Sweaty Batteries
My boat is equipped with 2 8D batteries which serve both house and start
for the single Cummins, they were installed in 2007. They are performing
fine. Every time I check them the tops are very wet, with large droplets all
over the tops. They are correctly filled, don't seem to be overcharging and
they consume little water I might add 3/4 of a quart per month.
The battery box is of fiberglass with no real vents but a loosely
fitting lid and openings for the wires. The bilge is dry and the humidity
doesn't seem too high in the engine area. This isn't causing any problem that I
can tell but on my previous boat the tops of the batteries stayed dry.
Suggestions or comments will be welcome.
Thanks,
Steve Willett
Monk 36, Gumbo
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Steve, I would think that 3/4 of a quart might not seem like much be we don't
add anywhere near that. You don't say what type of charging system you have
and how old. Sounds like the charger is causing the battery fluid to bubble
and boil which is why the tops are wet. Chuck
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On Tue, 8/18/09, StWillett@aol.com StWillett@aol.com wrote:
My boat is
equipped with 2 8D
batteries which serve both house and start
for the
single Cummins, they were installed in 2007. They
are performing
fine.
Every time I check them the tops are very wet, with
large droplets all
over the tops. They are correctly filled, don't seem to be
overcharging and
they consume little water I might add 3/4 of a quart
per month.
The battery box is of fiberglass with no real
vents but a loosely
fitting lid and openings for the wires. The bilge is
dry and the humidity
doesn't seem too high in the engine area. This isn't
causing any problem
that I
can tell but on my previous boat the tops of the batteries
stayed
dry.
Suggestions or comments will be welcome.
Thanks,
Steve Willett
Monk 36, Gumbo
Thibodaux, Louisiana
3/4 of a quart a month sounds very excessive to me. I would suspect overcharge
and venting as the others said. There are special caps that are supposed to
recombine the vented gasses I believe. Here is one brand.
http://store.solar-electric.com/hydrocaps.html
No experience with them though.
Joel Wilkins
m/s Miss Magoo
Columbia 45
S. Pasadena, FL
--- On Tue, 8/18/09, StWillett@aol.com StWillett@aol.com wrote:
From: StWillett@aol.com StWillett@aol.com
Subject: T&T: Sweaty Batteries
To: trawlers-and-trawlering@lists.samurai.com
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 9:25 AM
My boat is equipped with 2 8D
batteries which serve both house and start
for the single Cummins, they were installed in 2007. They
are performing
fine. Every time I check them the tops are very wet, with
large droplets all
over the tops. They are correctly filled, don't seem to be
overcharging and
they consume little water I might add 3/4 of a quart
per month.
The battery box is of fiberglass with no real
vents but a loosely
fitting lid and openings for the wires. The bilge is
dry and the humidity
doesn't seem too high in the engine area. This isn't
causing any problem that I
can tell but on my previous boat the tops of the batteries
stayed dry.
Suggestions or comments will be welcome.
Thanks,
Steve Willett
Monk 36, Gumbo
Thibodaux, Louisiana
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Hydrocaps, they do a great job. A little pricey, but worth it. (Have to be
removed for equalizing the batteries so the bubbling doesn't get the
catalyst in them wet).
Dan Stone
St. Pete, FL
There are special caps that are supposed to
recombine the vented gasses I believe. Here is one brand.
http://store.solar-electric.com/hydrocaps.html
No experience with them though.
Joel Wilkins
m/s Miss Magoo
Columbia 45
S. Pasadena, FL
Agree about the Hydrocaps which use platinum as a catalyst to precipitate
the water back into the battery. BUT, you are probably boiling
(overcharging) your batteries. Absent a battery monitor like a Link 1000 or
2000, you need to put a multimeter on fully-charged batteries with the
engines running. The voltage is likely to be excessive suggesting that you
need a good 3 or 4 stage alternator external regulator. Watch out for the
acid raining on the top of the battery.
Ron Rogers
-----Original Message-----
From: trawlers-and-trawlering-bounces@lists.samurai.com
[mailto:trawlers-and-trawlering-bounces@lists.samurai.com] On Behalf Of Dan
Stone
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 5:22 PM
To: T & T; Joel Wilkins
Subject: Re: T&T: Sweaty Batteries
Hydrocaps, they do a great job. A little pricey, but worth it. (Have to be
removed for equalizing the batteries so the bubbling doesn't get the
catalyst in them wet).
