Nasa battery monitor

[Kalapattar]

Hi again! My monitor reads 13.6 volt charging (hooray) and second display reads 0.1 amp! What does that mean please?

[Sea Dog]

Have the batteries been on charge a while? If so, it means your batteries are full and the charger is in float, so it can't stuff much in by way of Amps. 

 

If the engine is running your alternator us duff...!

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Sea Dog
Alt.

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, Kalapattar said:

Hi again! My monitor reads 13.6 volt charging (hooray) and second display reads 0.1 amp! What does that mean please?

It means you are charging at 13.6 volts, but only at 0.1 amp which means you may have a problem and your batteries will never be charged. They will probably become sulphated from repeated undercharging and you will need to replace them - BUT - find out why you are not charging properly, or your new ones will go the same way.

 

The alternative is they are 'full'.

 

Have you seen it charging at 14.4 volts ?

Edited December 6, 2020 by Alan de Enfield

[Sea Dog]

1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

It means you are charging at 13.6 volts, but only at 0.1 amp which means you have a problem and your batteries will never be charged. They will probably become sulphated from repeated undercharging and you will need to replace them - BUT - find out why you are not charging properly, or your new ones will go the same way.

One of us is misinterpreting this post...! 

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

One of us is misinterpreting this post...! 

 

 

 

True - not enough information regardimg the charging method and current situation.

[Kalapattar]

Hi! Alternator is ok because it’s showing 13+ volts charging.

 

I’m going to change batteries! I run engine about an every other day. 

[Sea Dog]

2 minutes ago, Kalapattar said:

Hi! Alternator is ok because it’s showing 13+ volts charging.

 

Not if it's only pushing 0.1 amps at 13.6 volts it's not. 

[Kalapattar]

Just now, Sea Dog said:

Not if it's only pushing 0.1 amps at 13.6 volts it's not. 

Ok, I do have an Adverc if that makes any difference? I’ll probably change engine belt just in case! Ta!

[Tony Brooks]

2 minutes ago, Kalapattar said:

Hi! Alternator is ok because it’s showing 13+ volts charging.

 

That is in no way definitive. If its charging at 13+ volts at 1200 rpm + into well charged batteries you would expect 13.8V minimum on obsolete alternators and nowadays 14V+

 

Alternators are actually three charge sources in one so you may have lost one of them.

 

We need volts and amps at 1500 rpm after first start up and then the same but after four or more hours or more charging.

[Kalapattar]

1 minute ago, Tony Brooks said:

That is in no way definitive. If its charging at 13+ volts at 1200 rpm + into well charged batteries you would expect 13.8V minimum on obsolete alternators and nowadays 14V+

 

Alternators are actually three charge sources in one so you may have lost one of them.

 

We need volts and amps at 1500 rpm after first start up and then the same but after four or more hours or more charging.

Ok thanks for info 

[Richard10002]

6 hours ago, Kalapattar said:

 I run engine about an every other day. 

I’m guessing the missing word is “hour”. Hard to think of another word that fits.

 

If you run your engine for about an hour every other day, in the belief that this will charge your batteries, your batteries are almost certainly flat, and there remains a strong chance that they are beyond recovery.

 

However, as Tony suggests, it would be good if you could start the engine, run it at 1500rpm and provide the voltage and Amps flowing once you have done this. Then leave it running for 4 hours, and provide the voltage and amps flowing.

 

This should enable someone who knows to give you some good advice.

 

If your batteries need replacing, you need to learn how to keep them charged so that you don’t destroy another set. It will involve running your engine for much longer than an hour every other day, the actual time depends on how many Ah you need to put back in.

 

Anyway... provide the info, and let’s see what it shows  

[Kalapattar]

5 hours ago, Richard10002 said:

I’m guessing the missing word is “hour”. Hard to think of another word that fits.

