If you do buy an AGM remember they are bloody heavy a 100Ah weight about 32kg.
When you go to buy the battery they have a requirement that they should be recharged every 6 mths and in the past people have been caught with old stock as they have been dumped on the market. On the top is a date code with firstly year then month then day so a battery built today would have the code 120909.
Cheers Bros, yeah i imagine plenty of old stock flogged cheap on ebay and the like.
I originally planned two agm's and put in the crank (bluetop agm) about 18mths ago figuring i;d be finished within a few months bit turned into a slow project due to lack of time...now i have one unused agm batt already 18mths old but amazing how little charge they lose over time... maintained with a multistage charger.
Just assumed the reserve/aux i could fit in as well but struck this clearance snag by the finest of margins. Optima crank is only 17kg but these things as u say are like 30+kg and need to be well secured i figure. Tx for the advice re the manufacture code, will check.
Actually if anyone out there wants to manufacture something useful for trailerboats...how about a voltmeter/240v socket on double switch with a w/proof cover that can check/access/charge batteries from the outside ..i.e. small w/tight access hatch cut into superstructure on outside so u dont need to undo the cover or even get on board to check batts...like a compact shorepower thing on larger rigs but with a small meter, dual switch for voltmeter and a socket to plug in. Should be stock on all 5m+ type glass rigs and cant cost much surely, whilst providing a nice option for buyers. That way we can check it when put the garbage out or just passing...plug in or turn off at ease anytime...maybe a spot can check from inside boat when on the water as well as get at from outside when at home...i dunno just a thought. Voltmeters are cheap enuff, maybe one meter facing out and one facing in along side of boat.
Deckie, One of the things I liked about my boat was the attention to robustness and I think mounting the batteries so that there is no chance of movement and vibration is sensible. My batteries are mounted under the bunks just forward of the rear of cabin bulkhead, one each side. A photo will best describe the way they are mounted, the battery sits in an ally tray which is sitting on foam rubber and the battery sits on another sheet of foam and then clamped down securely with the ally plate and more foam between and SS bolts as shown. The battery is also wrapped in black plastic, not sure why but perhaps just extra security:
Ok, bad example, How about you battery drill? Or rechargeable batteries in you camera, or maybe even your remote control.Originally Posted by Bros
Yup, they have acid in them, but the acid is absorbed into a fiberglass mat. Think of it as a chamois full of water. Same deal. What they do is use a chamois, fill it with acid, and then wring it out. A chamois full of water, when wrung out will not drip water, but if you wipe it on you car you will see that its still wet.
I know that some manufacturers recommend not mounting them upside down, although I am not 100% sure. I can only hazard a guess that it may be because of two things. The battery is actually sealed, just as the rechargeable battery in your phone, or battery drill is. They are designed to vent when overcharged to prevent explosion. Its possible that this venting may be affected by the boiling electrolyte (ie steam) re-condensing in the vents. The other possible reason is that charging of AGM batteries may not be as precise as whats in your mobile phone or battery drill, and if mounted upside down the boiling electrolyte when overcharged might leak out of the battery (like an alkaline battery does when discharged). I think the latter reason is more likely.
I used to know a few chemical engineers that worked for battery manufacturers, but that was a long time ago now. I doubt if I could still get hold of their contact details, but I might give it a go.
Like comparing apples and oranges the batteries in drills, phones camera are entirely different batteries and designed to withstand overcharging with no harmful effects other than a reduction in their life.
Deckie
Have a look at the CTEK battery comfort indicator, waterproof and connects to your battery permanently. 3 led lights blink to show you your battery condition: bad - red, ok, yellow, and fully charged , green.
Simple and effective. My Surtees came standard with them from NZ.
Even better, they incorporate a plug that connects directly to CTEK chargers plugs and saves you from having to even open the battery box to connect alligator clips etc.
$20 from Whitworths.
https://www.whitworths.com.au/main_i...AbsolutePage=1
cheers
ML
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
Ok boss, seems you are the expert on this one. I bow out.
Don't be like that, I'm glad we didn't get into the debate on differences between AGM and GEL.
