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Okay, some of you “volt heads” lend me an ear here….. Just had to replace my house batteries (2, group 27, 150 amp hour Gel Cells wired parallel) for the third time in 5 years. These batteries power the sonar/GPS, VHF, Stereo, CD changer and 2 power outlets, NO CRANKING. I have a Guest 2611 onboard charger (2 banks, 10 amps) that IS suitable for Gel Cell recharge. The digital VOM meter readings are as follows: from the charger one leg is 13.06 and the other is 13.26, combined (as they are when hooked to the batteries) reading is 13.5. All of this is within spec for the charger and the batteries are not being overcharged. When I first unplug the charger and turn on the CRUZPRO gauge it reads 12.9 and the digital VOM confirms the reading. I charge the batteries after each use within an hour of getting the boat back in the shop. Why am I only getting about 2 years on a set of batteries?????? I have tried Exide, NAPA and this time I got Peerless. At 300.00 a pair, this is getting a little old…….. Am I missing something here or is a 24 to 30 month lifespan going to be “normal” ???????To answer the first response, Yes I have checked for “stray” discharge and none is detected. When at rest there is no current being drawn from them…………….
Do you keep power on the stereo and CD changer when the unit is in storage?
My CD changer would drain the battery .* The stereo memory did not draw a lot of current but the CD changer would stay in standby because the ignition on signal was bypassed.* I added a switch to disable power to the Stereo and CD changer and by current draw went away......
Using my digital VOM in the DC current setting did not reveal any current passing through the system when everything was turned off. The batteries are not discharging between uses they just aren’t lasting (life span) as long as I think they should. I know that over charging is the death of most batteries but according to the readings I posted this is not the case here………
Bill, is it possible that they are being charged too quickly?
IIRC gels like to be recharged slowly although I'd think 5A/battery would not be too much.......
I intended to ask when we were discussing them on Saturday: Were those made for marine use or ??????
Bailey....I'll dig up some specifics for you later but 13.1 or 13.2V sounds too low for gels...charging voltage should be up around 14V or so...you might be undercharging them and sulfating them...
I have some, um "connections" (Overcurrent probably could guess) and tried some pretty high dollar gels in my boat for the electronics....tried for 2 years and none of the batteries lasted the season...Gels like a high current initial charge to break up the sulfation and a high voltage charge and then a rest time...my engine alternator just wasn't up to the task and since I dry stack an external charger wasn't an option...
How much are you discharging them? I have a $50 Medusa Power Analyzer attached to my charger (Xantrex TC20+). It gives me amps, ampere hours and volts. I have three grp 29s on board and usually pull 30AH from each of the two house batteries on an average trip.
Where do you live? Cold winters? Up here in NY State, very cold can damage batteries. We try to keep them at least in a garage if not the basement over Winter.
I have the inexpensive Bass Pro size 33 deep cycle batteries for my trolling motor and the XPS 2 bank charger. 3 seasons, no problems. Installed under console.
In the back of the boat, I have the el'cheapo EVER START batteries. Number 1 is a marine cranking battery dedicated to the engine. Number 2 is a Deep Cycle/Starting battery dedicated to the house circuit and it gets charged by the AUX charge lead from the F200. I also have a Perko switch installed that will allow me to combine both batteries if needed, but it stays in position 1 all the time. The batteries in the rear have been in there for 2 seasons.
It sounds like you have done good research and have determined that there in no amp draw when the boat is not being used. I would check into the charger to make sure it is suitable for those gel cell batteries.
You might try AC Delco Voyagers. Hard to find but worth it. A lot of "bang for the buck" at about $75.00 each for group 27's. I have a pair that are going on five years old and they are still going strong. Five years at $150 total is a lot better than $300 every two years or so. Do you really need gel cells anyway? My batteries are strapped down and if the batteries ever get upside down I will be having more problems than worrying about electrolyte leaking from the battery.
By the way, I start my 175 EFI Mariner on a deep cycle group 24.
One other comment. I think you would get better service life if you install a battery combiner. This will let your engine charge the batteries everytime it is running. It would dampen out your charge/dischare cycles. By this I mean the batteries would be charged more often and they would start getting a charge before being discharged as much as they would if you wait until you get home.
I am going to make this comment one final time and will then forever hold my tongue on the subject. It will not hurt your batteries or charging system to charge them in parallel, which is what happens when the combiner kicks in. Each battery gets the current it needs based on its requirements. A hot battery will have a higher voltage and internal resistance than a weaker battery. The charging current will automatically flow to the battery that needs it. I confirmed this using two batteries, one fully charged and one down on power, connected to ammeters (three of them). One ammeter showed total current flowing (about 8 amps in my case), one ammeter showed current flowing to the weaker battery (about 7 amps) and the third ammeter showed current flowing to the charged battery (about one amp). At the end of the charging cycle, and after both batteries rested a while, they both indicated a full charge on digital voltmeters.
