Nattysw

I definitely will look into 12V car charger for my laptop then for efficiency! My laptop charger takes 240V and outputs 20.3V so I will need to check that's ok. Though we only have one 12V socket in the living space (also our TV is 240V amongst other things) so I'm conscious I probably will still need an inverter as well.

We're planning on running the engine to power the batteries as we're wanting to keep on the move! Our boat electrics are definitely not geared around an inverter and we're new to boating in the last year so will ing to bend however we need to to make it work (for example cut out the toaster and kettle and use the oven for both). The only non negotiable is charging my laptop as I work remotely, though it would be nice to meet in the middle!

Hi all! So currently myself and my partner are hooked up to shore power and we've not ventured out, but we're planning on going full time travelling later in the year so need to prepare! We recently had 4 new leisure batteries fitted with a victron charger and we'd like to fit an inverter for using the 240V. In our boat the lights, fridge and water pump run on the 12V, so we're mostly only looking to charge devices, toaster, kettle (though we can put one on the hob and use gas) and the TV. We also have a record player and a pretty hefty collection though we prepared to lay off the records whilst we're not hooked up! Does anyone have any good recommendations for an inverter that suits our system? Thanks in advance!

The connection is bolted on, no crocodile clips in sight! So we think the charger is the culprit and I’m likely to need to get a proper marine charger? Yes it doesn’t seem likely it’s charged up in 15 mins so I’m not really sure what’s happened there. Also the voltage on our readout is quite erratic and not stable, not sure if that helps diagnose the issue.

Thanks guys, maybe we’ll get another charger then. After unplugging the batteries and charger and plugging them back in to 240V they’ve magically gone up to 13V now…we unplugged them after and the boat ran off the batteries at 12V fine, (albeit maybe losing charge faster than we’d like), and then when plugging them back in it’s back to 13V. Not really a clue what that means…maybe a rusty connection?

Hi Alan, this is the exact charger as far as I can tell: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/battery-maintenance/battery-chargers/ring-rcb320-20a-workshop-battery-charger---up-to-12l-329109.html Thanks David, last night we turned off the water pump and we’ve only had it on when using the taps since then. Good to know that was the right call.

We’ve been plugged into shore power for a week now, would that really not be long enough to fully charge them? We’ve had no issues until last night. Just put the voltmeter across the charger and couldn’t get anything, although the charging light isn’t on where it is when it’s hooked up to the batteries.

Thanks Alan, I’ll give this a good read. I’ve just checked my batteries with the voltmeter and they’re both reading 11.5V. I’m not sure what to think of this as it’s higher than the reading in getting indoors, but clearly not high enough for them to be being charged through the charger properly. I think the next step is to try me rest the charger. I’ll take the time to read this first though.

Hi, I’m new to boating. Yesterday I noticed my water pump was continuously on, and feared I had a leak somewhere. After checking and finding no leak, and noticing my lights were also flickering, I found my battery output was at 9V. We’re plugged into shore power, so the charger should be charging the leisure batteries to at least 12V. I’ve checked the reading on the charger and it reads that the battery is charging but near 100%. We have solar panels, and when the sun is out it goes to 12.5V, but when it goes behind the clouds we’re back down to 9 or 10, with it intermittently changing between the two. Our leisure batteries are the same type, but 2 and 5 years old respectively. How can I diagnose what the issue is? From my research it seems it’s either the batteries aren’t holding charge, or the charger isn’t working, or some fuse or wiring is gone. I don’t want to buy new batteries to find out it’s the charger and ruin brand new batteries too. I’m going to buy a voltmeter today, and I’m just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to diagnose the issue. TIA!