HELP! No Power to Accessory Bus, dead battery, wet boat

C

ClueZo

New member
Our C-Dory is a 2004 22' Crusier with twin Hondas. Boat has 2 battery system w/o charger. Also no shore power. Battery switch is simple ON/OFF on starboard side. Port side battery has no switch and is wired to start port side engine only.
Boat ran fine 2 weeks ago; no apparent problem. It sat at the moor during June's bad weather. I noted that it looked low in the water yesterday and went out to check. Starboard side battery was dead. Bilge pump was not able to cycle and rainwater was sloshing over deck boards.
Boat is now at the dock and dry, but I cannot locate the problem. I was able to start port engine from isolated battery (good thing).
Once at the dock I jumped the starboard battery (not that easy in the rain) and started that engine to charge battery and run bilge pump. Pump cycled OK off the direct wire to the battery, but I could not get it to run from the accessory panel switch. (I did note that red light on switch illuminated when the pump cycled in auto.). With engine running and battery switch in ON position none of the accessories (horn, wiper, radio, gps, etc.) work. Trim tabs which were installed by C-Dory Marine in Kent also don't have power.
All fuses are good.
Ran back to the house for a multimeter.
Engine gauges work and voltage is 14+ volts there. Voltage check at switch panel bus shows about 0.5 volts. No accessories (radio, GPS, etc.) have power.
Battery switch seems to be OK, but could not get volt meter probes on it.
Battery drain could indicate a short some where, but I can't find it. Visual inspection of wires found nothing.
Any ideas?
 
Vince-

The boat building industry standards require a large fuse in the cable that leads from the battery forward to the helm. There will be an enlarged rubber section in that cable with a fuse that looks like a plug sticking out of it. It should be back close to the battery and switch. The cables to the motors are not required to have fuses in them.

The red light is fed power from the bilge pump when the bilge pump automatic switch closes. The pump and switch are hard wired directly to the battery and not through the helm panel unless the panel is switched on and the manual bilge pump switch is in the "on" position.

Engine gagues get their power from the engines which are wired directly to the battery.

If you can't find the fuse, you may have to loosen up the battery on/off switch and check for power there, then trace it backward or forward as the case may be.

Hope this helps!

Good Luck!

Joe. :teeth
 
Joe,
Thanks for prompt reply. I will head out and check for fuse and post what I find. Any idea why battery went dead?
Vince
 
ClueZo":2gmoc7dl said:
Joe,
Any idea why battery went dead?
Vince
Click to expand...

If the switch was off, or the fuse blown, the only way for the battery to discharge itself would be by running the bilge pump. (Unless there's a problem with the motor for some reason pulling power down while it's at rest, or the key was left in the "On" position.)

The typical bilge pump runs 4-8 amps, and 10 hours of running would pull 40-80 amp hours out of the battery. The typical group 27 deep cycle marine battery holds 90-105 amp hours, but the voltage drops as it's discharged, and the amperage draw goes up to make up for the voltage drop. As a guess, in 5-8 hours of run time, the battery stops running the pump, and just gets drained further by the switch running current through the non-turning bilge pump motor armature.

You may want to consider adding a charger to your boat if you have shore power available, or a solar panel and a charger if you don't. Visiting the boat after every good storm and starting the engines would do the trick, too, I suspect.

Joe.
 
There was a 50A breaker in the line with what looked to me (weak eyes) a red "reset" button. On closer examination the red button was the trip button and the reset is a black lever (almost invisible to these eyes) that swings out when the breaker trips or you press the red button. I reset the breaker and voila power to the helm panel.
I restarted engines and all appears well. We always turn battery switch to OFF when we leave the boat. It was off when I boarder the flooding boat yesterday.
Mystery: why did breaker trip and what drained the battery? As soon as I get some time I'll check out the batteries. They are originals. The boat gets very light use.
Can anyone tell me how long they last?
Thanks again,
Vince
 
Use the boat more often: That is a great solution!
Thanks for the explanations and assistance.
I'll follow your advice.
Vince
 
ClueZo-

You asked:

"Can anyone tell me how long they last? " about your batteries.

Good question. They ought to last three or four years, maybe longer. I have two of my four group 27's deep cycle's that are five years old and doing just fine. I believe the deep cycle type do last longer than the hight amperage starting/cranking types.

Some people just renew their batteries every few years just to be on the safe side, but if you watch them carefully and keep them charged, they can be used for 4-6 years, at least that's what I get out of them.

Here in California, we don't have the cold winters that forces folks back east to store them indoors during those months.

Joe.
 
Personally I would change out the batteries (lead acid ones anyway) at 4 years. On a car I might go longer but in the boat I don't want to be caught out in the middle of the straight and have a battery failure! Sure I could come in on the kicker but that would sure ruin my weekend.

Lead acid batteries start a sulfation process as soon as they are created (a by product of being charged). As time goes on the sulfation leaves a residue on the bottom of the battery. After about 4 years the residue is usually close enough that it starts to short out the plates causing dead cells in the battery. Battery manufacturers are aware of this and that is why their warranties work the way they do. The batteries with the longer warranties have more space under the plates so they don't short out as soon as the cheaper batteries do.
 
While discussing all of this, the thought struck me that many boat owners don't know about the fuse or circuit breaker back in line with the positive leads coming off the battery and up to the helm.

Also, Im betting that those with the fuse set up probably aren't carrying a replacement fuse or two.

Might well be worth a look to see what you have in your boat and worth getting a few replacements if you have fuses.

Joe.

5138_43.jpg
7100.jpg

Some fuses and a circuit breaker.
 
Bilge pumps that cycle[ I.E. automatic pumps] are battery killers . A float switch is a better solution in my view . Then your pump only operates when it needs to instead of every few minutes till the battery is dead. With a charging system its ok , but I still prefer a float switch.
Marc
 
Wefings":v1zhav9b said:
Bilge pumps that cycle[ I.E. automatic pumps] are battery killers . A float switch is a better solution in my view . Then your pump only operates when it needs to instead of every few minutes till the battery is dead. With a charging system its ok , but I still prefer a float switch.
Marc
Click to expand...

I agree!

My experience as well.

I don't think I've ever read a positive post about these types of pumps!

Joe.
 
After finding the problem, saving the boat and drying everything out, the batteries died day before yesterday. Tried to resuscitate unsuccessfully; bought 2 new deep cycle batteries yesterday and went boating yesterday and today.
My lessons: (1) use boat more often; (2) use boat more often; (3) use boat more often; (4) CHECK WATER LEVEL IN BATTERIES; (5) CHARGE BATTERIES PERIODICALLY ON DRY LAND or (6) buy new batteries every 3 years.
Thanks for your sympathy and assistance.
Happy boating,
Vince
 
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