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canals are us?

By canals are us?
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mrsmelly Veteran II

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Posted
Posted
30 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

I know. Its certainly not negative not having a smartguage. I dont know how I would cope if I had one.

Are they realy that smart? Mikes two seem to constantly argue between themselves.

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WotEver Veteran II

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Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, cuthound said:

Being of the "old school" i have never used a refractometer (they hadn't been invented for battery use when I was "on the tools"). Does it automatically correct for temperature or do you have to take the electrolyte temperature and apply the correction factor as with a hydrometer?

My understanding is yes, but as @nicknorman has one, he’d be better to answer you. 

There’s a certain facebook page run by a chap and his oppo who are dead set against new ideas and they hate them. They’ve never tried one of course, but they’re happy to pronounce on how crap they are ;)

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canals are us? Rising Star

canals are us?Donate to Canal World

Posted
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Posted

Bought a battery Specific gravity tester. Try it out next time I get a chance and finish off my electrical upgrade. Still to do:

VSR buy and install.

Wire in 4amp charge cable to engine start battery. Connect battery temp cable.

Run wiring to new freezer location and make space in galley for it.

Thanks for the various links and advice, it's much appreciated:cheers:

    James:)

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Tony Brooks Veteran II

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Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Dr Bob said:

I cant imagine living on a boat without a battery monitor.

Although we do not actually live aboard we do go for long summer cruises that involve cruising for weeks. We also spend a fair time tied up early in the season for painting and maintenance but I get by perfectly will without what is usually described as a battery monitor. We do have a decent voltmeter and ammeter so those [plus experience and a bit of knowledge tells me all I need to know about the batteries and what they need. Our 3 Exide leisure batteries are just coming up for their sixth year.

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nicknorman Veteran II

nicknormanDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, cuthound said:

Being of the "old school" i have never used a refractometer (they hadn't been invented for battery use when I was "on the tools"). Does it automatically correct for temperature or do you have to take the electrolyte temperature and apply the correction factor as with a hydrometer?

Yes, if you think about it, you are just taking a tiny drop of electrolyte and putting it on a slide, covering it so as to squish the tiny drop to cover the entire slide - ie large contact area and miniscule thickness. Thus the liquid almost immediately assumes the same temperature as the refractometer.

Of course there is nothing much wrong with a float-type hydrometer, I am just always a little nervous of having a bulb full of corrosive liquid that I need to move into the light / up to my face to eliminate parallax etc. One wrong squish and it would be curtains. Well, curtains full of acid burn holes anyway. And then you have a "thing" with residual acid inside that has to be cleaned out without any drips getting into the wrong place etc.

With the refractometer you get a tiny plastic pipette thing that allows you to transfer the drop to the slide, next to the battery, flip the slide cover over and then it is "safe" to move it to the light etc. Just my personal preference, and I also think that the refractometer is a little easier to read accurately than many floaty things.

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cuthound Veteran II

cuthoundDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Yes, if you think about it, you are just taking a tiny drop of electrolyte and putting it on a slide, covering it so as to squish the tiny drop to cover the entire slide - ie large contact area and miniscule thickness. Thus the liquid almost immediately assumes the same temperature as the refractometer.

Of course there is nothing much wrong with a float-type hydrometer, I am just always a little nervous of having a bulb full of corrosive liquid that I need to move into the light / up to my face to eliminate parallax etc. One wrong squish and it would be curtains. Well, curtains full of acid burn holes anyway. And then you have a "thing" with residual acid inside that has to be cleaned out without any drips getting into the wrong place etc.

With the refractometer you get a tiny plastic pipette thing that allows you to transfer the drop to the slide, next to the battery, flip the slide cover over and then it is "safe" to move it to the light etc. Just my personal preference, and I also think that the refractometer is a little easier to read accurately than many floaty things.

Thanks Nick. At the moment I have AGM's, so no need to measure SG, but when the time comes to replace them, I will probably get Trojans, space permitting, and a refractometer.

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