weird house boat problem

[oops!]

Re: weird house boat problem

Oops, a couple suggestions.

1. Get a battery hydrometer (around $10) to test each cell of each battery. This is far more accurate than any voltage reading and will instantly show if the battery has a bad or questionable cell. (All cells chould be within .05of each other.)

2. Hate to say it but I suspect there is something wrong with the inverter. Any inverter made in the last 15 years SHOULD have a warning at anything below 12 volt DC input and should shut itself down some where around 11 volts input. Just a SWAG,,, the sensing diode (usually one or more zener diodes) is shorted and not shutting the inverter down and could very well be what is draining the batteries so quickly. If you can get me the manf. and model I can do a little research on it and suggest further testing procedures.

thats the problem austin....some idiot painted the inverter box and we dont know what it is.....when you take the cover off....there is nothing.,...no writing, no numbers....ziltch

 

[oops!]

Re: weird house boat problem

Hi oops,
I can't add much to what others with more marine experience than myself have already said, but I am wondering just how much current is being drawn by the squirrel cage heater fan. If this appliance uses 12 volt resistance elements, the current draw could be substantial. What is the wattage/current rating of the unit? I'm not suggesting that's the cause of your problem, but perhaps a significant contributor. - Grandad

thank you....ill check on the cage.....the heating unit is in a closet with some shelves on top of it....so it will take me a bit to get into it.....but i want to rip it apart any how...if nothing, just to clean and grease it

 

[oops!]

Re: weird house boat problem

is there a diode on the solar panels? If there's no diode, and they're not charging, then they're dis-charging. My motorhome would die overnight with a bad solar panel diode.

yes it has a controller,,,,,a rather informative little box !

 

[oops!]

Re: weird house boat problem

thanks bubba.....i have not pulled the inverter out yet....so there could be some underwriters lab stickers on it, but i have not seen any.

this is a pretty big inverter/charger....the heat sinks are on the inside, and there is a pretty good 5 inch fan on them.

even though i dont know the exact amps im drawing, i count under 14 amps continueous.

say 7 amps running the heat fan, (im guessing only about 4) the two florescent lamps cant be more than 2 (same fixture). the sure flow pump is on and off (only during pressure izing) but lets say 3 and what does the car radio draw?....one?

that is between 11 and 14 amps total. im guessing that the inverter it self is drinking juice.

but i gotta get this thing figgured out, or the guy will have an unrentable boat. (its not offically my job to "be the electrician") but i chalk this up to learning full ships systems.....

 

[Grandad]

Re: weird house boat problem

thank you....ill check on the cage.....the heating unit is in a closet with some shelves on top of it....so it will take me a bit to get into it.....but i want to rip it apart any how...if nothing, just to clean and grease it

Hi again oops,
When I first asked about the wattage/current rating of the heater I thought perhaps this was a portable or other heater with electric elements. If this is a "furnace" originally designed to heat the entire houseboat, it's likely to be propane fueled and won't have electric elements, so forget I asked. The circulating fan motor won't have a significant load by comparison to electric elements. - Grandad