Battery alarm?

[praetorian]

Hi there,<br /><br />I'm looking for some type of battery alarm that will sound when my house battery levels reach a certain level. I know if I'm anchored somewhere all day, playing with the kids, drinking, whatever, I'll forget to crank the engine before the battery is drained further than I'd like (like all the way dead).<br /><br />I've looked over the Internet and can't find anything less that a few hundred dollars. That seems too high for what I'm looking for. Anybody have any suggestions?<br /><br />Thanks!

 

[Keith Buchanan]

Re: Battery alarm?

A few hundred dollars would buy a few lead acid batteries, why not spend a few dollars and run a two battery system with either a cheap manual isolator or a slightly dearer relay isolator that you cannot forget about. That way you will always have cranking power and peace of mind...<br /><br />Regards Keith B...Keep it simple...

 

[jtexas]

Re: Battery alarm?

Are you handy with a soldering iron? here's a circuit made from a couple resistors and one each variable resistor, diode, transistor, capacitor and buzzer. This design sounds the alarm with the power supply fails, but you could easily modify it to trigger when voltage drops below 12.4 or 12.5 or whatever. You probably won't need the capacitor.<br /><br /> power failure alarm <br /><br />you can get the parts from any old electronic device.<br /><br />If you are a little more adventurous, here's one designed to monitor 12V batteries and sound the alarm if the voltage drops too low<br /><br /> battery monitor

 

[gator79]

Re: Battery alarm?

I carry one of those portable jump boxes. leave it in the truck when not in the boat. I also cary jumper cables in the boat. it is always nice to have a backup.

 

[qure]

Re: Battery alarm?

I was also thinking about some sort of battery alarm, or on board charger. Looking at the Overton's manual I see a "PriorityStart" battery protector that is supposed to disconnect the battery when voltage drops below 11.9 volts. List price is $79.99. I have no idea if this thing actually works. I have dual batteries on my pontoon and switch to one when listening to the stereo before switching to both to start 'er up. Somtimes though I don't have enough juice to start the engine. Embarassing to say the least. I don't even know what the proper reading should be on the voltmeter gage on the boat. Never did get the manual when buying this boat second hand. I'm also considering a portable battery charger/jump starter, but don't really know how they work.