Next message: Richard Goodwin: "Re: lv-ab: Electrical Problems"
With this system, can you tell 60A charge from 60A draw? What did you have
with batts all connected and 120V turned off? Prev poster was right, 60A @
12V is 720W of heat, about the same as an electric heater on low. I vote
for quirk in the monitor system, next choice a problem with the batteries,
but then one or more batteries would be very warm. Batteries are not known
to fix themselves, so they are less likely. Diodes in the charger or
alternator could cause this, have you run the engine yet & checked charging
there? The alt diodes can draw current with engine off.
Good tool for everyone to have on board: Clamp on Ampmeter with DC
capability, these are at Sears for $50. This would tell you if there was
really a wire with 60A on it, or if the monitor was confused..
Lee Haefele
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Doty" <>
To: "'S/V Pilgrim'" <>
Cc: <>
Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 9:38 PM
Subject: RE: lv-ab: Electrical Problems
> Hi, Everybody!
>
> Thanks for the responses thus far...please keep them coming. I have a
> bit of new information to add (some requested by other list members).
>
> First, I have a Freedom 10 inverter/charger. My house bank consists of
> 6 6-volt Trojan batteries (model T-125 "Mileage Masters") that were all
> purchased and installed at the same time (close to 4 years ago...so,
> they're getting a bit old). The batteries are connected in
> series/parallel (the third diagram from the left on
> http://www.trojanbattery.com/technology_connection.htm).
>
> Unfortunately, I don't have the manual for the "optional remote panel"
> for my Freedom 10. I do, however, have the installation manual and the
> "Inverter/Charger Guide" from Heart Interface. There is a BRIEF
> description of the "optional" Freedom Remote Panel in the
> "Inverter/Charger Guide." It says that overload conditions can be
> caused by Over Temperature, Short Circuit (which gets my vote),
> Oversized Load, Low Battery, or AC Feedback.
>
> I can't think of anything off the top of my head that is wired directly
> to the battery without passing through the control panel...though this
> is certainly possible with the boat having at least 3 previous owners.
>
> I mistyped earlier about the charges on the batteries. The starting
> battery is in a float state...NOT being charged as I typed earlier
> (i.e., it shows 13.2 volts). The house batteries (when disconnected
> from the charger) are showing a bit above 12 volts. I consider these to
> be normal, based on previous experience with the same set of batteries.
>
> So...here's some new news. I decided that I should contemplate my
> electrical problem over a pint of Guinness at my local watering hole.
> Before leaving, I sent the message that many of you have received and
> responded to (thanks!). I didn't want to come home to a Viking funeral
> pyre, so I turned EVERYTHING off. I even disconnected the friggin'
> house batteries. I then enjoyed not one, but two pints of Guinness.
>
> I then returned to Candide, grabbed a flashlight, and hooked everything
> back up. Guess what? I'm getting a NORMAL reading on the Freedom
> remote panel, even when BOTH banks are switched on! (by "normal," I
> mean that the panel indicates 10 DC amps...which is the lowest reading
> it is capable of displaying...the bottom LED on the column of lights).
> I've been watching it for a half hour and it hasn't changed.
>
> So, now what? Do you think it was just a fluke that needed a good reset
> by turning everything off (disconnecting everything) for a while? Or
> are there going to be headlines in tomorrow's morning paper that read,
> "Man killed while sleeping on sailboat. Electrical fire is suspect."
>
> Again, I REALLY appreciate your feedback. I don't like to mess around
> with problems like this...it's simply too dangerous...
>
> -Robert
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> [mailto:] On Behalf Of S/V
> Pilgrim
> Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 9:04 PM
> To: Robert Doty
> Cc:
> Subject: Re: lv-ab: Electrical Problems
>
> Robert
> Couple of things
>
>> Today, I noticed that the Heart Interface Remote
>> Panel was showing "Overcharge".
>
> Implies that the monitoring system has detected a problem ... What does
>
> the manual say about the term "overcharge" .. it could mean any number
> of things
>
> I started to investigate, and here's
>> what I found out:
>>
>> 1. I turned off EVERTHING DC-related at
>> the boat's electrical control panel. Still showed that it was drawing
>> 60 DC Amps!!!
>
> If there is a draw it is not via the panel .. what is directly wired to
> the battery?
>
>> 2. I turned OFF the house bank of batteries.and remote panel
>> dropped to a normal 10 DC Amps.
>
> What is taking 10 Ampers DC? That means you have an unexplained 50
> Ampers draw..
>
>> 3. The house bank, turned off, shows 12 volts as expected.
>
> 12 VDC is a bit low for a fully charged house battery ... sounds as if
> the house batteries have a problem (are you running parallel 12 V
> batteries or series/parallel 6 volt golf cart batteries?). test each
> cell for the correct SG. Check the connections while you are in there.
>
>> 4. The starter battery is showing 13.2 volts or so (which is normal
>> when it's charging)
>
> When it is charged .. when charging it should be higher.. 13.2 is the
> float voltage.
>>
>
> It seems to me that there's a short somewhere.
>
> Sounds great .. now what's smoking? That kind of power draw will cause a
>
> lot of heat unless it is a bad monitor or your battery bank is trying to
>
> charge.
>
> If you turn off the charger what current is being drawn by the house?
> Could it be that you are running something on DC that is not wired to
> the panel? I assume you have a Link 10 or some other Amp/Hour meter
> installed that would allow you to monitor battery draw independent of
> the charger.
>
> You may have a dead cell in one of your house batteries.. the only way
> to find it is to check each cell with a hydrometer ..
>
>
> --
> Brian
> S/V Pilgrim Whitby 42 #304
>
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