Did I just kill my FLA battery bank? 10V!

[socalrider]

My boat is called Serenity so I really wanted those firefly batteries, but then I saw the cost.;-) Very interesting read and great video.

Great show, one of my wife's faves. Appreciate the reference.

I work in renewable energy & do a lot of work with lithium battery storage; I strongly suspect that by the time I'm ready for a new set, LFP will be dominant. It's getting very inexpensive, and quality & safety are getting very good. Will take a bit for the cost declines to trickle down to niche markets like boating, but man, they are great. Just 2-4x too expensive for the time being.

 

[Moonfish]

My boat is called Serenity so I really wanted those firefly batteries, but then I saw the cost.;-) Very interesting read and great video.

Cheers to another brown coat!

 

[rgano]

That AC/DC reefer is surely a potential problem for you. Many have discovered dead batteries and awfully smelly refrigerators full of foulness when for whatever reason AC power stopped being supplied to their boat. When I lived on the boat, the reefer was of course on and full of food, but when I am not living aboard in a day-to-day mode the reefer was shut down and empty. You will surely get that thing sorted out and run through proper breakers. It appears your LPG and charger need to part ways behind that breaker.

 

[catalinajack]

Some might conclude from your experience that 6-volt golf car batteries can be problematic. They are not in the least. They will be if not properly maintained, that is, water added to keep the plates covered with electrolyte. Darlin, perhaps your batteries have difficult access such that the maintenance was neglected?

I had terrible problems with 6v golf cart batteries. I suspect it was caused by low water. I replaced all my batteries with Optima 12 volt. They are truly maintenance free and much easier to lift. No problems now.

 

[Swfla]

I had terrible problems with 6v golf cart batteries. I suspect it was caused by low water. I replaced all my batteries with Optima 12 volt. They are truly maintenance free and much easier to lift. No problems now.

Hoping that you did the Optimas several years ago. In my car forum it's general knowledge that they moved their mfg to Mexico and lowered their standards. Just keep a good eye on them and remember my post if they start misbehaving before you expect them to.

 

[Swfla]

That's encouraging, thanks. I have now heard that from a few different sources - apparently the newer Xantrax "Truecharge 2" units have been less reliable, but the 40+ that I have might be worth hanging on to. Last thing I want to do is create more problems changing something that's working fine.

Got the new bank in this afternoon. Between that and getting the new RIB unboxed, moved to the water & engine installed, no need to work out today!

I found another electrical oddity: the Norcold fridge (relatively new retrofit) doesn't go through the electrical panel, and runs even if the main battery switch is "off". If AC is present, it runs on the AC, but only if DC is present as well. Too tired to figure that one out today.

There's got to be a forum or source for finding out if your charger is the older quality unit. I agree with you about not changing something that's working fine. If only there was a way to test it to be sure. Maybe even calling Xantrex and speaking with a tech. That refrigerator hookup is surprising. Glad you caught it.

 

[Swfla]

Hoping that you did the Optimas several years ago. In my car forum it's general knowledge that they moved their mfg to Mexico and lowered their standards. Just keep a good eye on them and remember my post if they start misbehaving before you expect them to.

I just did a search and the American plant closed in Jan. 2009. If one had old optima battery and compared it to new Optima, the weight is significantly less in the post 2009 battery.