Something is KILLING our narrowboat batteries? | NIGHTMARE off-grid HOUSEBOAT REFIT
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- čas přidán 24. 04. 2023
- Vlog 128
There is a battery killer on the loose... so with more enthusiasm than a colony of Duracell bunnies, Chris and Becks head to their narrowboats engine to check out their leisure battery situation.
Putting their newly found multi-meter skills to test, they have a go at checking whether their batteries are taking and holding charge from the second alternator.
Is their trusty Ford transit banana engine trustworthy after all?
Or is it that their fridge is a hungry battery power guzzling monster???
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Hope you can share !!
Just a tip guys, if I may. Think of batteries like little water tanks. When they're not connected to each other, you can measure the voltage in them individually. When they're all connected it's like plumbing all the water tanks in together and they find a common level, hence they all read the same. If you have a weak battery, you need to disconnect them from each other to find it. Also, not a great deal of difference in Volts between a fully charged one and a flat one ok. Hope this helps 👍🏼
Also, the sign of a battery having a "Dead cell" is that it charges and discharges quickly
oh right woaw that helps a lot, we still have a few small tests to run but I do feel we may need a whole bunch of new ones, thanks again this is so useful
very interesting thank you
Just remove the black cables from the leisure bats and then measure them individually. I recommend you leave the red cables alone.
Ok here goes nothing, does your narrowboat bow thruster tube/water line level shift depending on level in water tanks, fuel tanks, waste tanks etc.? Just a thought. 🫤
Just my 2 pence, check for parasitic current drain and also check that your electricals are well insulated from the hull, the reason being is that rapid corrosion occurs if current leakage is present, even the boats moored fore and aft can affect your hull, so be double careful.
You can now add duck trainer to your talents, that's another feather in your cap.😅
haha love it Roy
Another great vlog. Nice colour fridge generously donated.
Cute duck, think you've made a friend Chris. ❤
Thanks so much Sheila ....Im hoping to have my very own clan of ducklings haha take care
I couldn’t help but wonder how impressed Becks is by how you open and close the kitchen cupboard doors with your boots! You are both blessed with the ability to laugh through whatever is thrown at you, and with the useful advice that you receive will overcome all the hiccups 😊. Always enjoyable, take care.
yeah hopefully she doesn't see that haha thanks for you comment Jon glad you enjoy our crazy little adventure take care
Ah loving the duck - onboard! Yes get the nest! Babies! That would be amazing 🤩
now were talking
Hey Chris and Becks it's good to see you getting on with the jobs. I can't help you with the batteries as I don't have a fu~~ing scooby how they work. I did notice though that there was no images of gloves. Has Chris found a new obsession with the duck, I hope so as she is so cute. Anyway guys keep the content coming as I love all your videos. 😄
thanks Stewart, its hard trying to work out especially being absolutely clueless...I do feel will get there eventually...or bex will anyway haha thank you and take care
Need to disconnect batteries from each other and charge controller to measure their holding voltage between terminals.
Thanks Tom, that's really useful to know 🙂
Re battery wiring.the correct way to wire for you would be leave the earth's as they are but you need the live take off,to the load + alternator,to be from your end of the row third battery.then the current is running through them ALL,not just the first one.
Wow those fridges aren't cheap. What a gentleman. I'm sure you'll soon be cruising. The Nene is stunning. Take care guys.
no we were pretty impressed...hopefully its not to juicy for the 12 volt, good luck on the nene
I love your Vlogs guys - too funny - keep up the good work!
Thanks Rebecca 🥰
Try feeding the duck tinned peas or sweetcorn, much better for them.
I was scouring the kitchen cupboards for something. She turned her beak up when I offered her some greens!
