Multimeter reading of 17v

[nicknorman]

Ah, ok. I thought I could do this to gauge how much was being drawn from the battery when certain things were switched on

I think you should have got a DC clamp meter, which you could put over the fat battery leads to get a continuous reading of current going into and out of the batteries. The meter you got isn't really suitable for that.

[Geo]

Ah, ok. I thought I could do this to gauge how much was being drawn from the battery when certain things were switched on

 

No unfortunately it is designed to measure current s small circuits not the sort of currents boats use.

image.jpeg

 

Think the clamps could be to take 4mm plugs

[cuthound]

Ah, ok. I thought I could do this to gauge how much was being drawn from the battery when certain things were switched on

If you want to measure current without breaking into the circuit, then you need one of these. They also do voltage measurements.

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/uni-trend-ut203-dcac-current-clamp-meter-n41nc

 

It may be possible to swop your multimeter for one of these and pay the difference.

[nicknorman]

For your needs I'd suggest this type of meter.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNI-T-UT203-Clamp-Multimeter-Tester-Meter-DMM-CE-AC-DC-Volt-Amp-Digital-Handheld-/291930884715?hash=item43f86fca6b:g:rdEAAOSwMVdYGZU~

 

Unfortunately Maplin no longer sell a reasonably priced DC Clamp meter (Note that their cheap clamp meter only does AC current which is no use).

If you want to measure current without breaking into the circuit, then you need one of these. They also do voltage measurements. http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/uni-trend-ut203-dcac-current-clamp-meter-n41nc

It may be possible to swop your multimeter for one of these and pay the difference.

You'll notice that your link is to a "discontinued product"

[cuthound]

For your needs I'd suggest this type of meter.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNI-T-UT203-Clamp-Multimeter-Tester-Meter-DMM-CE-AC-DC-Volt-Amp-Digital-Handheld-/291930884715?hash=item43f86fca6b:g:rdEAAOSwMVdYGZU~

Unfortunately Maplin no longer sell a reasonably priced DC Clamp meter (Note that their cheap clamp meter only does AC current which is no use).

 

You'll notice that your link is to a "discontinued product"

Whoops, just noticed that. Pity, if it was not discontinued, the OP could have swapped it for little extra cost.

 

Still worth the OP getting a DC clamp meter in my opinion though.

[mross]

You can get it from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Voltage-Resistance-Frequency-Multimeter/dp/B016D7UEHW/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1480238894&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=UNI-T+UT203&psc=1

[hackenbush]

Ok, yes. Well, for now I'll stick to just monitoring the batteries which is pretty critical and leave the current measurements as something I can treat myself to for Christmas. I'll return the clamps and spend the money on diesel, sounds like I may need quite a bit more

[Geo]

Ok, yes. Well, for now I'll stick to just monitoring the batteries which is pretty critical and leave the current measurements as something I can treat myself to for Christmas. I'll return the clamps and spend the money on diesel, sounds like I may need quite a bit more

 

Afraid so that is one of the living aboard costs charging the batteries and 6/8hrs a day is not unusual in the winter.

 

What engine have you got?

Edited November 27, 2016 by Geo

[mross]

204 - the current model http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/232011206278?lpid=122&chn=ps&adgroupid=35836809999&rlsatarget=pla-260581920202&adtype=pla&poi=&googleloc=9046823&device=c&campaignid=672517669&crdt=0

[Chewbacka]

Be very careful if you use your meter to measure current as it does break into a circuit and all the current passes through the meter. A big mistake people make - and I have done it - is to leave the test probes plugged into the current measuring sockets and then gone to measure the voltage. One of two things will happen, the fuse inside the meter will instantly blow or if it is an old/cheap meter it may not have a fuse in which case you could have extremely hot and melting meter test wires.

If you do not know what you are doing, get someone to show you how to use your meter before using it on the current ranges.

 

For currents over an amp or so a clamp meter is accurate enough for general use and much easier and safer to use.

 

As to battery charging, a flat battery will take all day to fully recharge, you can not do it in a couple of hours. Failure to fully recharge your battery on a very regular basis will greatly reduce battery life.

[hackenbush]

 

Afraid so that is one of the living aboard costs charging the batteries and 6/8hrs a day is not unusual in the winter.

 

What engine have you got?

I have a Lister-3. Am off to buy diesel!

[chubby]

Hackenbush

 

Correct me if I m wrong but i seem to recall that last week you were asking for advice re the GU Paddington Arm ?

