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Battery wiring at fault? 12v socket reading jumping.

Lady_Why

By Lady_Why
in Boat Equipment

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8 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Well, at least lady_y will know what Tony looks like now, a bit like David Beckam 

 

Yes. And I'm not sure if Tony mentioned this when arranging his visit, so I'll point it out in case he forgot to tell you. He will need somewhere safe to moor the horse.

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Chewbacka

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1 hour ago, Lady_Why said:

As it happens, 1.) my newly-returned-boat-neighbour did have a bigger and shinier genny to lend me... yay!... but 2.) turns out my battery-charger does not register a current flow (amps, I'm guessing) despite voltage showing at the batteries. Unless it's perfectly normal to have volts without amps. Or my multi-meter is possessed. But it does mean there will be a genny here for Tony tomorrow so that he may observe and apply his wisdom upon my pitiful situation. 

I think I just need to know what direction to take things at this point! 

*sorry for not keeping up with info giving, Tony!

As you probably know volts and amps are linked by a formula that is absolutely fixed.  It is V=IR. where = is Volts, I is Amps (you would think it would be A but if we use I it adds to the mystery of electricity) and R for resistance in Ohms ( so should really be O, but it isn’t).

 

On a more serious note, it’s impossible to diagnose electrical problems if you can’t trust your meter, so ask someone that knows how, to check your meter, if it’s unreliable it’s best to replace it.  If you need a new meter this would cover your basic  needs as it measures volts and amps at both mains and 12v, though it’s not very accurate at less than one amp.  It’s the UT203, available from far off places via eBay for well less than thirty quid.

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Chewbacka

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14 minutes ago, WotEver said:

The 210E has a useful 2A low range with the possible disadvantage that the maximum is only 100A. It’s also available through Amazon for those who might be more comfortable buying from there. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/UT210E-Current-Meters-Capacitance-Tester/dp/B00O1Q2HOQ

Wish you hadn't shown me that as now I neeeeeed one.

 

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1 minute ago, Chewbacka said:

Wish you hadn't shown me that as now I neeeeeed one.

 

 

No you don't. 

 

I have a few of those lying around. Awkward and annoying thing to use. Clamp current function defaults to AC so every time you need to use it, you have to fiddle with the buttons to re-set it to DC. And when measuring current it isn't very consistent so I'm inclined not to trust it.

 

The display is sideways too, compared to the earlier, bigger UNI-T models. Wherever you clamp it, the display will be upside down!

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Tony Brooks Veteran II

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Report.

 

Batteries last charged Thursday so must be rested. Upon arrival Engine battery voltage 12.81. Domestic bank 12.73 so both all but fully charged with no significant permanent discharge, if any at all.

 

Lady Why's meter reading nothing like mine so swapped leads, different readings but same result so conclude meter is faulty as  she told us she had changed the meter battery.

 

Check battery charger connections and all as they should be. Tested the charger output. 7 amps to domestics and about 3 to engine battery. Note - only two of the 23potential outputs connected but left that way in view of the smallish generator. (We used a neighbours larger generator)

 

Check alternator output - 14.2V and similar to engine battery but 15 A to the domestics.

 

Found virtually all the battery interlink and cable connections a bit loose with the domestic main positive very loose so tightened & instructed lady Why how to gauge a reasonable tightness.

 

The plug in voltmeter that started all this does give a reasonable steady reading until a load is turned on but the load we used was a florescent lamp and it did fluctuate a bit with that. I suspect a combination of cheap far eastern electrics, lamp inverter interference, and maybe a loose connection down the cable but did not investigate that.

 

Explained a bit about batteries, charging & the fitting of solar.

 

I am sure  all is exactly a sit should be so happy to leave.

 

Edited by Tony Brooks
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Lady_Why Contributor

Lady_Why

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Only one person on tenterhooks?  Damn, I expected you all glued to your laptop screens, unable to contain your curiosity. But no - it's Saturday and everyone' gone to the pub. Bah! Oh no Mike's here too.  Good, Tony and I should have an audience.

IT WAS THE MULTIMETER!!!! 

And it wasn't the wires of the multimeter either. It was the actual, actual multimeter. Despite passing the ohm test. 

In essence I've been charging fully charged batteries all week.

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2 minutes ago, Lady_Why said:

Only one person on tenterhooks?  Damn, I expected you all glued to your laptop screens, unable to contain your curiosity. But no - it's Saturday and everyone' gone to the pub. Bah! Oh no Mike's here too.  Good, Tony and I should have an audience.

IT WAS THE MULTIMETER!!!! 

And it wasn't the wires of the multimeter either. It was the actual, actual multimeter. Despite passing the ohm test. 

In essence I've been charging fully charged batteries all week.

 

Brilliant!

 

Well sort of. A lot of unnecessary heartache but no wasted money on new batteries as it turns out.

 

So Lady Why, what have you learned from the experience? Just how useful a clamp meter is, I bet, for a start!

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rusty69 Veteran II

rusty69

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1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

So Lady Why, what have you learned from the experience? 

There's no place like home? 

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Greenie to Tony for visiting and analysing, obviously.

Wot about his horse? 

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As is nearly always the case, the evidence was there to see before the fault was finally identified. 

 

Lady Why mentioned buying a new battery for the multimeter, measuring the old battery ands still not getting a viable result. We should have picked up on this and called the meter out as  bad.

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