[C320-list] Battery charger issue?

[jim brown]

I had this problem soon after I purchased my boat new-2004 about 3 months after comissioning. It had (and still has) a Charles charger. Battery 2 would not charge. The problem was that one of the connections in the charger was hano longer connected. Fix was simply to re attach and screw down. You can tell if one battery is not being charged by just looking at the battery "monitor" on the panel and switching between battery one and 2. Hope your problem is that simple. 


Jim Brown



________________________________
 From: Dean Vermeire <dean at vermeire.us>
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com 
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2012 11:54 AM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Battery charger issue?
 
Wow, Ken.  You have more questions than I do. :-)

I replaced the batteries myself last year.  There is not much of a yard 
to rely on here.  The batteries are maintenance-free flooded 4D truck 
batteries.  I didn't have a volt meter out with me this past weekend.

The charger is the original on our boat, a 2001 model.  I have been 
thinking of upgrading the charger, possibly to one with an inverter.  
However, that would not fix a bad battery, which is still a possibility.

I just thought I'd ask the obvious question before doing the real work.  
I will take a voltmeter with me when I go out next time, check the 
output of the charger, check the output of the battery with nothing 
connected, and possibly haul the battery back to the shop.

Thanks for the tips.

Dean

On 8/13/2012 10:40 AM, Jane & Ken wrote:
> Dean,  apparently you have solved the question--yes, only one battery is being charged by the charger.  Possibly one output from your charger has malfunctioned or an in-line fuse has opened.  What type of charger do you have and did the problem just occur when you replaced the batteries a year ago?  Did you replace them yourself or have the yard do it?
>     You can verify output of the charger to the batteries by checking the terminal voltage of each battery seperately while the charger is operating and the selector switch is in either 1 or 2 position (not both).    How long have you owned the boat?  Have you replaced the batteries before.  Ken
>
> --- On Mon, 8/13/12, Dean Vermeire <dean at vermeire.us> wrote:
>
>
> From: Dean Vermeire <dean at vermeire.us>
> Subject: [C320-list] Battery charger issue?
> To: "Catalina 320 List" <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
> Date: Monday, August 13, 2012, 10:25 AM
>
>
> Hello Catalina 320 Think Tank,
>
> I have an issue I need to bounce off of you.  I have found that if I leave the battery selector switch on 2 while away from the boat for a period of time (e.g. a week), the battery drains down to nothing. The refrigerator is warm, etc.  When I leave the switch on 1, there are no issues.  It seems that the shore power and battery charger keep battery 1 charged up, but not 2.  However, if I run the engine, battery 2 seems to get charged up.
>
> I have checked all connections, and everything seems to be fine. The batteries are both just under one year old.
>
> Is it possible for the charger to be charging one battery and not the other?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Dean Vermeire
> Moonstruck II  (#847)
>
>
>