You need to isolate your starter battery from the house batteries. With your dual alternators, one charges the starter and the other the house batteries.
thanks for this Paul
You two are so funny 😆 You actually make me laugh out loud!! Love watching you both. Keep up the good work xxx
thanks so much for enjoying the videos Clare, it really makes it worth it for us :)
Honestly, you are both so funny. I love how Bex is always so calm and you are just hilarious 😂
Love the new pet, think you should call her Doris ♥️ Xx
If I'm following things correctly, you drained your water tank behind the bow thruster compartment prior to hunting for the source of the water. That might turn out bad for two reasons: first, the tank itself might be leaking, and second, the extra weight of the water in the tank makes the bow sit lower so certain parts of the hull will be above the waterline now that were below it before.
we painted the water tank last year so had it drained but we have since filled it up to the top again, by what we hear your not realy meant to let them sit empty for to long, thanks for your comment
The both of you always put a smile on my face! You're a real team effort! Keep the film rolling!
thanks so much for doing us on this nutty little adventure
I heard Becca say alternator. Blah blah blah blah blah ! Went right over my head ! Your a beautiful boffin Becca ! Xx
Ps your beautiful too chris ! X
thanks so much Mandy your too kind, im horrible on the inside , Bex really is a Beautiful Boffin , take care xx
@@TheNomadicCrobot your not horrible ! Your a very cuddly kind young man with a wicked sense of humour ! X
FWIW the leisure batteries are not showing green because they are likely low on electro,lyte, possibly due to overcharging. If possible top up to just above the plates with distilled water. The low electrolyte will give reduced capacity as only part of the battery plates are being used.
When finance permits go lithium :-). Longer life less aggro.
Good luck😉
Thanks so much, I was wondering if these ones could be topped up or not as I know some are completely sealed. Il have to take another look. Ahh lithium batteries, I've heard many good things, they are just so expensive!! I'm sure worth the money though 🙂
Love your determination. Brilliant. Keep going. Ur nearly there. 🎉
Cheers Trevor...we must be over half way now.... 10 years later haha
You have a battery for short high discharge for the starter & 3 deep cycle batteries for slow discharge - the starter should be rated in Cold Cranking Amps(CCA) & the deep is rated in Amp Hours at a slow discharge - The different loads maybe 100 amps starter for 4 seconds & deep cycle 20 amps for 5 hours - this means different testing for each battery type = both can fail if left mostly discharged for a a day or more since the plates will be damaged
thanks for this that explains a lot, so much to get our heads around ...Bex gets the chance to learn how to become an electrician :)
Wait until little Daisy does a POOP! on yer fabrics ... It's like getting Chewing-Gum out of yer Hair .....😂😂
Haha!! Well we can look forward to that then!! 😂
Condesation!! Wrap or spray insulation around the bow thruster to separate the cold water pipes from the warmer air.
Yeah this is what we are thinking too. Thanks for the tip 🙂
Chrissy Crobot - you need a pet duck - you should name her!
Haha!! He would love one! We sort of named her Jermima Soprano!
Hi guys great vlog btw. Your charging systems look like they're working fine the solar will take your leisure batteries upto approx 14.4v but once a load is put onto the system voltage will drop to approx 12.7 volts. A leisure battery resting as in no charging or discharging should be between 12.2 and 12.8, 12.8 being fully charged. To check these disconnect all of them and leave for 30mins then check voltage if any drop lower than the previous connected reading then I'd suspect that battery is at fault. To check each battery you can load test each battery see narrowboatwill vid on battery testing he has a tester too 👍, your solar panels are probably ok for summer use. I'm not sure what size panels you have, but only 2? You may need more panels and new bigger charge controller but if your cruising everyday you should be ok, I hope this helps.
our solar set up is very minimal it just came with he boat, its ok but not really enough for real cruising, thanks so much for these tip will be sure to try them over the next few days, so much information, thanks so much :)
Ah another great vlog, you pair are a class act 😊
thanks for enjoying :)
The biggest battrie killer on any boat is the use of automotive alternators, as they are earthed through the body of the unit were true marine alternators are what are known as above ground , and the negative of the electrical system must only return to the batteries not the engine or hull . And the starter motor must also be isolated when not in use for starting as this can be a sauce of grounding when the system is not in use via the negative pole
Thanks so much for this, it's really useful to know. When we next have a moment we will have a look at the set up of ours to see what's what. Thanks again 😊
Funny how many people cut towards their hands just like they don't know how that could go wrong!🤣
its a very good point
If you want to vent the area of the bow thruster. You could take your hole saw and make a hole in each of the four corners.