Just got this off the internet. Not sure if it relates to your problem or not. I simply don't have any experience with gel cells. Too expensive for me.
• Gel Cells use a thickening agent like fumed silica to immobilize the electrolyte. Thus, if the battery container cracks or is breached, the cell will continue to function. Furthermore, the thickening agent prevents stratification by preventing the movement of electrolyte.
As Gel cells are sealed and cannot be re-filled with electrolyte, controlling the rate of charge is very important or the battery will be ruined in short order. Furthermore, gel cells use slightly lower charging voltages than flooded cells and thus the set-points for charging equipment have to be adjusted.
Unfortunatley, I believe you are seeing the typical longevity of gel cells in that particular application.
I would suggest switching to AGM's the next time you need to replace batteries, and I believe you will see a longer service life as a result.
__________________ .
Capt. Kevin ~~~~~~~~~~><((((*>
The boat is housed in my shop, never gets below 60 degrees or so.
They are NOT charged by the engine, only by the on board Guest 2611 which is designed for gel cells and it is charging at the rate recommended by both the charger and battery manufacturers. When I wired the boat I wanted 2 totally separate systems. I wanted nothing but the engine on the cranking system, I don’t think I could rope start a 200.
I have a CRUZPRO 35 digital gauge to monitor the batteries so I know what the voltage, amperage and amp hours are at all times. The batteries are not being deeply discharged (maximum 50% or so) and are recharged religiously when back home.
I just don’t understand why their 24 to 30 month life span is so short. I know I lean on the stereo and the CD changer a little heavy at times but I would think they could handle it…..
50% is a hefty discharge. I don't know how far you run, but if it's any appreciable distance, by all means get a battery combiner. It'll being that 50% number up. That new Blue Seas one really looks good, though I have yet to instal one. I've installed a dozen or West Marine brand combiners and have yet to have one fail. Why West Marine? They aren't made of stamped steel! I can't believe many of the other units are made of steel. DOH!
Here's the Blue Seas unit:
I still use cheapo wet batteries and replace them at three years regardless--been doing that since 1976 and have never had a failure. Figure they are like women in that they are best when they are cheap, wet, and replaced often .
I'm too lazy to read the other posts again, but you aren't storing the batteries hooked in parallel are you? It's ok to charge and discharge them in parallel, but not store them as they will fight each other.
Kurt
Speaking of, I have an 02 Chevy Trailblazer that was built in August 01. This is a totally electric SUV. I'm thinking it's time for a pre-emptive replacement of the battery. Thoughts?
50% is a hefty discharge. I don't know how far you run, but if it's any appreciable distance, by all means get a battery combiner. It'll being that 50% number up. That new Blue Seas one really looks good, though I have yet to instal one. I've installed a dozen or West Marine brand combiners and have yet to have one fail. Whay West Marine? They aren't made of stamped steel!
Here's the Blue Seas unit:
I still use cheapo wet batteries and replace them at three years regardless--been doing that since 1976 and have never had a failure. Figure they are like women in that they are best when they are cheap, wet, and replaced often .
Kurt
Speaking of, I have an 02 Chevy Trailblazer that was built in August 01. This is a totally electric SUV. I'm thinking it's time for a pre-emptive replacement of the battery. Thoughts?
how do you hook up that combiner? - looks as if it just has two connections....
Be sure to hook up the combiner defeat circuit to a switch so you can turn it off for storage. That way the house and motor batteries aren't combined and fighting eachother. The 2 house batteries should be physically disconnected (On/Off batt switch?) for stoarge.
Love those combiners. It's like having an engineer back there turning the battery switch at just the right time to maximize the batteries' charge state. And it never forgets to disconnect them when you stop the boat LOL!
i also use plain old wet batteries and a west marine $50 combiner...my batteries easily last three years, one house & one cranking...i change them out just for peace of mind. bailey for whatever reason you are running thru some very expensive batteries when you don't have to be doing that
if it was me i'd add the combiner, ditch the gels and get wet cell or AGM...it certainly would be worth a try, certainly worth $300...
I can’t go the wet route since they are under the console and would screw up my wiring in short order and the combiner won’t work since the gel cells are independent of the engine charging system. If I went AGM I would need another charger ($$$) since my Guest 2611 is not rated for AGM’s. Maybe I’ll just shoot myself and be done with it….. OR……. Maybe I’ll shoot the batteries when they begin to die………..
I can’t go the wet route since they are under the console and would screw up my wiring in short order ………..
Not having looked in your console, would it be possible to put them in battery boxes that somehow vent to the outside (battery box with blower hose connected to a vent grille or scoop)?
Batteries dying slowly........ 
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