Time for new batteries ?

At present 3 x 110AH deep cycle battery's one maybe on the way out as the little charge indicator is showing red not green I know this may be just one cell but I'm getting prepared to purchase new battery's as all 3 are near 6 years old . So my question is should I just stick to whats there 3 x 110AH or rethink what I really need ?

This is what I'm running

1 x 40l 12v? 240v compressor fridge MAX 1.17Ah/Hour average power consumption 40A? runs on shore power 6 day a week and max 7 days away from marina ,Need to start 120HP Perkins , house lights ,head pump , nav lights LPG gas stove along with a stand by 240/12V 2 KVA Yamaha generator with 8amp charge plug

I'm open to all suggestions thanks in advance

if it worked for six years and you are happy with everything why change?

bayview said:

if it worked for six years and you are happy with everything why change?

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What he said.

bayview said:

if it worked for six years and you are happy with everything why change?

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Amen to that!!!

Its must be in my DNA to not execpt whats in front of me and belive just because its working there could be a better way .Or someone else just happened to make it work so it must be ok to leave it




Still looking and reserching seem there is no right or wrong way ??

Are you a recovering sailboater? That would explain it!!!...

In another note, what kind of boat is that? It is an awfully handsome bugger!!!

Baker said:

Are you a recovering sailboater? That would explain it!!!...

In another note, what kind of boat is that? It is an awfully handsome bugger!!!

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Tiz a Cunard 30 """""Trawler"""""" ? built in Australia in 2003 Cunard was Ben Lexens boat builder so Im told

Gaston,

Do you have room for more or larger batteries? How much space do you have? Height matters, too. Some batteries like L16s are quite tall.

It's a treacherous road to travel when enlarging your battery bank. What type? How large is large enough? Electrical load budget? How much space is available? How to charge underway and at anchor? Solar? Wind? Alternator upgrade? Shore charger upgrade?

Can I reduce consumption? LED lights, new refrigeration, more efficient fans or air conditioning, inverter?

The 8A charge on your Yammy won't charge much. Do you have a 3-stage smart shore charger you use at the dock? Do you have separate start and house batteries?

I replaced my house bank of 2 8D batts with 6 golf cart lead acids for about a 50% increase in AH to 660AH. This required an upgraded alternator and shore charger to keep up with the use. Also needed new cabling, fusing, and a SOC meter.

With the new capacity, I added an inverter, then a second fridge. If I'm careful, I can go 2 days without recharging. I normally run my Honda generator 2 hrs AM and 2 hrs PM to keep up with the demand and keep the batts at around 80-85% SOC.

So it's more than just adding batteries. Do you really want to redesign and rebuild your electrical system? I did and it worked well for me, but as we say in the states, your mileage may vary.

gaston said:

Its must be in my DNA to not execpt whats in front of me and belive just because its working there could be a better way .Or someone else just happened to make it work so it must be ok to leave it




Still looking and reserching seem there is no right or wrong way ??

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The question is are they doing everything needed. If they're servicing your needs 100% then doing something different could at best equal them and otherwise be worse.

Funny thing is I'm not particularly looking to up grade whats there whats there at present maybe a overkill or not done right in the first place who knows ? just because something works doesn't mean it right just look at JEEPS . So I may even look at a downgrade and simplify things when I work out whats needed .I'm the nerdy guy that buys something new or old thats working and then pulls it apart to see how it works so down the line when it breaks I know what I'm looking for. When I purchased a new $$$ windlass I pulled it apart and repacked all the bearings that were dry from new and did the same on a second hand 50HP Honda motor with 10 hours I was astonished at how it was assembled with loose nuts and bolts ever were even on the mains. That motor has over a 1000 hours on it now who knows how long it would have lasted if I hadn't fiddled with it ?

BandB said:

The question is are they doing everything needed. If they're servicing your needs 100% then doing something different could at best equal them and otherwise be worse.

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Thats a big what if what if there were 10 batterys and 2000AH $4000 and I only need 2X 110AH $800 ?


I love boating it gives me something new to worry about ever day

gaston said:

Thats a big what if what if there were 10 batterys and 2000AH $4000 and I only need 2X 110AH $800 ?


I love boating it gives me something new to worry about ever day

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You sure are overcomplicating it. I am betting the original batteries were sized right for the equipment, but play away if you wish. You know it's not extreme like 2 little vs. 10 big....your example does nothing to help your case. Now it could be $1800 vs. $2000 or something.

If it`s not broken don`t try to fix it.
Are these batts unsealed? If so hydrometer test them. But best to replace the lot at one time, and 6 yrs is good. I don`t like sealed deep cycle floodeds, one exploded at my marina recently when the "flood" had departed but the owner couldn`t tell.
Maybe you could fit some solar, useful away from shorepower.
If your start batt is dedicated, it needs a start batt. For batts running house, deep cycle. If they are all doing the one job you need so called dual use batts.
Batts have got better, you may get replacements with more power in similar size cases. I can buy batts up to 250ah in cases usually called 200ah size(=8D).

Hi gastron, the little charge indicator that is showing red and not green is a hydrometer, it`s telling you your battery is either out of water or it`s buggered, if it`s 6 years old, I would say it`s buggered (6 years is a pretty good stint for a lead acid battery) I would immediately remove it from you bank as it will start to drag the other batteries down with it, as they will be trying to charge it. To correctly size a battery system you need to work out how many amps you draw off your battery system each day. You should also look at isolating your engine start battery, your start battery should only be used to start the engine and operate the anchor winch and should be totally isolated from the house batteries with the engine off, but have the ability to be manually be parralled with the house bank should your start batteries fail. I would not use the 8amp in built charger on your generator but rather the charger that is powered via shore power.

Some points to remember for a 12v battery system are

You should never let you battery system drop bellow 12.2V, as 12.2V is considered 50% of the start of charge (SOC)

Your inbuilt battery charger should be a proper marine charger and never a car charger

The output of the charger should be at least 10% of the capacity of the battery bank you are trying to charge

Never mix the chemistry of batteries in a bank, ie AGM, calcium, flooded LA

I am by no means a battery expert but have spent many years mucking about with battery systems and solar on cars, trucks, boats, caravans and am willing to pass on the knowledge gained from countless hours researching, reading and actually getting my hands dirty, feel free to drop me a message if you need help on this , cheers Ian

Thanks Yobbo this is exactly the type info Iv'e been looking for and you are just up the road

you can get better batteries, better chargers, better monitoring, more powerful alternator, solar or wind charging.. After spending all that money it will do the same as your present system and last 6 years. Do what you have to do.

spend the extra money on new electronics or other stuff you will enjoy.