To keep the SPIDERS away you could attach a piece of window screen on the back side of the stairs over the holes.
Just a thought..........Wait till the duck hoops on the deck and starts tapping on the door for food. (all the time)
Lol Yess, they soon become demanding loud and poo everywhere.. bit like having kids :D
thats a good idea, I think were looking at a few vents in the area really, hopefully the spiders will be to big to get through haha woaw I cant wait for the duck to come knocking haha
yes the pooing has begin
Your videos lift our spirits. Thank you 😊
thats great thanks for this :)
Aww lovely duck 😊 nice fridge 😊good video 😊thank you
thanks Rickon....crispy duck for dinner???
Likening the music on the vlogs👍👍
thanks...I really liked the track I used later in the episode too
first 🙂 The aluminum boat is a ferry or a work boat on which e.g. a small excavator can stand or a work team cutting branches. Anyway, it can be used for many occasions.
yep River Authorities etc.
Ahh this is what we wondered! Thanks for clearing that up for us 😉
its lovely love the colour
thank you x
you need to disconnect the three leisure batteries so you can look at them one at a time. if one is duff it will just discharge the others slowly. the best way to check them is to charge them up measure the voltage then put a high load on them and see how fast the voltage drops or not. A few car headlamp bulbs is quite a good load 2 @ 55W but they will get hot, so don't rest them on any wood. Don't try starting the boat with one, that could kill a leisure battery for sure. they are not designed to provide starting current type loads.
Thanks so much for this. I did wonder if we should check them individually so that clears that up. We will get back to work and have another go at checking them one by one. I thought the starter battery was wired up separately for that very reason but I think we need to re check that too!
@@TheNomadicCrobot well the battery on my old car reads 14.5V on charge, about 12.3V off charge and bloody 8V if you turn the starter. so had to go and buy a new one, different terminals, in a different order so got to get new cables made. I feel your pain. but the car's 55 years old so not all bad.
Oh wow bloody hell, what a pain that must have been. Definitely good for a 50+ year old though!
We do look forward to your videos 😃
thanks so much xx
Little by little
bit by bit
its all looking great 🙌🏼
You guys always conquer‼️
Little ducky is so cute🦆
thank you its been a slow old process, but im sure will be out of the marina in the next months take care sunny
Boat party neighbours 🙌🥳
demoooooooo
has it been raining when youve had the steps off the bow thruster area? if not try playing your hose pipe over the covers and boat roof to see if any comes inside. great video you are getting there !
thats actually not a bad idea, we really dont think it could be rain, but anythings worth trying at this point thank you
Try putting a vent in the staircase cover for the Bow Thruster Area.
I think that may be the next step thank you Robert
Thanks!
thanks so much for the Sandra , the support has been unreal, hope you have a lovely week x
Hi Becca, Chris, Really pleased for you that there was no water in the bow thrust area. Loving the way you were checking your batteries. Becca is so knowledgeable on everything. Becca is a Genius!. I'm learning so much from you guys, as Becca explains everything so clearly. Your new donated fridge looks super-kool, how kind was that of Andrew. I hope he gets some business because of his kindness to you. How cute is your new pet, The Duck!!!!!! Great to see Chris's shower tray making a re-appearance. Chris your hamburgers looked so tasty. Great bit of editing with Chris talking to camera, then a change of angle but without any break in the flow of Chris's voice (excellent work). It goes without saying, I did not go unnoticed your amazing audio dubbing skills too. Great to hear the dramatic music this week. Loved music on the end credit card. Was that you Chris? As always, a very interesting and very well produced Vlog. Take care.
