[Rhodes22-list] Battery

[The Rhodes 22 Email List]

A lot of outboard motors have alternator charging systems. Some 6 hp
outboard's have them, even if they don't have electric starters. Check your
outboard's manual.


On Mar 2, 2015, at 9:03 PM, Rhodes 22 mailing list [via Rhodes 22] <
ml-node+s1065344n49503h10 at n5.nabble.com> wrote:

Thanks Brooks. This may be a dumb question but I assumed that neither the
outboard motor not the boat has an alternator. Is that correct? Isn't all
the power from the solar panel charging the battery?

John Waldhausen

> On Mar 2, 2015, at 2:21 PM, The Rhodes 22 Email List <[hidden email]
</user/SendEmail.jtp?type=node&node=49503&i=0>> wrote:
>
> Hi John,
>
> Some suggestions and info:
>
> You can easily do some simple checks yourself. One thing to always be
aware
> of is that a battery is potentially a very destructive piece of
equipment.
> Nigel Calder, a major boat guru, likes to give a demo in his electrical
> classes to make a lasting impression - he shorts the terminals of a
battery
> in a very controlled environment. The room usually has to empty for a
while
> - sulphuric acid from exploded battery is hard on the lungs. There is
> sometimes fire. So all you have to do is drop a wrench the wrong way and
> boom. That said, it's not rocket science and there are lots of videos
> showing how to check and wire things the right way. There is no danger of
> getting shocked as with house electricity. And, a small wire across the
> terminals will just melt - it's bigger conductors that are the danger.
Just
> treat it with respect.
>
> Now, your concerns:
> First, although many batteries today are sealed and never require
addition
> of water, some still do. Is there a way to add water to batteries? Some
have
> easy to unscrew or pull out caps and you can see right into the cells.
> During charging, they may boil off some of the water. It's important to
add
> water in this case.
>
> Second, do get a volt meter - great to have anyway. Can get a pretty nice
> multi-meter for $25. Then, find out what type batteries you have and
google
> to get info on what voltage should be. If you check when sun is shining,
you
> may see like 14 volts because the solar panels are charging them.
Actually,
> if you DON'T see close to 14 volts in bright sun, there may be a problem
> with the panels or their connection to battery. At night, should still
see
> 12.8 or a bit higher on most batteries fully charged. These are rough
> numbers, not gospel.
>
> Third, if voltages are too low,  you might, as some suggested, buy a
decent
> charger - worth paying for something that won't over charge and boil the
> battery. It may be that a good overnight charge will restore the
batteries
> just fine. In that case, I'd check to see why solar panels didn't keep
them
> up. The Rhodes 22 shouldn't have any big battery demands - starting the
> engine is so quick that if it has an alternator, it should put back in
> everything starting took out in a minute or two. Then there's your depth
> meter, and other very low power devices. So mainly, you just need to keep
> batteries from self discharging. In summer they discharge a lot faster
than
> in winter.
>
> Lastly, buy a simple book or do some research online - it's not rocket
> science - just, like everything else, a little intimidating if you're
> starting from scratch. Wonderful videos out there. A lot more fun than
the
> evening news.
>
> Brooks
> Cambridge, MD
> '86/2006 R22 "Changes"
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
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