I am at Uxbridge , so if you re prepared to turn around and get here i have a UNI - T ( 203 ?) Clamp meter u can borrow .

By the time u get to Uxbridge you'll have completed good few hours of engine running which means you 'll have charged the batts as well as possible & then the knowledgeable types above can help you further .

Whats more if the batts are screwed there are chandlers to choose from to get a new battery and diesel .

Your call

 

cheers

Edited November 27, 2016 by chubby

[hackenbush]

Be very careful if you use your meter to measure current as it does break into a circuit and all the current passes through the meter. A big mistake people make - and I have done it - is to leave the test probes plugged into the current measuring sockets and then gone to measure the voltage. One of two things will happen, the fuse inside the meter will instantly blow or if it is an old/cheap meter it may not have a fuse in which case you could have extremely hot and melting meter test wires.

If you do not know what you are doing, get someone to show you how to use your meter before using it on the current ranges.

 

For currents over an amp or so a clamp meter is accurate enough for general use and much easier and safer to use.

 

As to battery charging, a flat battery will take all day to fully recharge, you can not do it in a couple of hours. Failure to fully recharge your battery on a very regular basis will greatly reduce battery life.

Thank you. Good advice. I have a couple of errands and hoping I can get more diesel on my trip and have enough time to run the engine long enough.

 

I'm working through the night tonight and sleeping most of the day. I'm imagining it's probably not a good idea to leave the engine running while I sleep

[WotEver]

I'm imagining it's probably not a good idea to leave the engine running while I sleep

Definitely not with a suspected end-of-life battery on charge I'm afraid. You need to keep an eye on it as previously mentioned.

[dmr]

After my 11.72 reading last night I ran the engine at quite high revs for some time (I think around an hour perhaps more - I moored without neighbours) and took a reading before bed: 12.41.

I took another reading this morning: 12.51.

 

Any insights would be welcome!

 

Make sure you are measuring volts by pushing the probes against the actual battery posts rather than the clamps fitted to them as these just might be a bad connection. Do it a few times to make sure you get the same reading, sort of scraping the probes into the posts a little to make sure they connect.

The increase from 12.4 to 12.5 is interesting. You can only get a true reading of battery volts when Everything is turned off and has been for at least 10 minutes (the pedants will say hours). I think you had stuff turned on last night and nothing or less turned on this morning.

 

Liveaboard batteries don't last long, maybe just go and buy and buy a new, you appear to be burning a lot of diesel/putting hours on the engine just to confirm that the battery is shagged.

 

A Smartguage is a really really good thing to have but is not cheap. A means of measuring current is also really useful, especially whilst you are learning. A fitted shunt base device is much more convenient than a clamp meter.

 

Winter battery charging routine should be something like 2 hours every day (maybe a bit less with a good alternator) then a longer run (7 or 8 hours) once a week, or at least once per fortnight. This can be combined with a nice cruise.

 

Alternator controllers such as the Adverc are a very good thing for off grid liveaboards though many on this form would not agree.

 

If you want batteries to last longer than a year then you need good ones and also need to learn the art of equalisation.

 

Keeping batteries charged in the winter is one of the most difficult aspects of liveaboard boating.

 

.............Dave (Electrical/Electronic Engineer and full time off grid liveaboard for the last 7 years )

[ditchcrawler]

 

 

When you've charged all day and stopped, turn on the tunnel lamp for about 10 minutes then leave it a while and take a voltage reading.

This may not work if his tunnel light is fed from his engine battery and not the domestics

 

 

 

Think the clamps could be to take 4mm plugs

And the leads sold with the meter will have thin pointed probes on the end so you would need new leads with the appropriate plug on one end to fit the meter and at the other to fit the crock clip. As you said, the chap in the shop knew less than you.

 

Afraid so that is one of the living aboard costs charging the batteries and 6/8hrs a day is not unusual in the winter.

 

What engine have you got?

How many batteries do you have and how big are they?

[WotEver]

This may not work if his tunnel light is fed from his engine battery and not the domestics

This is very true.

[hackenbush]

Hackenbush

 

Correct me if I m wrong but i seem to recall that last week you were asking for advice re the GU Paddington Arm ?

I am at Uxbridge , so if you re prepared to turn around and get here i have a UNI - T ( 203 ?) Clamp meter u can borrow .

By the time u get to Uxbridge you'll have completed good few hours of engine running which means you 'll have charged the batts as well as possible & then the knowledgeable types above can help you further .