Wow! I can't say that I've ever been called a genius before!!! 😂 Thank you! I owe it to my dad really and inheriting his curiosity and like of investigating how things work! I feel like I talk in riddles when I try explaining things so thanks so much for saying I explain things clearly.
We love the new fridge and are so grateful for his generosity, it honestly has helped us so much 🥰 we definitely hope he gets some business from it too. As for our little ducky, we are in love 😍 she is absolutely gorgeous. Although feel like she is going to eat us out of boat and home! I can verify Chris's burgers were delicious, he is such a great cook as well as a brilliant editor! I think it's in his blood. I will pass on all your lovely comments to him. We both really always appreciate your supportive comments. Have a lovely week ☺️
Love your videos 👍
thanks so much
Hello you lovely pair 😊
hiiiiiiii :)
Crobot does it again, another awesome video. Number 1 stalker approved haha. Hate electrics, took me ages to get my head around the vans setup. Love your new pet, she's cute. Launch day is getting closer and closer guys. 🎉🎉😊
cheers buddy, I cant get my head around the electronics, the problem is its quite expensive to bring someone in, sure Bex will get her head around it all haha launch day can not come soon enough
@The Nomadic Crobot I have every faith in her too. I bet mate. Adventures needed 😉
Why not rotate the cabinet 90 degrees? The back along the outside wall. Then close in the wall as before and while on the toilet more room too. I'm sure you've thought of this I just couldn't help myself.... Best wishes as always, Deb
Ooh this might work, thanks Deb we will try that and see how it looks x
The duck will be fine. xx
yayyyy xx
I always have a bit of moisture under my bow thruster tube after a long hard day too. 🤪🤣
haha brilliant
Love it that you guys keep it real. You make a fantastic "Inspector Gadget" Beck's. And very knowledgeable too. Yesh duck will be just fine. As long as her main diet isn't white bread, which of course it won't be don't feel guilty.
Bex does great doesn't she...but with my new special book ill soon be catching up, thanks Sandra
Watch out Becks ducks are so appealing she'll take over!!! Then again the sight of the marigolds will put any self respecting duck off completely Great vid Cheers n beers Marty Australia
the ducks are coming for my marigolds...I knew I should have hidden them in a better spot hi from the uk take care
I do the hurting 😂😂😂😂😂
sorry im terrible haaa
Again brilliant and so much fun. We did something like what you plan on doing with the old drawers in our bathroom in Victoria, looked brilliant, lots of work, sanding, varnish, sanding, varnishing etc but it looked brilliant BUT our bathroom was a bit bigger in our home than your bathroom on the narrowboat, but then your set of drawers are smaller than what we used. The outcome was fantastic and you’ll love the finished product. We want a tiny house in Victoria, wanta come over and help? Lots of things we seem to have the same taste in. Thanks guys another fantastic one. Stay safe. XXXX
Thanks Pauline and always lovely to hear from you, woaw your bathroom sounds amazing...its lovely when a plan comes together, once we have finished our bathroom will float over to you and help you with you tiny house project... do you think we will make it over the sea??? take care and see you soon xxxx
@@TheNomadicCrobot. Wouldn’t it be good to think you would, even to France for a change of scenery.
Ooh yes definitely! 🥰
I don't like bow thrusters.
I would if I were in your shoes get it in a dry dock and cut out the bow thruster tube and weld plates over the ends of the tube.
Then do a Michael and move your water pump and accumulator into the space vacated by removing the tube.
Fridge compressors draw a lot of power to check out what makes the compressor is and look at spec sheets.
You can buy a low power draw fridge and or plumb in its own solar panel perhaps?
we don't actually need the bow thruster we managed just fine on our journeys without it so id be very tempted to get the holes welded shut, at least we would know for sure it wasn't them bringing in the water. id personally love to rip the whole water tank/ thruster area out and put in a lovely new water tank but its money we dont have at the moment, yes the fridge is s a funny one...were hoping this new one won't be to power hungry so will have to run a few tests. thanks for this David
Good vid
thanks Michael
It is called a pontoon boat. To check a 12 vold battery unhook the batteries and read each one ,they should be close to the same voltage if one is under 12 it has a problem . A week battery in the system will pull the good ones down.
