Battery Terminal Protection

[Ken Coit]

OK, so the batterys are fully charged and the starter solenoid chatters anyway. We parallel the battery banks and the solenoid doesn't chatter, the engine cranks a few times and starts right up. Lucky we are.

Now then, I start looking at the battery connections and note that some of them no longer look bright and shiny as they did a year ago. I'm not too surprised, but I think there is a better solution.

What do you skippers use on your battery terminals to keep them in good order? Lubriplate? WD-40? Morey's Red? Vaseline? Battery terminal shellac? What works for you?

Thanks,

Ken Coit
CD/36 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC



parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com

[Tom]

I forget what they are called but I got them at Boat US maybe 10 years ago. They are bronze or copper caps that fit over the terminals and have a zirc fitting on the side. There are four set screws that you screw in from the sides and make contact with the posts on the battery. Then you take your grease gun and fill them up with grease. You never have to mess with your battery terminals again. They work like a charm.

OK, so the batterys are fully charged and the starter solenoid chatters anyway. We parallel the battery banks and the solenoid doesn't chatter, the engine cranks a few times and starts right up. Lucky we are.

Now then, I start looking at the battery connections and note that some of them no longer look bright and shiny as they did a year ago. I'm not too surprised, but I think there is a better solution.

What do you skippers use on your battery terminals to keep them in good order? Lubriplate? WD-40? Morey's Red? Vaseline? Battery terminal shellac? What works for you?

Thanks,

Ken Coit
CD/36 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC

TomCambria@mindspring.com

[Larry DeMers]

ANy method that will keep air and it's acidic residue from the cells (as well as salt air) away from the terminal will keep it from corroding. We use vaseline simply because it is available and cheap..and quite effective.

Cheers,

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Lake Superior

OK, so the batterys are fully charged and the starter solenoid chatters anyway. We parallel the battery banks and the solenoid doesn't chatter, the engine cranks a few times and starts right up. Lucky we are.

Now then, I start looking at the battery connections and note that some of them no longer look bright and shiny as they did a year ago. I'm not too surprised, but I think there is a better solution.

What do you skippers use on your battery terminals to keep them in good order? Lubriplate? WD-40? Morey's Red? Vaseline? Battery terminal shellac? What works for you?

Thanks,

Ken Coit
CD/36 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC

demers@sgi.com

[Ken Coit]

Found the item. Check out the link below for the ultimate in battery terminal protection. A bit pricey at $24.95 a pair, but maybe a great idea. We're going to try something cheaper first, but maybe we will have to go that way.

Thanks,

Ken

I forget what they are called but I got them at Boat US maybe 10 years ago. They are bronze or copper caps that fit over the terminals and have a zirc fitting on the side. There are four set screws that you screw in from the sides and make contact with the posts on the battery. Then you take your grease gun and fill them up with grease. You never have to mess with your battery terminals again. They work like a charm.

OK, so the batterys are fully charged and the starter solenoid chatters anyway. We parallel the battery banks and the solenoid doesn't chatter, the engine cranks a few times and starts right up. Lucky we are.

Now then, I start looking at the battery connections and note that some of them no longer look bright and shiny as they did a year ago. I'm not too surprised, but I think there is a better solution.

What do you skippers use on your battery terminals to keep them in good order? Lubriplate? WD-40? Morey's Red? Vaseline? Battery terminal shellac? What works for you?

Thanks,

Ken Coit
CD/36 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC

parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com

[Don Carr]

Ken;
I agree with Larry. The petroleum jelly or just a wheel bearing grease is probably the cheapest, most starightforward way. As Larry said the object is to keep the moisture AND air from the terminal.
It looks like this pricey device may have other functions than terminal protection.

IMHO
Don Carr
s/v Lolita
CD25
Noank, Ct.



carrds@us.ibm.com

[Ken Coit]

The pricey thingamajig is brass which is not affected by sulphuric acid in the same way as lead. The objective is to protect the lead from any acid that may leak through the seal between the case and the terminal or across the top of the battery from spillage. I guess if you cover it with grease, that would do it.

I am going to opt for protective rings and a protective spray for the next period of time (until I need to do it again) and then I will assess the relative success. Clearly my plan of a year ago is not working, so some other plan needs to be implemented.

Keep on sailing,

Ken Coit
CD/36 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC

Ken;
I agree with Larry. The petroleum jelly or just a wheel bearing grease is probably the cheapest, most starightforward way. As Larry said the object is to keep the moisture AND air from the terminal.
It looks like this pricey device may have other functions than terminal protection.

