Calling continuous cruisers and livaboards

[Sue]

If you have a battery management unit fitted whatever the make, how long has it/do you expect it to last before it breaks?

 

I am interested in those running the engine once a day, you know the usual routine.

 

Maybe this should be posted in 'equipment' so if a mod wishes to move it then please do so.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Sue

[jenlyn]

If you have a battery management unit fitted whatever the make, how long has it/do you expect it to last before it breaks?

 

I am interested in those running the engine once a day, you know the usual routine.

 

Maybe this should be posted in 'equipment' so if a mod wishes to move it then please do so.

if it's a sterling, between 12-13 months

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Hi ya Sue,

I fitted a Mastervolt management system some 6 years ago now,& it has given faultless service to date.(so far).

Have you had a bad experience with one then ?.

[David Schweizer]

If you have a battery management unit fitted whatever the make, how long has it/do you expect it to last before it breaks?

 

I am interested in those running the engine once a day, you know the usual routine.

 

Maybe this should be posted in 'equipment' so if a mod wishes to move it then please do so.

 

if it's a sterling, between 12-13 months

 

That is not my experience. The Sterling Advanced Alternator Regulator on our boat has been installed for more than twelve years, and still functions perfectly.

Edited February 6, 2014 by David Schweizer

[Sue]

if it's a sterling, between 12-13 months

 

 

Is that the experience you had or the reputation you have heard about?

[GoodGurl]

victron 3000 multi plus 5 years so far

[Ex- Member]

 

That is not my experience. The Sterling Advanced Alternator Regulator on our boat has been installed for more than twelve years, and still functions perfectly.

 

Have to agree as well ours has been fitted for 9 years. The same with our 20a Sterling mains charger.

[Ark Right]

If you have a battery management unit fitted whatever the make, how long has it/do you expect it to last before it breaks?

 

I am interested in those running the engine once a day, you know the usual routine.

 

Maybe this should be posted in 'equipment' so if a mod wishes to move it then please do so.

Can you elaborate on Battery management unit please

A

[Sue]

Have you had a bad experience with one then ?.

 

 

Yes, the first one lasted 2 years and 6 months and the second one 2 years and 7 months

[cereal tiller]

if it's a sterling, between 12-13 months

Sterling one lasted 3 years

 

Had a think,assembled some components ,and MADE one!

 

Approx.40 pounds for the parts,design headache was free.

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Yes, the first one lasted 2 years and 6 months and the second one 2 years and 7 months

Oh dear,,,what make or models where they ?.

[jenlyn]

Is that the experience you had or the reputation you have heard about?

 

Experience of several

[Sue]

Can you elaborate on Battery management unit please

 

 

Well I didn't want to name the actual unit right now before I make my complaints to the company, it isn't hard to find out which one though

 

This forum is read by a lot of people some of which work for various companies.

 

I was just interested in how long one would expect a battery management system in general to work so I can go back with some comparisons.

[jenlyn]

That is not my experience. The Sterling Advanced Alternator Regulator on our boat has been installed for more than twelve years, and still functions perfectly.

Why you telling me???

Tell sue, she's asking.....

Actually, I didn't realise you were a CC'er, or lived on your boat?

Edited February 5, 2014 by jenlyn

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Oh,got ya.

Well as I said,in my case,Mastervolt 6yrs & counting,full time livaboard,all boat systems heavily used n cycled.

Good luck.

[Ark Right]

I think you will find there are three main runners in the market.

My experience is the lower priced units don't last. (others will give the exceptions of 20 years etc)

Electrics/electronics for boats particularly for every day use do

not come cheap, no matter what the MD of the company tells you.

A

[kris88]

 

 

Sterling one lasted 3 years had a think,assembled some components ,and MADE one!

 

Approx.40 pounds for the parts,design headache was free.

please share your designuote]

Edited February 5, 2014 by kris88

[cereal tiller]

Sterling one lasted 3 years had a think,assembled some components ,and MADE one!

