Dead battery..again.

[onesweetworld]

If anyone could provide some thought on my problem it would be appreciated.

A few weeks ago i brought by boat out of storage, attached the battery, and it wouldn't start. After attaching a jump box to the battery the engine turned over and ran fine until i shut it off. I then turned the boat on and off occasionally through the day and it was fine. The next day I went to start the boat and the battery was dead. Again, attached the jump box and it started. this has happened multiple times since then. I have searched for shorts and made sure there was nothing on that could draw power and came up with nothing. I guess my question is could it just be that my batter just cannot hold a charge?..or could it be something else i missed. Would it be worth buying a new battery at this point or are there other things that i should try first. I am a new boat owner and a terrible electrition. Please help if possible.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Dead battery..again.

Take the battery out, fully charge it, then have it load tested at your local auto parts store.

 

[milmat1]

Re: Dead battery..again.

Yes, Your battery could have went south during storage. However, Are you certain the boat is charging ?? Connect a volt meter to the Battery with motor NOT RUNNING. Record the voltage (Around 11.5-12.0 VDC,) Then Start the engine up and watch for a voltage increase. It should increase to nearly 14.00 Volts. If so the boat is charging and and you likely need a battery !......

BTW : Those little rechargable Jump Units are Great !! I just bought one for my boat Just-In-Case !!

 

[Boatist]

Re: Dead battery..again.

Welcome to the forum.

First you need to understand that batteries must be charged weather the boat is used or not.
All batteries self discharge and the warmer it is the faster they self discharge.
In winter or cold weather every 2 month is ok.
As the weather get hotter then they need to be charged every month.
Also anytime a battery is discharge damage is done and the longer it is left discharged the more damage is done.

If your battery was dead and you jumped started then ran around for a day and the alternator is working then the battery would get some charge
To fully charge you would have to run the engine at least 12 hours.
So this is not a good way to fully charge a battery.

You need to get a good automatic charger or smart charger and let it charge for 24 hours.
The automatic or smart chargers will not over charge like a manual trickle charger will.
I would suggest a automatic charger of 10 amps or more. This will fully charge most batteries is 24 hours and not over charge.
You need to find a way to charge while in storage in the off season or take the battery out and take home where you can charge every other month.

They also have batteries matainers which are not good for charging but will keep it charged over winter.
A fully charged battery should read 12.6 volts and alternator on I/O should charge between 13.8 volts and 15 volts. Battery will take the bulk charge pretty fast but as it charges up the charging current drops way down and that is why it takes many hours to fully charge.

One more thing you may need to check. Do you have anything on board that draws current when the engine is off.
Thing like a radio with a clock and memory to keep.
Also some type bilge pumps turn on every so offten to see it there is water in the bilge.

If your battery was left discharge for a long time like over winter then it may not fully recover.
You can fully charge and then take it in to a shop and have them load test it.

If your in a slip good idea to install an on board charger. This is a automatic or smart charger designed to charge the battery then maintain it over long periods of time. Of course you will need to have dock power to plug into.

Good luck and happy boating.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Dead battery..again.

Yes, you definitely need to charge the battery before you try anything else. The battery may have become sulfated. Often once a battery is sulfated it can't be salvaged. However, there are chargers (Schumacher makes one) that have a "sulfated battery mode." I was able to salvage a sulfated battery using it. You might give that a shot. It's not a sure thing, but the Schumacher chargers don't cost any more than others. Also, take a look at this thread. Good luck!
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=396528