IMHO
Don Carr
s/v Lolita
CD25
Noank, Ct.

parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com

[Tom Robinson]

The ideal solution to corrosion and corrosion prevention is very simple. First mix baking soda and water together and either brush onto terminals and cable ends or use a sopping rag. This gets rid of the corrosion. Second use a spray product called "No Corrode" which is available in most auto parts stores,spray terminals and cables after they are assembled and your done. This is good for several seasons and very cheap.

[Matt Cawthorne]

Ken,
Every connection in the system needs to be kept clean, not just the battery connections. The year I bought my boat the batteries sounded like they needed replacing. At my brothers suggestion I cleaned the ground where it connects to the engine and dabbled a little vaseline on it. The difference was nothing short of amazing. Do you want to improve the starting of that Perkins even more? Change the number 4 battery cables that were standard to number 2 wire or number 1 wire. Again, a big improvement. This is particularly true when the temperature drops below 30 degrees. The ground wire and the commmon red wire after it leaves the battery switch are important since they carry the most current. On my original installation, the black ground wire carried all of the current from both batteries.



Matt




mcawthor@bellatlantic.net

[Ken Coit]

Matt,

I agree that there is more to the current path than the battery terminals, but that is where I have already seen corrosion, so that is where I will begin. I am not using oversized battery cables on Parfait simply because they are a pain to route and keep in place and the starter turns quickly when the connections are clean.

From what I have read, the battery connections are more likely to have a problem than the connections at the switch or the starter because of the likely exposure to sulphuric acid. That is certainly my experience over many years of performing rudimentary maintainance on cars and boats.

We are not living in Minnesota, or even Maine, so very low starting temperatures are not much of a factor around here. I checked our hi/lo recording thermometer on Saturday, and the interior of the boat had reached no lower than 31 degrees since December 5. Further, I am not planning a trip to either of those places or the Arctic with Parfait.

Thanks for your suggestions, we will proceed with them in mind.

Keep on sailing,

Ken Coit
CD/36 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC

Every connection in the system needs to be kept clean, not just the battery connections. The year I bought my boat the batteries sounded like they needed replacing. At my brothers suggestion I cleaned the ground where it connects to the engine and dabbled a little vaseline on it. The difference was nothing short of amazing. Do you want to improve the starting of that Perkins even more? Change the number 4 battery cables that were standard to number 2 wire or number 1 wire. Again, a big improvement. This is particularly true when the temperature drops below 30 degrees. The ground wire and the commmon red wire after it leaves the battery switch are important since they carry the most current. On my original installation, the black ground wire carried all of the current from both batteries.

parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com

[Jim Alexander]

OK, so the batterys are fully charged and the starter solenoid chatters anyway. We parallel the battery banks and the solenoid doesn't chatter, the engine cranks a few times and starts right up. Lucky we are.

Now then, I start looking at the battery connections and note that some of them no longer look bright and shiny as they did a year ago. I'm not too surprised, but I think there is a better solution.

What do you skippers use on your battery terminals to keep them in good order? Lubriplate? WD-40? Morey's Red? Vaseline? Battery terminal shellac? What works for you?

Thanks,

Ken Coit
CD/36 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC

Just a reminder which I didn't see anyone mention is the connection between the starter and the block. Many folks don't remember this connection since it is just between the starter and the block. Clean it with a wire brush and coat it with grease before you tighten the two bolts holding it. One less thing to worry about.
Ragtime
Jim



jimalex@earthlink.net

[Ken Coit]

OK, so the batterys are fully charged and the starter solenoid chatters anyway. We parallel the battery banks and the solenoid doesn't chatter, the engine cranks a few times and starts right up. Lucky we are.

Now then, I start looking at the battery connections and note that some of them no longer look bright and shiny as they did a year ago. I'm not too surprised, but I think there is a better solution.

What do you skippers use on your battery terminals to keep them in good order? Lubriplate? WD-40? Morey's Red? Vaseline? Battery terminal shellac? What works for you?

Thanks,

Ken Coit
CD/36 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC

Just a reminder which I didn't see anyone mention is the connection between the starter and the block. Many folks don't remember this connection since it is just between the starter and the block. Clean it with a wire brush and coat it with grease before you tighten the two bolts holding it. One less thing to worry about.
Ragtime
Jim

parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com

[John R.]

NM

OK, so the batterys are fully charged and the starter solenoid chatters anyway. We parallel the battery banks and the solenoid doesn't chatter, the engine cranks a few times and starts right up. Lucky we are.

Now then, I start looking at the battery connections and note that some of them no longer look bright and shiny as they did a year ago. I'm not too surprised, but I think there is a better solution.

What do you skippers use on your battery terminals to keep them in good order? Lubriplate? WD-40? Morey's Red? Vaseline? Battery terminal shellac? What works for you?

Thanks,

Ken Coit
CD/36 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC