Wet Batteries

M

Mike...

New member
You know, it's a shame that this year has been so bad from a business perspective. Working harder for less money, leaving no time for the TomCat. Which means I am playing catch up here a bit on issues that should have been dealt with in this summer when I got the boat. :(

Today, I finally had time to build a 150' 10/3 power cord to get the boat powered up and get the batteries charging. I went to check the water level in the batters and was surprised to see water standing on the batteries and, not surprisingly, corrosion on the battery posts. It seems rain water has been draining into the battery box. So much for the lid seal. The water level was fine on the batteries. Wonder how much of that is rain water. (sigh)

How do you folks deal with this problem? If I can't keep the batteries dry, maybe I should switch to sealed batters and have them moved into the house? The timing might be right to get this done over winter, as I have other electrical work to get done (economy notwithstanding): there is corrosion on the bus bars (shouldn't these be covered?), and I still want to swap out the electronics, install the radio, add music, etc. If I move the batteries, maybe I could use the battery box for a small generator?
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mike
 
Mike,

I am not sure where your batteries are located, but on the 22s, the port side lazarette/fishwell always seemed to have a moisture problem due to leakage and condensation. When I moved my house battery to that location, I drilled a number of one inch holes in the bottom, and have not had a water problem since. To date, I have not seen corrosion on the terminals. I also spray a corrosion preventive over the terminals.

Steve
 
Hi Steve (Wandering Sagebrush),
Interesting to hear about a common leak problem on the port lazarette lid. I suspect mine is the primary source of water in the bilge (at the transom,) but I don't understand why the starboard lid (over the battery and switch) does not leak as well. I pinch a couple of lengths of flat lamp wick into the port lid, and dangle them to drain water out of the rim of the frame. Sometimes it works, other times not so well. Any ideas why the two sides differ? I've seen the thread on replacement hatch covers.
Rod
 
Steve, the batteries are in a compartment at the rear of the cockpit in what looks like it could be re-purposed into a livewell.

Its lid serves as a step when boarding, and it features a detachable cushion so it can be used for seating.

The other feature is that it leaks like a sieve.
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mike
 
First, your batteries must be in a different location than my TC 255 (2006). My engine start batteries are back between the side doors to the "lazarette" and the compartment under the aft seat. There is a house battery, which is on the stb side, at the very edge of the under the seat compartment. I have a full camper back cover--and I would suggest either a slope back or a camper back cover for several reasons, including the problem you have found with the battery.

There are ways of covering the battery (most obvious is to put it in a plastic box, which will be water proof--and is the way that many boat batteries are installed)--the next is to put a plastic or starboard cover over the battery area. You can also put weather stripping around the edge of the hatch/seat over this area. It was designed as a bait tank in some boats--others have put dive compressors and generators in this same area.

If you put the start batteries, inside of the boat, you will have long runs of fairly heavy cables. I put two AGM batteries under the aft dinette seat, outboard, by the 110 v pannel. These have to be properly fused (300 to 500 amps for the engine start), and I think that using batteries for engine start in this location is probably not the best plan.

The other side of the coin is to keep the battery, bus etc all well protected with anti corrosion materials, like "Corrosion Block"spray.

I would first move the engine start batteries. and then put the house battery in a box. I can take photos of my set up tomarrow if you wish.
 
rjmcnabb":8an631es said:
Hi Steve (Wandering Sagebrush),
Interesting to hear about a common leak problem on the port lazarette lid. I suspect mine is the primary source of water in the bilge (at the transom,) but I don't understand why the starboard lid (over the battery and switch) does not leak as well. I pinch a couple of lengths of flat lamp wick into the port lid, and dangle them to drain water out of the rim of the frame. Sometimes it works, other times not so well. Any ideas why the two sides differ? I've seen the thread on replacement hatch covers.
Rod
Click to expand...

Rod, on the 22s, the starboard side is just an open platform for the battery switch and battery(s). Because it is open, I think everything just drains out, and there is no condensation issues. Because I have a full cover, my boat does not get as much leakage as other boats that are in the open.

Steve
 
Dr. Bob, yes, please. And I will take pictures of mine as well.

Believe it or not, there is weatherstripping under the seat.

On a more positive note, the batteries seemed to charged up just fine.

---
mike
 
Hi Steve,
I looked at Const Crav album, and your coverage with camper canvas is about the same as mine. If it stops raining long enough, I'll check lthe bottom of the stbd. lazarette and see if some drain holes are in order. BTW, is that a Montgomery 15 in your garage? :o
Rod
 
Here are some photos of the battery installation in Thataway:

Battery1.sized.jpg

This is the "house battery" which is in the area where the bait well can go, under the seat. You can also see the engine start battery on the Stb side, tucked up between the Lazarette and area under the seat.

battery_2.sized.jpg

The battery between the area under the seat and Prot Lazarette.

battery_3.sized.jpg

This is another photo of the Stb engine start battery.

battery_4.sized.jpg

Posative bus bar, covered with plastic shield and duct tape to prevent any corrosion and also to prevent any short if a wrench is dropped across the negitive and positive buss bars.
 
rjmcnabb":31x82y4l said:
Hi Steve,
I looked at Const Crav album, and your coverage with camper canvas is about the same as mine. If it stops raining long enough, I'll check lthe bottom of the stbd. lazarette and see if some drain holes are in order. BTW, is that a Montgomery 15 in your garage? :o
Rod
Click to expand...

Rod, yes that was my Montgomery 15 (Sojornen). I had her for 17 years, but sold the boat this past spring. It broke my heart, but I just was not using the boat anymore. To be truthful, there are times when I think about selling the CDory and buying a brand new Montgomery 17. They are wonderful little sea boats. There are at least two other Monty owners in CBrats.

on edit: The camper back does just clear the end of the cockpit. The storage and moorage covers go all the way back to the transom, and helps keep the lazarettes dry.
 
Wandering Sagebrush said:
There are at least two other Monty owners in C-Brats.
Click to expand...

Monty owner here: M-15 #348, ( pictures on the MSOG and West Weight Potter sites). Currently resides in my back garage.

I think the only other one I know of is WS M-15 in Canby. (Didn't do a search before this post -- sorry :disgust

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Hello to all.

I m sorry it has taken me so long to post this, but here is a picture of the battery compartment under the aft seat of the TomCat 255.

battery_compartment.jpg


As you can see from the rust, rain water has been getting in here. Also, though hard to see, the terminals are a little rusted from water sitting atop the batteries.
---
mike
 
Hi to Steve aboard Wandering Sagebrush,
Took me long enough, and then I forgot, but part of the port lazarette dribbles might be because NoddyBleu's is set up as a bait well. I did not have to drill holes in the bottom -- just unscrew the bottom drain plug and pull it out. This solves what the extra SS drain fitting through the hull above the bilge outfall is all about. I filled that lazarette with junk, etc. so long ago I never even noticed that it had a drain. Much drier in there now, although all the water I found didn't amount to a cupfull. I wish one of these little emoticons was a dope slap; I'd give it to myself.
Rod :embarrased
 
Those batteris certainly would be very easy to service, to keep the terminals and wires sprayed with corrosion block. However, a basic ABYC principle is violated here, with the battery terminals uncovered. If a tool or conductive material were to drop across the batteries it could be a bad situation.

I keep 2 large fenders and two medium fenders in this area. You might want to consider alternative mounting and protection.
 
thataway":18tj8sl7 said:
You might want to consider alternative mounting and protection.
Click to expand...
Yes, I keep thinking about that. Part of me still wants to switch to sealed batteries and move them into the house. Though, as you noted before, I would need some mighty big cable to relocate the engine batteries that far away.
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mike
 
Old-fashioned vaseline has always been effective in preventing corrosion on battery terminals. (I assume I am stating the obvious)

As far as water on a battery goes, I don't think it does any harm as long as the battery isn't submerged. ;)
 
Mike, I have been using dielectric grease on my battery terminals and electrical connections. It has put an end to corrosion all together. The fine folks out at Mobile East Marine in S.C. gave me the tip when we picked up our Angler. The best deal I have found is a 3oz tube by Permatex for 6 dollars at Auto Zone.
 
Dialectric grease is a silicone lubricant of a great number of uses. I have a full sized grease gun tube of Super-Lube (brand) I've been using for at least the past 10 years, and still have enough to gently slide me though the trip into the hereafter! Wonderful on boats, as you can imagine from the notes below!

From Wikipedia:

"Silicone grease is a waterproof grease made by combining a silicone oil with a thickener. Most commonly, the silicone oil is polydimethylsiloxane and the thickener is amorphous fumed silica. Using this formulation, silicone grease is a translucent white viscous paste, with exact properties dependent on the type and proportion of the components.

Silicone grease is commonly used for lubricating and preserving rubber parts, such as O-rings. Additionally, silicone grease does not swell or soften the rubber, which can be a problem with hydrocarbon based greases. It functions well as a corrosion-inhibitor and lubricant for purposes that require a thicker lubricant, such as the operating mechanism of the M1 Garand rifle.
Thermal grease often consists of a silicone grease base, along with added thermally conductive fillers. It is used for heat transfer abilities, rather than friction reduction.

Silicone grease is also used widely by the plumbing industry in faucets and seals, as well as dental equipment. Electrical utilities use silicone grease to lube separable elbows on lines which must endure high temperatures. Silicone greases generally have a temperature range of -40 to 400 °C.

Silicone-based lubricants are often used by consumers in applications where other common consumer lubricants, such as petroleum jelly, would damage certain products, such as latex rubber condoms and gaskets on drysuits. It can be used to lubricate fountain pen mechanisms, preserve O-rings in flashlights, to seal waterproof watches and for O-rings on air rifles. Silicone-based lubricants are also commonly used for remote control hobbies. Various household uses include lubricating light bulb threads to facilitate removal and discourage stuck bulb (especially in outdoor lighting), door hinges, shower heads, threads on bolts, garden hose threads or any thread or mechanism that can be lubricated."

KEEP SOME HANDY ON YOUR BOAT; IT CAN BE USED IN HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPLICATIONS!

Joe. :teeth :thup ("Slip-Slidin' away..." :note)
 
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