never attempt any D-I-Y projects.

At least no one was hurt. :smilep

Allan
 
Pat, I think each of us has done something like that. You were fortunate to escape with no apparent damage to yourself. I suspect you may have some damage to wiring you can not detect visually.

Woof! Makes me shiver to think about it!
 
I have blue top optima's that are on year 2. So far so good, however my vsr was wired backwards from the dealer when new and I fought all summer to figure out what the heck was happening to my house battery. Anyway during all this the house optima was discharged to 30% a few times. The wiring was corrected and there appears to be no ill effects to my optima. Even had Les Schawb check it out. I now keep my boat at home on the charger and that has really helped with not running out of juice but I don't do long cruising trips.
 
Welcome to the club, Pat. Now you know how humans learn, at least me and my kin.

Remember the KISS principal, espoused by Sea Wolf, above. It minimizes (doesn't eliminate,) the chance of screwing up.

By the way I looked up the Xantrex XC charger. It's more expensive than the Truecharge Plus charger, and appears to be better only if you mix different types of lead acid batteries; i. e., AGM with flooded with gel, etc. If you don't do this, why pay extra? Yes, I'm cheap. Defender has the 20 amp Trucharge for $260. It's enough for your battery setup.

Boris
 
Don't give up Pat. The painfull and costly lessons learned in your drive way may someday save your bacon out on the water. I try to as much maintenance as I can, to keep the cost down & be more self reliant.
 
The visual damage is confined to the strap from the starting battery negative post to the house battery bank negative post, and the strap from the VSR battery switch to the starting battery positive post. Guess I won't find out about anything else until I replace those two items and the battery switch. Don't know how to test for other damaged wiring...


AstoriaDave":t6b088el said:
I suspect you may have some damage to wiring you can not detect visually.
Click to expand...
 
journey on":3xq2lytk said:
Welcome to the club, Pat. Now you know how humans learn, at least me and my kin.

Remember the KISS principal, espoused by Sea Wolf, above. It minimizes (doesn't eliminate,) the chance of screwing up.

By the way I looked up the Xantrex XC charger. It's more expensive than the Truecharge Plus charger, and appears to be better only if you mix different types of lead acid batteries; i. e., AGM with flooded with gel, etc. If you don't do this, why pay extra? Yes, I'm cheap. Defender has the 20 amp Trucharge for $260. It's enough for your battery setup.

Boris
Click to expand...

If you add in the cost of the remote display, which comes with the
xc3012, the two chargers are nearly the same price. The remote
display is nice and saves you the trouble of wiring meters. I would
say it's easier to wire the control display for the xc3012 than it
would be to wire meters. I don't know much about the remote display
for the truecharge.

Note that the mounting positions of the xc3012 are limited. I don't
remember the details, but check the manual, which is available online,
before purchasing.

Mike
 
Mike has a good point. Whomsoever buys one gets to take their choice.

However, remember to install a separate battery voltmeter, since the remote panel is OFF when there is no AC power.

And, yes, I do not have much to do today.

Boris
 
Pat-

Wow! Glad you weren't hurt or burned with acid, etc.

I guess the batteries were out in the cockpit so that most of the battery acid was spewed out where you can wash it down and out of the back of the boat?

If you decide to move the two Optima batteries up into the cabin, you might think about the weight involved and the balance of the boat. I put two group 27 marine batteries under the forward dinette seat, and it threw off the balance of the boat enough that I wound up adding a couple of spare anchors under the galley to help balance them out!

Good Luck!

Joe. :thup :teeth
 
Pat,

I would hose off anything that the fumes got to. Those fumes are acid!!

After washing down, sprinkle some baking soda around the batteries and anywhere the fumes got to. If the baking soda fizzes, then acid is still present. The baking soda will neutralize any remaining acid.

If your 25 has an aluminium gas tank, I would wash out the bilge and the tank compartment.

You are lucky, some direct shorts on batteries result in an explosion!!

I always carry baking soda to neutralize any acid spills around batteries.

If those are wet cell batteries, check the fluid level in the battery. If very much fluid is missing, that acid was boiled out.
It might be a good idea to take the batteries to a battery company to be checked out. (Pacific Power in Everett on Broadway near 41st is one place)
 
I did not see any liquid...just gas clouds.

Anyway, for some very expensive cabling, 6' of #2 black to connect the negative posts of the two banks, 2' of #2 red to go from the VSR switch to the starting battery, all is APPARENTLY working again. Power to the house and power to the outboard. The only thing I don't know is if the relay that is supposed to control charging from the alternator still works or not...

All this from just changing out a starting battery and making a careless mistake...
 
Just chalk it up Pat, one more thing you probably WON'T do the rest of your life! People are usually good at doing something, you're evidently real good at making brew (will have to try some someday). So don't beat yourself up too much, we've all been there, some admit it, some don't. :roll:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts too. Happy New Year (gotta be better, eh?).
 
Pat,

The gas cloud IS acid. Please... at least sprinkle some baking soda around the affected area to see if there is any acid on the surfaces.

While I was a mechanic years ago, I caused a battery to explode in a new MGB by disconnecting a running battery charger (a customers car, not mine). The battery was under the rear package shelf and spread acid all over the inside of a new car.

The mechanic next to me grabbed a water hose and sprayed me and the car interior. We continued washing down the interior and managed to save the car. (and my job!!)

For safety, always turn your face away from a battery when detaching a battery charger or jumper cables.
 
Battery Stories, Continued............

#1:

I had a "baddish" nearly discharged battery explode (one cell only) in a little 12 foot Gregor aluminum boat a few years back.

I knew the battery was largely discharged, but decided I'd run the motor all day, mostly trolling, and see if the little 4 amp charger in the motor would bring it back to fully charged.

About four hours later it exploded! Sounded like a cherry bomb!

Fortunately, the battery was in a battery box with the lid strapped down.

I stopped the boat, waited for the noise to stop, then used water from the lake to dilute the acid, etc.

2#:

We were visiting my Aunt in Los Angles eons ago (right after WWII) when someone knocked on the door, saying they had a battery problem. This was a old car, a pre-war Plymouth, as I remember, with the battery under the front passenger seat! We went out and it looked like "Old Faithful" was under the seat spewing forth! (This was back in the days when cars had 6-volt batteries!) Tow truck time!

Joe. :thup :teeth
 
Back
Top