 

Approx.40 pounds for the parts,design headache was free.

please share your designuote]

P.M. sent

[NigelMoore]

With the experience of installing such products over many years, although not in recent ones, I can say that the early Sterling products were pretty well bulletproof. I have had one of their battery chargers out on deck unsheltered other than being under gunwhales which has never faltered in 20 years.

 

Where we installed them and other products in clients' boats and [through client incompetence] they failed, they were replaced without question several times until we pulled out from serving that client.

 

The alternator regulators I've installed [and I've only had experience of the Sterling range] have never failed in 15 years.

 

That said, a more recent [2003ish] combined invertor/charger went funny after 5 years, and was replaced with a Mastervolt charger. While still, admittedly, working, it is an intermittently badly noisy brute.

 

I suspect that, as with so much of modern day electronics, a modern shift to far eastern manufacturers has compromised quality. So my experience may no longer have any validity.

[by'eck]

Since a battery monitor is generally not a stressed electrical device I would expect one to last almost indefinitely providing its kept clean & dry - lightning strikes aside that is

 

The term battery management covers a wide range of devices though, many of which control high current relays which react to monitored situations.

Edited February 5, 2014 by by'eck

[Keeping Up]

Ok I'm not a cc'er or live-abord but as an electrical engineer who spends 6 months cruising each year I feel qualified to comment. I fitted Kestrel 90s to several boats back when they were the best thing around, generally they were still working 5 or 6 years later when they were replaced as obsolete.

 

On my own boat I fitted an early Adverc, it gave no problems for 15 years. Soon after I fitted it they changed the design and when I had to change it, because I changed the alternator to one with a different polarity of regulator, the new one was fine for 2 years before questions were raised about its calibration because the batteries had failed prematurely. In fact the calibration was fine, the batteries had been faulty. After Adverc had its calibration checked it came back miscalibrated and I had to reset it myself. It seems to work OK now and I wouldn't expect it to fail.

[Ark Right]

If you have a battery management unit fitted whatever the make, how long has it/do you expect it to last before it breaks?

 

 

I'm still interested in the piece of kit we are talking about here, people have many different ideas of what a battery management system is, we could be talking:-

inverter, charger, combi , alternator controller, battery monitor etc etc

If as I suspect it is, an alternator controller then I doubt it is needed at all on a modern Canaline engine, no benefit what so ever.

So I would recommend to the OP just to bin it rather than being offered 30% discount again on a piece of kit you really don't need.

( Qualifier.... unless of course you have retained some sort of diode split charging system at re-engine time) Then you don't need that either!

A

[Dovetail]

I had an Adverc fitted some 9 years ago and for all I know it still works, but how can I tell as there is only a green light that tells you it’s not working and on the very rare occasion I have noticed it on for a second or two. I can hear the change in pitch of the engine from time to time as I was told will happen as it switches between modes so assume all is ok. I have recently fitted a smart gauge and when I play with the buttons I notice the green light flickering, so perhaps the smart gauge is playing tricks with the Adverk or its on its way out.

[Loafer]

A voltmeter is dirt cheap. A very small amount of research will enable that voltmeter to be your only required battery management.

 

If your battery voltage is down to 11.9 volts, especially with no load, then you need to 'manage' your batteries. That means CHARGE them. For several hours.

 

If your voltmeter reads 12.4 or more, under all circumstances, then your battery management is already excellent.

 

No?

[Sue]

If as I suspect it is, an alternator controller then I doubt it is needed at all on a modern Canaline engine

 

 

Sorry I can't seem to get the forum quote thing to work for me Ark Right..

 

Yes it is. Alternator to Battery Digital Split charge system.

 

Now I am completely confused when you say I don't need it. To be fair to me though I am totally useless when it comes to electrics, my brain simply refuses to learn about it.

 

I was under the assumption that a system as I have will make the alternator work harder and produce more amps to charge the batteries for longer than if there was no system at all.

 

From what you are saying the alternator will do that on it's own?

 

Many thanks indeed for all your replies, it gives me some comparisons when I write my email later on other units and their life expectancy. I am sure these things are not suppose to have a self destruct button shortly after the warranty ends.