 

If you run your engine for about an hour every other day, in the belief that this will charge your batteries, your batteries are almost certainly flat, and there remains a strong chance that they are beyond recovery.

 

However, as Tony suggests, it would be good if you could start the engine, run it at 1500rpm and provide the voltage and Amps flowing once you have done this. Then leave it running for 4 hours, and provide the voltage and amps flowing.

 

This should enable someone who knows to give you some good advice.

 

If your batteries need replacing, you need to learn how to keep them charged so that you don’t destroy another set. It will involve running your engine for much longer than an hour every other day, the actual time depends on how many Ah you need to put back in.

 

Anyway... provide the info, and let’s see what it shows  

Ok, I was continuous cruising every couple of weeks which kept batteries topped up but now on mooring. Four hours per day is a bit much with working and 8am / 8pm running the engine.

I suppose more solar panels be the answer 

[blackrose]

You seem very keen on guessing the answer, but if you actually do what these chaps suggest and provide some information then they will give you a definitive answer.

 

Before spending money and adding more components to the system, find out whether the current setup is working properly.

[Tony Brooks]

2 hours ago, Kalapattar said:

Ok, I was continuous cruising every couple of weeks which kept batteries topped up but now on mooring. Four hours per day is a bit much with working and 8am / 8pm running the engine.

I suppose more solar panels be the answer 

 

On a typical boat the  red bit is totally wrong, no CCing every two weeks or even for two weeks will in no way keep the batteries well charged. Almost certainly you have been destroying them.

 

To keep your lead acid batteries in tolerable condition a typical boater needs to run between two and four hours every day and maybe 12 hours plus once a week. Other battery technologies will reduce this but the lack of understanding you seem to have shown makes such technologies either eye wateringly expensive (in excess of £5000) or will be very short lived.

 

I think in another of your topics we established that you have a NASA battery monitor and if so is the shunt correctly wired so it is monitoring the DOMESTIC bank. that is in the domestic battery negative with NOTHING but the battery connected to the battery side.

 

More solar will not help at all until maybe April next year.

 

An Adverc (unless its the Adverc battery monitor) is an alternator controller and in most methods of fitting is having no effect at 13V+.

 

I don't  think we have established if its  a single or twin alternator engine. If its a twin I suspect one has failed. If its a single as i think  someone suggested on the other topic your charge splitter may be faulty or if its a switch its been put into the worng position. basically you have not provided enough information for us to give much help

 

CaRT and BW before them have stated on many occasions that having no permanent mooring is not compatible with having a job or children in school so no four hours is not a bit much. Its your life style that may be a bit much for declaring no home mooring. Get a mooring with a mains hookup so you can use a battery charger and the battery issue disappears. However that won't explain the very low current reading.

 

[Kalapattar]

1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

On a typical boat the  red bit is totally wrong, no CCing every two weeks or even for two weeks will in no way keep the batteries well charged. Almost certainly you have been destroying them.

 

To keep your lead acid batteries in tolerable condition a typical boater needs to run between two and four hours every day and maybe 12 hours plus once a week. Other battery technologies will reduce this but the lack of understanding you seem to have shown makes such technologies either eye wateringly expensive (in excess of £5000) or will be very short lived.

 

I think in another of your topics we established that you have a NASA battery monitor and if so is the shunt correctly wired so it is monitoring the DOMESTIC bank. that is in the domestic battery negative with NOTHING but the battery connected to the battery side.

 

More solar will not help at all until maybe April next year.

 

An Adverc (unless its the Adverc battery monitor) is an alternator controller and in most methods of fitting is having no effect at 13V+.

 

I don't  think we have established if its  a single or twin alternator engine. If its a twin I suspect one has failed. If its a single as i think  someone suggested on the other topic your charge splitter may be faulty or if its a switch its been put into the worng position. basically you have not provided enough information for us to give much help

 

CaRT and BW before them have stated on many occasions that having no permanent mooring is not compatible with having a job or children in school so no four hours is not a bit much. Its your life style that may be a bit much for declaring no home mooring. Get a mooring with a mains hookup so you can use a battery charger and the battery issue disappears. However that won't explain the very low current reading.