Thanks so much Garyl, I did wonder if I should disconnect them from each other. Will give this a try 😊
Evening is made❤
cheers Simon :)
@@TheNomadicCrobot 😘🥰
Columb chaos. It’s the Titan night stalker assisted by spiders nicking volts when the snoring is in progress. By the way Chris did you know spiders rub their willies on your face when your asleep.
I knew the would be down to spiders....they can take their tiny spider willies back to the trees.....actually I may join them at this stage
Fab vlog... re the batteries, when you measured the leisure batteries that voltage was quite high, so they are maybe connected to solar and being charged? To measure the batteries you need to disconnect them ideally so you're just measuring the one rather than the whole bank.....
thank you, yes I thought they were really high too, I think you could be right as they are still connected to the solar, thanks so much for the advice
@@TheNomadicCrobot pop a blanket over the panels and measure again... :)
Ducks will eat bread rice but you have to have the rice wet.
Oh thank you! She kept turning her beak up at anything else we tried!
A nice exciting project maybe building your own batteries, saves you between 1/2 to 2/3 of off shelve current electrickery, costs you severe stress temporarily, I did it and now look like Catweazle but did it, build my own batteries. 👍 and yes as you mentioned in previous episode, bread is bad bad for the crop of the duck, they can choke caused by bread feeding love.
Building our own batteries! Wow! We would have the foggiest where to start there!!! Sounds amazing though! Yes you are right about too much bread for our ducky friends. We tried the let shop but they had no duck food so will have to try elsewhere before we end up with a carb addict on our hands!!
Quaker Oates or any porridge mix you can get your hands on is ideal for wildfowl and probably a lot cheaper than Naambread 😎😎😎
that seams like a great idea thanks John
The bathroom, please put a vapor barrier in there and a bilge pump on the lowest end in the boat. And ground the schower thing? to the mass of the boat, don't know the English word for that. Important!
Nice fridge and loved the editing again. Said it a number of times, but youre great and the sound effects..........hilarious. Thank you again!
bilge pumps a re a must...there on the list, thanks for your advice and noticing the editing style :)
i think you mean grounding it to the hull :-)
@@weerwolfproductions Yep, the hull is mass right?
@@rpaasse6453 yes it's the steel, de 'romp' of the boat.
@@weerwolfproductions De romp, thats what i mean. Next time in Dutch?
another entertaining video guys, a couple of explanations for you. 1 the red lights on the engine panel are the same as the battery symbol on the dash of your car. They should come on every time you turn the ignition on and extinguish as soon as the engine starts, so first check is to replace the bulb in the one on the right in the video that didn't come on, your voltage check with the engine running proves the alternators are running so there is a fault in that light circuit. 2 to check your batteries without a tester first read the label to determin the amphour rating of the batteries then with only one battery connected to the house circuit run a known load, for example if the battery is 200a/h then run a 20 amp load for 5 hours which equates to 100a/hrs or half capacity and check the voltage it should be right around 12.4 the nominal half charge voltage, if less then battery probably need replacing. Repeat with each battery and job done. 3 Check that your battery chargers both solar and 240vac are going into float mode if not this may indicate the batteries need replacing due to not holding charge. Hope this helps cheers
woaw so much useful information in here thanks so much, yes we had wondered if it was a bulb, the batteries are something im trying to get my head around but its quite confusing so thanks for making it all a little less confusing, my guess is that we will need new ones but then we want to make sure there set up right too or we will have just wasted our money, one thing after another with these lovely bots haha thanks again
@@TheNomadicCrobot I had another thought as well, check your inverter charger to ensure it is set for AGM not lithium batteries, the charge profile for lithium would damage AGM batteries
Definitely invest in some solar to help keep batteries charged and they will last longer, also go online and research battery care, deep cycle batteries like yours need to be properly maintained and only use distilled water in your batteries. Normal water has minerals that can damage the battery plates. I would recommend about 300 watts of solar panels and a good name brand solar charge controller.