Just be alert of anything that might short across the terminals of the batteries, not hard for th ebattery to move slightly in the clamp or something else in the storage space to fall against it. Actually had a tin of aeroguard short a battery once, that was frightening, it actually arced enough to put a hole in th etin but not ignite the aeroguard that came out.
Bought a couple of lotto tickets that day!
Thats one seriously good mount johncar.Deckie, One of the things I liked about my boat was the attention to robustness and I think mounting the batteries so that there is no chance of movement and vibration is sensible. My batteries are mounted under the bunks just forward of the rear of cabin bulkhead, one each side. A photo will best describe the way they are mounted, the battery sits in an ally tray which is sitting on foam rubber and the battery sits on another sheet of foam and then clamped down securely with the ally plate and more foam between and SS bolts as shown. The battery is also wrapped in black plastic, not sure why but perhaps just extra security:
A massive tick for whoever built your rig if they're prepared to do that properly. Thats a lot of thought and work they put into it that may have been done cheap and nasty on a lesser rig. These things are definitely not something u want any risk of coming loose in a sea.
I was hoping to use some ally or s/s angle along the length of battery and bolted down...might think seriously about one wider piece of plate across the top and bolted down after seeing yours. Underneath the other i have the 10mm cross hatch rubber which i was going to stick with, but a cpl of layers of thin HD eva foam like yours might even do a better job. Already glassed and flowcoated partitions for each bunk to create separate batt compartments with no chance of anything getting in to cause trouble, also two vents for each compartment. Being fitted same place as yours, just in front of the cabin bulkhead i figured the best spot, lengthways as close to centreline as can.
Much appreciated u popping the photo up...gives me even more ideas.
Now have total confidence doing the mount, wasnt absolutely sure it was ok to lay them sideways coz never seen it done...cheers mate.
Tx matey..will check it out but at this stage i;ll be putting on a seprate small digital voltmeter for each batt coz i like to see it accurate, especially to gauge usage whilst on the water for the reserve. Got an old volt gauge still in bubble wrap never used in 15yrs and even those arent good enough to tell much, so an ok/bad/good indicator is probably not going to help a lot.
Might use something like this wired up to both batts...can get all sorts of dig voltmeters now that draw bugga all and can be left on constantly. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TOPO-DC-P...item519b979a7a
Havent decided on an onboard charger or not yet, just that i pass the boat often at home and with a cover on it'd be nice to see whats going on at a glance from the outside...just plug and unplug sounds cool to me, but might be just more stuff to corrode or fail at some pt just when i dont want it to. More elecs means less safety to me.
Tx
Steve
Sounds scarey alright...imagine if it was a tin of aerostart or something like that. Yeah that'd put a dampener on your day in a hurry.
I;ve got them completely partitioned off to act as enclosed batt compartments and no chance of stuff getting in..plus one of the reasons i;m having clearance issues is terminal protection. I guess as long as others or kids dont open the bunks and drop something in like a garbage dump i'll be fine. Bit of wastage of some storage area but worth it to be sealed off for safety.
Is this what you are looking for
http://www.energymatters.com.au/full...-dc-p-170.html
214 high
Cheers Stu
You should consider your outboard too Deckie, if it's unregulated you will need a battery you can top up with water.
I came to the decision the only reason I needed a second battery was for when my battery dropped dead on the water so I opted for 1 battery to do everything & added a jump starter pack thing for insurance.
Surprisingly my little 90HP only needs 360 CCA and my on water usage is only a bait pump, GPS, fishfinder & radio so bugger all really.
There's plenty of stuff about to proof the batteries against accidental shorting out. Cover the posts with a piece of pool noodle and strap it on?
I would prefer to have the AGM battery on it's side rather than squeeze it into a tight space upright. Imagine if it worked loose and then split itself when bashing the terminal posts against the roof of where it was sitting?
That was always a concern for me when I repowered the old Haines 580SF - the huge start battery needed by the Honda 150 would only just squeeze in. The battery posts were only 1/2 inch from the bottom of the Livebait tank (fibreglass). I replaced the battery strap and then added another 2 straps to be sure.
Jim
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