 

Hi! Thanks for a great reply! I have one alternator. Bit confused about shunt connections. I have the negative connected and do you mean nothing should be connected to the positive side?

Looks like I’ll need a boat electrician to check it all out. Anyone in the Rickmansworth/ Watford area?

[Tony Brooks]

2 minutes ago, Kalapattar said:

Hi! Thanks for a great reply! I have one alternator. Bit confused about shunt connections. I have the negative connected and do you mean nothing should be connected to the positive side?

OK so now we need to know what charge splitting device you are using (you must be charge splitting with those readings otherwise it would not start). Photos of all the magic electrical boxes around the engine area will do for a start.

 

The shunt has two nut & stud terminals and it fits into the thick negative domestic battery cable.  The battery side should only have the lead from the battery connected to it. Although there should be another terminal that end with a thin wire that runs to the meter connected at that end, that one extra connection is fine but it may be in a multi-plug on the shunt base.

 

The other end of the shunt which is also at as good as battery negative potential so not an actual positive should have all other connections such as the feed to the domestic systems, battery charge, solar charge and the heavy link to the engine battery negative.

 

Shunts are not normally fitted  in the positive side of the circuit unless you are are trying to monitor total alternator output on a single alternator boat.

 

 

 

[Kalapattar]

55 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

OK so now we need to know what charge splitting device you are using (you must be charge splitting with those readings otherwise it would not start). Photos of all the magic electrical boxes around the engine area will do for a start.

 

The shunt has two nut & stud terminals and it fits into the thick negative domestic battery cable.  The battery side should only have the lead from the battery connected to it. Although there should be another terminal that end with a thin wire that runs to the meter connected at that end, that one extra connection is fine but it may be in a multi-plug on the shunt base.

 

The other end of the shunt which is also at as good as battery negative potential so not an actual positive should have all other connections such as the feed to the domestic systems, battery charge, solar charge and the heavy link to the engine battery negative.

 

Shunts are not normally fitted  in the positive side of the circuit unless you are are trying to monitor total alternator output on a single alternator boat.

 

 

 

Ok thanks! Split diode lights up when running engine and cuts out when stopped. Hope this is correct!

I may send photos of shunt connection but I think it’s connected ok!

[Tony Brooks]

44 minutes ago, Kalapattar said:

Ok thanks! Split diode lights up when running engine and cuts out when stopped. Hope this is correct!

I may send photos of shunt connection but I think it’s connected ok!

So its an electronic "zero volt drop" diode or else a voltage sensitive relay (VSR) in either case the fact it lights up mat not mean its working. Without the internal diagram I can't be sure but a VSR is likely to light up when the electronics tells the relay contacts to close, if they don't close no charge will pass through. Similarly for an electronic diode system except it want be a relay closing, its more likely a transistor supposedly going conductive.

 

I want to be sure which it is, diode or VSR, so please send a photo of that as well as the shunt and ensure we can see the connections.

 

 

[Kalapattar]

5 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

So its an electronic "zero volt drop" diode or else a voltage sensitive relay (VSR) in either case the fact it lights up mat not mean its working. Without the internal diagram I can't be sure but a VSR is likely to light up when the electronics tells the relay contacts to close, if they don't close no charge will pass through. Similarly for an electronic diode system except it want be a relay closing, its more likely a transistor supposedly going conductive.

 

I want to be sure which it is, diode or VSR, so please send a photo of that as well as the shunt and ensure we can see the connections.

 

 

Ok, thanks! I’ll take photos tomorrow when light

[Sea Dog]

6 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

...please send a photo of that as well as the shunt and ensure we can see the connections.

 

 

Tony, if you were getting paid for this I'd say you were more than earning your money!  Nice.