yes were just looking into it actually, we have a tiny solar panel on there but if we want to be full time cruisers we will need more, thats very interesting many thanks for your help Danny
I could pop a few AA batteries in the post !!
that should sort it thanks Tom haha
It's always something. haha. Love the videos, keep it up. I live in the US and wish we had a canal system like yours to sail around the country on.
there really is...what an interesting life haha thanks and hopefully one day will see you on our canals and rivers
@@TheNomadicCrobot that would be great. Hope to one day visit Great Britain
I relate So I subscribe
Thank you :)
Hi just thought I might say don't just connect that fridge to anywhere they have to be wired direct to the batterys with the correct size wire or it will not work properly.Testing batterys they have to be disconnected from each other or they will all read the same
oh thats really interesting, the original fridges were just plugged into the 12 volt sockets or the wall plug, I wonder if that could off damaged the boats wiring??thanks for tip yes we realised that now ...typical
OK - so before you measure a battery voltage, either disconnect, or cover up, your solar panels, and make sure that the battery charger and the engine are both off. That first reading you took was most likely a charging voltage - maybe from the solar - as the second reading you took was lower but I noticed the sky was also more cloudy.
Edit: - in fact given your lack of electrical understanding - cover up your solar before attempting to disconnect or you may end up getting a shock from the cable.
ahhhh ok right that makes sense, looks like a few more tests need to be done
You're on the right track testing those batteries but when seeing how they discharge make sure the solar and shoreline aren't still charging them. They're almost certainly fritzed anyway.
Ps, I very much used to live on a "Project Narrowboat"!
yes we believe they probably are, we had disconnected the shore..not the solar...so maybe a few more tests need to be carried out.I am wondering if we go the generator route after watching one of your videos..they seam very handy thanks
I've got a genny I can sell you but you'd be best off with a built in diesel one really
Fabulous little fridges the Montpelier ones
thats great to know cheers boaty neighbour
Omg the new wombat crew mate is a cutie 🦆
Ps we don’t really know much about batteries but going from 14 to 12.7 isn’t a drop in power in the batteries it’s just a drop in state
They’re on 14 while being charged; probably from the solar and then 12.7ish is just when they’re full 😊
We *think*
oh right this is interesting, boat life...next step after learning how to becoma a plumber (well Bex)is now learning to become electrician...its an inserting life
Not far off ideal charging voltage between 14 and 15 volt to overcome internal resistance,
After charging at rest they should settle to 12.7 ish and be fine until they reach 11volt discharged after that any lower they will start to sulphate never connect with the start battery except through a diode splitter to separate charging from discharge as leisure batteries are at their best with low charge/discharge currents and start batteries like a bit of current to prevent aging.
They should be separated for testing to show each for their own values and battery voltage drop testers are not that dear and brill when you need one.
I would disconnect the batteries from each other and if one is weak then the voltage will start to drop away in relation to the others. You won't be able to tell while they are all connected in a bank. It might take a little while to notice the voltage difference between the individual batteries once they are disconnected from each other.
When charging the voltage should be about 14.4v. Then once you stop charging make sure there is nothing drawing a load from them and the voltage will slowly drop back to around 12.8v. If it continues dropping well past that, then its probably a weak battery.
yes it looks like this is what we should have probably done, thanks so much for this will be sure to attempt it this week :)
you recon the duck will come with when you cruise?
finger crossed we can only hope haha
Two brothers Two hoovers Charles VS Titan 😂
Hi becca you have to disconnect the batteries to test them individually x
ahhh that would explain it thank you Tina
@@TheNomadicCrobot we have a problem with our engine at the moment it's a process of elimination narrowboat life for ya. You remind me of us when we were doing our boat up from ex hire to live aboard xx
You really need to be considering spending a (quite a bit extra) for some LifePO4 batteries for a number of reasons. This will become apparent when you compare discharge curves with that of Lead Acid. When purchasing look for one that has low temperature protection & heating elements for charging when temps are below 5 degrees Celsius.
