Another battery bank thread

[Briankinley2004]

Are your connection cables between the batteries of proper size? If you have 4/0 cables, you need 4/0 throughout the entire system including the cables connecting the batteries to each other.

I will check that when I get to go back to boat. They look pretty heavy. I am suspicious though about that or a connection. I left them unconnected from each other and off charge. Checked voltage 24 hr later and all read 8.6 or so. Only one cell checked bad and thats because it had no water. When I bought boat in October several of the cells in various ones on this bank were low and I added water. Short of swapping batteries from the other bank I am at a loss. It sits across the engine room so will be a chore to do that but thats one way I know to find out.

[Boatsb]

One of the reason I was considering golf cart battery’s is that you can get them in sealed glass matt. But if they won’t do the job desired then it’s not even an option. Price is not the concern

I get 8D AGM batteries all the time.

And I can get most any others but the big 8 volt versions. No ones developing any new batteries for the old 32 volt systems

[Briankinley2004]

I will check that when I get to go back to boat. They look pretty heavy. I am suspicious though about that or a connection. I left them unconnected from each other and off charge. Checked voltage 24 hr later and all read 8.6 or so. Only one cell checked bad and thats because it had no water. When I bought boat in October several of the cells in various ones on this bank were low and I added water. Short of swapping batteries from the other bank I am at a loss. It sits across the engine room so will be a chore to do that but thats one way I know to find out.

I got my issue solved this week. Using the advice here I checked the connectors and they were same size as port bank which started fine. I had a couple of helpers here to polish metal and it started raining. I put them in engine room and we removed batteries from port side one by one replacing starboard. I tried cranking each time and on the third battery she rolled over fine. I dug through the receipts and found where 8ea 8V21's were purchased by PO in 2005. All the ones in the port bank were manufactured in May of 2016 as well as one in the starboard bank. The remaining batteries in stb bank were not labeled and appeared very old. I took all 4 to the battery store with intention of keeping the newer one. Measured voltage was good but it failed a load test. Wound up replacing all 4 which is probably better. Not sure what the difference between the 819 and 821 is but the seller told me they were cranking batteries. Since the others were all 821 I went with them. Cost just under $1100 out the door with tax

[Glory]

Correction.

Some owners dont run much fuel through the engines. They run at idle for 3 miles and spend a weekend in the hook and dont burn 100 gallons a year. Except maybe on the genny If they use it.i had a friend with a sailboat who used less than 20 gallons a year and used his boat 30 or more times in that year. He didn't have a genny either.

There's no way to change the physics of the battery but some insist on trying. If I'm fishing the bottom and drifting I'll start the engines more times in a day than some owners do in a year. Batteries need to be 100% right and reliable. The parallel switch is in case of a failure.

If you can't afford to do it right you probably don't need to own the boat.

I did away with the 8 volt batteries, not because I'm cheap, because I didn't care to handle 140 # batteries again in the Gen room!! Not to mention the $6,000 in parts to make the change.

[carolinacoast]

I use 195's for the weight and handling ease. Our setup matches a very knowledgeable MikeP, and there are a few threads on that. 819's are heavier, which is better, more $$. This is second set of 195's. 6 years on last.
We have 2 generators, and a dedicated start battery for the number 2, so the downside risk to our setup is mitigated.
The best investment is a great smart charger/inverter. Ours is the outback 3232. Not sure if those are offered any longer.

[Boatsb]

I did away with the 8 volt batteries, not because I'm cheap, because I didn't care to handle 140 # batteries again in the Gen room!! Not to mention the $6,000 in parts to make the change.

Did you convert to 24 volt?

[Glory]

Did you convert to 24 volt?

the whole boat is now 12 volt, excluding the windlass, it is 24 volt with it's own charger.

[Briankinley2004]

Anyone know difference between 819's and 821?

[Boatsb]

3



As in 3 inches longer or so if memory serves. I believe the width and height are the same

[Briankinley2004]

must have a little more capacity then or amps? The guy I bought from said they are starting batteries so maybe more plate area for cranking amps?