I would appreciate hearing of experiences with the Link 10 monitor or similar units.
Thanks
Jim
jtstull@icubed.com
Battery monitors
Moderator: Jim Walsh
-
Bob Pence
Re: Battery monitors
They are great, especially if you leave the boat for any extended period like most of us have to do at times. My link regulates the solar panel to send the charge to whichever battery needs it. I have four 100 amp hour batteries, 60 watt solar panel, windbugger, shore power with battery charger, 100 amp Balmar alternator and 600w inverter. All battery cables are extra heavy duty and exactly the same length from main terminal to battery. I had the 2000 on a trawler I owned and it was even better.I prefer not to leave the boat hooked up to shore power as it only increases electrolysis problems, especially where you have full electronics like I do, GPS, VHF, RADAR,I would appreciate hearing of experiences with the Link 10 monitor or similar units.
Thanks
Jim
sixpence@dmv.com
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Larry DeMers
Re: Battery monitors
Bob,
What does the "...heavy duty battery cable length being the exactly the same length from main terminal to battery" add to your setup?
Also, why would shorepower being hooked up while you are away increase electrolysis, and what does your compliment of electronics have to do with electrolysis. You make it sound like the more electronics you have, the worse the electrolysis is. That is not normally true. You can have 50 GPS's lined up in a row..all connected up and running -or not. The electrolysis rate as it applies to the hull of your boat will not even notice.
If this is however somehow true, then you have leakage to ground, and this should be corrected. Electrolysis is a cureable problem. You are trading off the ability to power your bilge pump for extended periods via shorepower rather than your limited battery bank, and this could cost you your boat.
I think you need to relook at your reasoning here.
Regards,
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
demers@sgi.com
What does the "...heavy duty battery cable length being the exactly the same length from main terminal to battery" add to your setup?
Also, why would shorepower being hooked up while you are away increase electrolysis, and what does your compliment of electronics have to do with electrolysis. You make it sound like the more electronics you have, the worse the electrolysis is. That is not normally true. You can have 50 GPS's lined up in a row..all connected up and running -or not. The electrolysis rate as it applies to the hull of your boat will not even notice.
If this is however somehow true, then you have leakage to ground, and this should be corrected. Electrolysis is a cureable problem. You are trading off the ability to power your bilge pump for extended periods via shorepower rather than your limited battery bank, and this could cost you your boat.
I think you need to relook at your reasoning here.
Regards,
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
They are great, especially if you leave the boat for any extended period like most of us have to do at times. My link regulates the solar panel to send the charge to whichever battery needs it. I have four 100 amp hour batteries, 60 watt solar panel, windbugger, shore power with battery charger, 100 amp Balmar alternator and 600w inverter. All battery cables are extra heavy duty and exactly the same length from main terminal to battery. I had the 2000 on a trawler I owned and it was even better.I prefer not to leave the boat hooked up to shore power as it only increases electrolysis problems, especially where you have full electronics like I do, GPS, VHF, RADAR,I would appreciate hearing of experiences with the Link 10 monitor or similar units.
Thanks
Jim
demers@sgi.com
-
matt cawthorne
Re: Battery monitors
Jim,
I have the two battery version of the link 10 (can't remember the model number link 20 perhaps?). I love it. I have used it to find an alternator problem that I would never have known about until it had drained my batteries. It is great for checking the overall state of current usage or generation at any time. Three or 4 times a day I check the amount of current flowing out of the batteries. If some piece of equipment was left on it can be immediatelys seen. In the past I have left the engine compartement light lit on a trip to bermuda. That never would have happened with a battery monitor. The same goes with my fresh water pump. When the tank is empty the pump continues to run, but the pump is so silent that you would never know it. Monitoring the current now and again finds this sort of thing.
Matt
mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
I have the two battery version of the link 10 (can't remember the model number link 20 perhaps?). I love it. I have used it to find an alternator problem that I would never have known about until it had drained my batteries. It is great for checking the overall state of current usage or generation at any time. Three or 4 times a day I check the amount of current flowing out of the batteries. If some piece of equipment was left on it can be immediatelys seen. In the past I have left the engine compartement light lit on a trip to bermuda. That never would have happened with a battery monitor. The same goes with my fresh water pump. When the tank is empty the pump continues to run, but the pump is so silent that you would never know it. Monitoring the current now and again finds this sort of thing.
Matt
I would appreciate hearing of experiences with the Link 10 monitor or similar units.
Thanks
Jim
mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
-
Bob Pence
Re: Battery monitors
I speak only from experience. The equal battery cable length means equal voltage drop. I have cruised over 30,000 miles on 4 different boats and most of my liveaboard friends have experienced the same problems. Some have had batteries 'cooked' hooked to shore power for extended no use periods. Most have found that the more electronics they have the more zincs they eat. I don't worry about bilge pump power with 400 amp hours storage and solar panel. I have no real expertise electrically, only what I have experienced and observed. My slip only has 7.5' at high tide and about 5.6' at low so even if a hose burst and the bilge ran all the batteries dead and she sank their wouldn't be enough water to harm her.Bob,
What does the "...heavy duty battery cable length being the exactly the same length from main terminal to battery" add to your setup?
Also, why would shorepower being hooked up while you are away increase electrolysis, and what does your compliment of electronics have to do with electrolysis. You make it sound like the more electronics you have, the worse the electrolysis is. That is not normally true. You can have 50 GPS's lined up in a row..all connected up and running -or not. The electrolysis rate as it applies to the hull of your boat will not even notice.
If this is however somehow true, then you have leakage to ground, and this should be corrected. Electrolysis is a cureable problem. You are trading off the ability to power your bilge pump for extended periods via shorepower rather than your limited battery bank, and this could cost you your boat.
I think you need to relook at your reasoning here.
Regards,
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
They are great, especially if you leave the boat for any extended period like most of us have to do at times. My link regulates the solar panel to send the charge to whichever battery needs it. I have four 100 amp hour batteries, 60 watt solar panel, windbugger, shore power with battery charger, 100 amp Balmar alternator and 600w inverter. All battery cables are extra heavy duty and exactly the same length from main terminal to battery. I had the 2000 on a trawler I owned and it was even better.I prefer not to leave the boat hooked up to shore power as it only increases electrolysis problems, especially where you have full electronics like I do, GPS, VHF, RADAR,I would appreciate hearing of experiences with the Link 10 monitor or similar units.
Thanks
Jim
sixpence@dmv.com