I have heard other people suggest these, we will have to see if we can find the pennies to invest in some! Thanks for the info 😊
I doubt that amount of water is condensation, it's more likely rain water getting in somwhere. As others have said here you don't get an accurate battery measurement when they're all connected together.
this is something thats thrown us for years now, the rain theory was something we thought for a long time yet there really doesn't seam anywhere it can get in from but it is still an option, thanks Steve
Clear dot means it low level electrolyte. Refill :)
thats interesting thanks
The 3000 watts peak power will only be for short bursts of a few seconds. A low frequency inverter is better for anything with a high inductive load (anything with a motor)
Ooh thanks for clarifying ☺️
In your alternate reality, anything could happen.
After far too much feeding, Duckzilla grows to unbelieveable size, takes up residence on your well deck, and gives birth to millions of spiderlings. Yes, brain-eating ones.
Condensation in the bow thruster area? Could be due to breathing. Many little arachnids panting excitedly, waiting for their chance to scare Chris.
im patently waiting DUCKZILLA...well thats if she doesn't end up in our soup this evening...theres a reason im luring her in...only joking...shes farrrr to cute...I take it all back. thanks always Peter
Buy a boat they said, cruise canals they said, live off grid they said. Welcome to livingaboard!
I know....it's quite the test cheers Jeff
that red light thats not coming on could the bulb be broken rather than something more complicated - speaking from experience here
yes we think you may be right, thank you :)
I'm not 100% sure, but I think that the gray neighbor you've got is a boat!
Can you check your battery status when they are connected? They are connected parallel that's why they give you equal voltage numbers.
I don´t mind seeing your toilet as long as no one is on picture using it!
Haha! I think you might be right! Ahh ok that makes sense. I did wonder whether we should separate them to test them so will be giving this a try I think. Hahaha!!! Yeah we will make sure to steer clear of that! 😂
Your batteries need to be disconnected to get an accurate reading.
The mystery boat is obviously a Spider Fast Deployment Vessel. Used by the CRT to respond quickly to any shortage of spiders on the entire network 😋
a few people have said this know so looks like we have to get in there again, haaa I was actually thinking it was more to remove the evil spiders....not to bring us more :)
Something to do with ysing an appliance....would that be an appliance that uses more 1500w when running but drains more that 3000w when starting? Just an idea...
I have a feeing we may turned the charger off when we first got the boat and complete destroyed the batteries😕
Guys turn your charger off when not connected to sure power probably why it says it on the inverter plug lol 😎
This. If you have a mains powered charger connected to your inverter then you are discharging the batteries to try and charge them. Guaranteed to just drain your batteries rapidly.
I am not sure that you have a mains powered charger of course, but you did point at a box and call it a charger 😂
Oh yeah we definitely do that. The last owner of the boat blew up an inverter doing exactly that!! 😂
Yeah this makes sense, thanks Robin. Lucky for us there's signs everywhere reminding us to not have the two on simultaneously after the last owner blew one up!!! 😂
@@TheNomadicCrobot perhaps it is worth doing the following tests.
Unplug from shore power for a few days, measure the battery voltage in the morning, noon and evening. This will show whether your batteries are dead. I suspect your little solar panels will do something so at noon you should see a higher voltage.
It is worth understanding that 12.8v is fully charged, unloaded. When you see more than 13v something is actually charging the batteries. There are three things, shore power charger, solar and alternator.
You should be able to test alternator at dusk by disconnecting from shore power, turn off your inverter, measure voltage, start engine, measure voltage. As it's dusk/dark solar is doing nothing. Any rise in voltage you see is your alternator output. Should be 14+v unless batteries really flat.
Thanks so much for this Robin it's all really really helpful and helps me to make sense of things a bit more too. We will definitely try this and see what the outcome is. Many thanks again ☺️
remove the batteries and go to a motor factor and have them load tested.
I actually have a friend that can run some heaver tests on them I wonder if this is what your talking about many thanks
Fridges freezers n tv kills yr batteries i put a switch on my fridge freezer so i can turn it off at night...
that does seam to be the way, thanks I may have to try the same
Bit of sound advice: if youve got electrical issues of any kind , shorts , bleeds etc .
Get in your mask and pants hop in that gloriously inviting warm water and check your anodes are looking as new as you can afford
oh thats interesting, we did have the boat out recentlyish and they were deemed to still be fit, thanks for your tip
Buy your self a battery load tester
Ooh thanks for the tip 🙂
flip the cabinet 90 degrees? I am no expert on batteries, but I think you would need to disconnect them from each other to get a proper reading. 1 may be duff or not balanced with the other 2.
Ooh yes we will try this and see how it looks. Ahh ok thanks for mentioning that, I did wonder this at the time and was planning to disconnect them from each to try and see if there was a difference 👍
If James fininshes his 2nd boat, before Becks finishes your boat i swear hahaha
I wouldn't be at all surprised..haha
he's off to a right manic start on the new one!
😂😂😂
batteries are always a thing..would be a safe idea to have an isolator switch for the starter battery when stationary(just in case) and match up leisure battery amps per hour etc.Anything running through an inverter is gonna use a lot of power, always best to have 12 volt everything! Deffo condensation as previously thought..how about insulating the thruster tube to reduce that cold spot?..when I lived on boats I found that making my own shower tray was easiest, make it with wood then cover it with 3-4 layers of fibreglass..sand and paint with Gelcoat..or cut down the original tray and add fibreglass to stick it back together..like wide gaffer tape along the edges.Don't forget the duck will poo indoors! best of luck guys! till next time...adios amigos xx. p.s for solar stuff have you heard of "Bimble Solar" yet? one of the best for price and service ;)
woaw thanks will take a look into this Bible stuff, thats interesting what you say about the batteries thanks, yes we are looking to insulate the thruster a bit more, a few more checks this week and that should finally determine if it is a leak...the stairs have been of for over 2 weeks now, the shower tray idea sounds great, far warmer on your feet in the winter
@@TheNomadicCrobot "Bimble solar" take a look, you won't go back :)
What about solar panels. Not finished with the episode so dont mind me if yoummention them 😊
we have 2 tiny panels but need a real set unreally something were just working on thanks Reece
@@TheNomadicCrobot yeah, it would make life alot easier
It's hard to tell, but it looks like the charge going in to your battery bank is that the positive and negative is going in to the first battery, then the rest are linked in parallel. i could be wrong but i think you get a better result with the negative from your charge controller going to the far end of your bank and the positive from your charge controller going to nearest end of your battery bank, that way all the batteries in the bank get an equal amount of charge. perhaps someone can correct me if i'm wrong.
The short version is that it doesn't matter.
The longer version is boring but yes it will make a small difference when the batteries are taking a lot of current, but once they are more or less charged it will all even itself out.
Thanks for this Terry, it's all very confusing stuff when you don't know much about it as me and Chris don't! Is this the difference between having them wired in parallel as opposed to series? Or is that something different again? I have heard it makes a difference 🤔
Thanks for clarifying Robin 🙂
@@TheNomadicCrobot definitely do not wire in series ... You will break lots of stuff in your boat. Parallel is correct for a 12v system (which your boat is). Series will apply 24v (2 in series) or 36v (3 in series) to your boat electrics ⚡⚡
I am happy to provide some remote troubleshooting if you need a hand.
@@TheNomadicCrobot I'm no expert either, but if the system on your boat is 12v then the battery bank needs to be in parallel. there are some good tutorials on you tube and the web in general.
Did you know your leisure batteries are wired wrongly.
Only your first battery(where the original live+ earth are wired to)is being used.yhe other 2 are just slaves and are not able to provide any help until the first is depleted.
Google the correct way.
This is interesting thanks Brian, will be sure to get someone to have a proper look for us
U need solar
next stop solar city
Battery balancing?
that would be a good idea