Dan Stone
St. Pete, FL
After reading about cooling computers with raw water I
figured I wouldn't get too flamed for this idea :-)
Don't know if it would be feasible, but has using an
engine driven compressor to cool a heatsink while underway
to provide cabin cooling on the hook w/o running the genset
been considered?
With an insulated tank (tolerable of expansion), one could
freeze the some portion of their water supply with an engine driven
compressor and then at night use the tank to supply chilled water
to a water-to-air heat exchange in the sleeping quarters.
Don't know what volume of water would needed...
but I'm sure it is calculable for a known volume and temperature
deferential.
First post and just a dreamer,
Mac
PS I did read about Google setting up offshore datacenter barges and using
sea water to cool there servers...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mac McDonald" nfmcdonald@gmail.com
After reading about cooling computers with raw water I
figured I wouldn't get too flamed for this idea :-)
Don't know if it would be feasible, but has using an
engine driven compressor to cool a heatsink while underway
to provide cabin cooling on the hook w/o running the genset
been considered?
REPLY
I think Frig-o-Boat has just such a thing. <VBG> A holding plate fridge.
Unfortunately they waste the coolness on keeping the steaks frozen and
making ice cubes for Daquiris.
What you want is an inside out freezer. Engine drives the cold plates and
when at anchor overnight, a fan blows air across the holding plates
giving you a cooling breeze. < smile>
All kidding aside, I found a new 'stil in the box' old automotive air
conditioner that worked exactly like that.
A plastic tray held crushed ice or ice cubes. A regular automotive fan
blew air across the ice cube tray and the adjustable grille directed the
cool air toward driver and passenger.
Reference to 6V car systems in the wiring installation section suggest to
me this product must have dated back to the early fifties.
Maybe time to revive an old idea.
Arild
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mac McDonald" nfmcdonald@gmail.com
Don't know if it would be feasible, but has using an
engine driven compressor to cool a heatsink while underway
to provide cabin cooling on the hook w/o running the genset
been considered?
With an insulated tank (tolerable of expansion), one could
freeze the some portion of their water supply with an engine driven
compressor and then at night use the tank to supply chilled water
to a water-to-air heat exchange in the sleeping quarters.
REPLY
Good idea Mac! It may not be as practical in the hottest zones of the Gulf
area but elsewhere it has potential.
Holding plate technology has been around for a while so it is considered a
'mature' technology with plenty of experts and equipment avilable.
For years sailboats that did not run an engine while under way used this
as the only practical approach to refrigeration.
the grudgingly accepted the necessity of having to run th emotor a couple
of hours to charge batteries and 'charge' the holding plates in the freexer.
The biggest hurdle may be to get people to accept this different way of
doing things.
But it also means you do not need to run a genset overnight. Nor would you
need huge battery capacity to drive an inverte to power the regular air
conditioner. The extra up front cost is offset by the long term saving in
fuel, not to mention wear and tear on the genset. In fact I can see how
this would make it possible to eliminate a genset entirely.
Arild
Mac,
A few numbers can provide us with a feasibility guide. Water carries 1
btu/lb/ degree F, plus the phase change from ice to water is 80 btu/lb. If
we operate the cold water radiators at 62 degrees F, that's 80 btu for the
phase change, plus 30 btu for the temperature change from 32 degrees to 62
degrees, or 110 btu per lb of water in the phase change tank. Lets say we
need continuously 5000 btu/hour to cool the aft sleeping cabin only, and we
want to sleep for 8 hours. We need to store 40,000 btu for the night's
cooling. We need 40,000/110 btu, or 360 lbs of water, about 45 gals of
water/ice to last the night. That amount seems potentially reasonable, so
you might want to look into the idea further. Lots of sailboats used to use
engine driven compressors to freeze holding plates in their refr/freezers
(and some still do), so the technology is old hat.
Mark Richter, M.E.
m/v Winnie the Pooh, Ortona, FL on the Okeechobee Waterway
Don't know if it would be feasible, but has using an
engine driven compressor to cool a heatsink while underway
to provide cabin cooling on the hook w/o running the genset
been considered?
With an insulated tank (tolerable of expansion), one could
freeze the some portion of their water supply with an engine driven
compressor and then at night use the tank to supply chilled water
to a water-to-air heat exchange in the sleeping quarters.
Don't know what volume of water would needed...
but I'm sure it is calculable for a known volume and temperature
deferential.