Batterys not charging

[HOMETUNEDAVE]

I have 7 100amp leisure batteries which do not seem to charge up properly this time of year the 880 watts of solar panels have be keeping them charged and have not had to run my generator but over the last couple of weeks I have need the generator to top them up and that only seems to get them to about 90%, so I thought I have a look at batteries, I disconnected all the batteries and checked the voltages 6 read 12.4 volts and 1 read 13.4 volts so does that mean I have 6 knackered batteries or is there something wrong with the high reading battery, the batteries are only a year old .

Dave

[Alan de Enfield]

Firstly (and importantly) it is possible to 'knacker' batteries within a matter of a couple of weeks if you do not charge them properly.

If you have only been charging to 90% then that is the start of the battery destruction.

 

When did you take your battery voltage readings ?

Was the solar connected and supplying power at the time ?

If, not how long was it after you had disconnected the solar and last run the engine / generator.

 

You should leave the batteries to stabilise for at least a couple of hours (with no charge going in and nothing coming out) before you take the voltage reading.

 

The batteries at 12.4 volts are well under charged and if they have been like this for any length of time then they will probably be sulphated and will have lost much of their capacity.

 

With the recent weather (cloud and rain) Solar will now start to produce far, far less than it did in the height of Summer - as Winter approaches it will be producing about 10% of what it was and you will need to provide a source of power (either engine or generator) for several hours per day (the number of hours depending on your usage)

 

What has been your normal charging regime ?

How often have you charged to a tail current of 2% of bank size ?

What is your daily usage (electrical audit)

How are you monitoring you SoC ?

[bizzard]

You could always give it a HOMETUNE.

[MtB]

I have 7 100amp leisure batteries which do not seem to charge up properly this time of year the 880 watts of solar panels have be keeping them charged and have not had to run my generator but over the last couple of weeks I have need the generator to top them up and that only seems to get them to about 90%, so I thought I have a look at batteries, I disconnected all the batteries and checked the voltages 6 read 12.4 volts and 1 read 13.4 volts so does that mean I have 6 knackered batteries or is there something wrong with the high reading battery, the batteries are only a year old .

Dave

 

 

If you've been reading the battery threads recently you'll know the answer to all battery questions is "you haven't been charging them properly". The task becomes finding out how and why you think you have, when you haven't.

 

So I'll kick off with... how are you measuring the state of charge when you talk about the solar keeping them charged, and the genny only charging to 90%?

[WotEver]

If you've been reading the battery threads recently you'll know the answer to all battery questions is "you haven't been charging them properly". The task becomes finding out how and why you think you have, when you haven't.

 

So I'll kick off with... how are you measuring the state of charge when you talk about the solar keeping them charged, and the genny only charging to 90%?

Took the words right out of my mouth

 

However... it's very odd that a bunch of batteries all supposedly wired in parallel have one of them at a surface charge level and all the others at 50%. My first port of call would be the battery interconnects plus where the take-off and charge cables connect.

 

Tony

[magnetman]

I have 7 100amp leisure batteries which do not seem to charge up properly this time of year the 880 watts of solar panels have be keeping them charged and have not had to run my generator <snip>

 

Did you have the 880w solar last winter?

 

Solar is great in the summer and with a proper controller will look after batteries. Once the weather starts to change ( which it does at this time of year) it usually becomes necessary to run a generator and this requires long hours to perform similar charging to a solar array.

 

I think what you are seeing is probably normal "oh its autumn now" type solar power behaviour.

[Geo]

I have 7 100amp leisure batteries which do not seem to charge up properly this time of year the 880 watts of solar panels have be keeping them charged and have not had to run my generator but over the last couple of weeks I have need the generator to top them up and that only seems to get them to about 90%, so I thought I have a look at batteries, I disconnected all the batteries and checked the voltages 6 read 12.4 volts and 1 read 13.4 volts so does that mean I have 6 knackered batteries or is there something wrong with the high reading battery, the batteries are only a year old .

Dave

 

Think a photo could well help here of the battery bank. Suspicious that the batteries are connected to the boat correctly and the solar panel controller is connected to the same place and the same with any other charge source

 

ETA are these seal batteries or wet batteries ones you can add water to?

Edited September 17, 2016 by Geo