Whats more if the batts are screwed there are chandlers to choose from to get a new battery and diesel .

Your call

 

cheers

 

Thanks. Just saw this. I'm closer to Paddington than I am to Uxbridge now unfortunately. Between the two but it's a long way back to Uxbridge. It's a great offer though, thank you

[hackenbush]

This may not work if his tunnel light is fed from his engine battery and not the domestics

And the leads sold with the meter will have thin pointed probes on the end so you would need new leads with the appropriate plug on one end to fit the meter and at the other to fit the crock clip. As you said, the chap in the shop knew less than you.

How many batteries do you have and how big are they?

I have one 110ah leisure battery. I only had enough time to charge for 3 hours today so probably still no good to really get a definitive idea. Will charge tomorrow all day while I sleep.

 

Make sure you are measuring volts by pushing the probes against the actual battery posts rather than the clamps fitted to them as these just might be a bad connection. Do it a few times to make sure you get the same reading, sort of scraping the probes into the posts a little to make sure they connect.

The increase from 12.4 to 12.5 is interesting. You can only get a true reading of battery volts when Everything is turned off and has been for at least 10 minutes (the pedants will say hours). I think you had stuff turned on last night and nothing or less turned on this morning.

 

Liveaboard batteries don't last long, maybe just go and buy and buy a new, you appear to be burning a lot of diesel/putting hours on the engine just to confirm that the battery is shagged.

 

A Smartguage is a really really good thing to have but is not cheap. A means of measuring current is also really useful, especially whilst you are learning. A fitted shunt base device is much more convenient than a clamp meter.

 

Winter battery charging routine should be something like 2 hours every day (maybe a bit less with a good alternator) then a longer run (7 or 8 hours) once a week, or at least once per fortnight. This can be combined with a nice cruise.

 

Alternator controllers such as the Adverc are a very good thing for off grid liveaboards though many on this form would not agree.

 

If you want batteries to last longer than a year then you need good ones and also need to learn the art of equalisation.

 

Keeping batteries charged in the winter is one of the most difficult aspects of liveaboard boating.

 

.............Dave (Electrical/Electronic Engineer and full time off grid liveaboard for the last 7 years )

Thanks. I'm going to give it one more long blast with engine charging tomorrow. I'm preparing myself to splash out on a new battery. Not having a multimeter all this time is a lesson learnt

[Alan de Enfield]

I have one 110ah leisure battery. I only had enough time to charge for 3 hours today so probably still no good to really get a definitive idea. Will charge tomorrow all day while I sleep.

Thanks. I'm going to give it one more long blast with engine charging tomorrow. I'm preparing myself to splash out on a new battery. Not having a multimeter all this time is a lesson learnt

 

I don't think it is unreasonable to say "you do not have a hope of being a liveaboard with 1 x 110Ah battery"

 

I would have thought a MINIMUM of 4x 110Ah - and - that is if you are very 'economical' with your electric usage.

 

I have 6x 230Ah (1380Ah total) batteries.

[hackenbush]

 

I don't think it is unreasonable to say "you do not have a hope of being a liveaboard with 1 x 110Ah battery"

 

I would have thought a MINIMUM of 4x 110Ah - and - that is if you are very 'economical' with your electric usage.

 

I have 6x 230Ah (1380Ah total) batteries.

Eek.

Could I ask you to elaborate?

[Geo]

Eek.

Could I ask you to elaborate?

 

 

I all depends on what electrical stuff you have aboard and what you want to use daily.

 

With one 110Ah battery you have 50Ahs usable before you need to charge the battery and that is an absolute maximum. As the battery ages that goes down.

Edited November 27, 2016 by Geo

[hackenbush]

 

 

I all depends on what electrical stuff you have aboard and what you want to use daily.

 

With one 110Ah battery you have 50Ahs usable before you need to charge the battery and that is an absolute maximum. As the battery ages that goes down.

OK, that sounds pretty awful. I'm guessing it's not a good idea to buy a new battery and connect it with the old?

[WotEver]

OK, that sounds pretty awful. I'm guessing it's not a good idea to buy a new battery and connect it with the old?

Definitely not. A dead battery is just that - you might get a fiver for it from a scrappy?

[Jak]

Hi Hackenbush. I have a pair of 110ah leisure batteries. I understand that that is seruiosly minimal even for my minimal 12v lights, telly and only running fridge with the engine. And no, if you will be buying a new bank of batteries best they are same.