not charging on engine

[crus]

i have a 2300scr 1993.

the previous owner had it in a marina and always on shorepower but i dont have that for its near my house in a canal.

i noticed the volt gauge fell back to just over 10v although i have been boating for hours.

yesterday the alarm system also started sending notices to my phone app it lost ac power, got ac power back, lost ac-power and so on like every minute.

now it completly runs on its internal battery.

i suspect my number 2 battery circuit is not charging on the engine.

how can i check this and if so, how to fix it?

thx a lot!

[mmwjr]

"i noticed the volt gauge fell back to just over 10v "

Was this observed on the helm volt meter? If so the Alternator is not putting out the correct power, could be regulator or diode.

"my phone app it lost ac power"

What is this measuring? You said you don't have shore power and batteries are 12VDC so there is no AC unless you are running an inverter.

"i suspect my number 2 battery circuit is not charging on the engine"

Not sure what you mean here. Do you have a battery charger? If so it required shore power.

[crus]

yes i have an inverter, victron multiplus 2000W, i think with charging capability.

maybe only the starter battery is recharged with the motor running.

ill will take pictures because theres also another black device attached to the power circuit, not sure what it does. someone told me it is some sort of power router for the batteries.

this is all still very new to me.

[shrew]

If you have 2 batteries, what is your battery selector switch to when you are running the engine? Typically, #1 = Start; #2= house. You should not be running the engine on BOTH. The volt-meter on the dash is reading whatever battery the battery switch is set too.

When running, the volt-meter should be reading around 14v

What other 12v devices are running at the time (e.g. Fridge, electronics, stereo)?

[crus]

i had all devices off, even the fridge.

the guy told me the switch "off-1-all-2" is not really relevant anymore because of the black device. thats supposed to automatically select which battery(s) should be charged.

ill post a picture of the mystery device tomorrow.

[rwc]

Originally Posted by shrew

You should not be running the engine on BOTH

Oh. Why not? I've been doing that.

[Phillbo]

If wired right both batteries should charge when on the #1 position.

Batt 1 - Starting Batt
Batt 2- House Batt.

Start and run on Batt 1 and switch to Batt 2 when on the hook.

[mmwjr]

The alternator will charge the battery selected when running. The battery charger should be wire to charge both no matter what setting the switch is on.

[Phillbo]

Not in my case.

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by Phillbo

Not in my case.

Well then modified from factory wiring. Yes a device can be added to charge both batteries from the alternator at the same time.

[Gugi47]

Originally Posted by shrew

........ You should not be running the engine on BOTH.

I start the engine wit both battery and run with both battery. The alternator will charge the two battery. When I shot the engine off, I switch to #2 (house) battery. So you don't drain the #1. Before I start the engine again, I switch the both so will charge the house battery when I'm running again. I'm doing this for many years and never have any problem. What problem I should have anyway?

[crus]

is there an easy way to determine if the battery(s) are being charged when running the motor?

like measue the voltage at some location in the circuit?

[jrsick]

Originally Posted by crus

is there an easy way to determine if the battery(s) are being charged when running the motor?

like measue the voltage at some location in the circuit?

You will need a multimeter to check if the battery is being charged. Multimeter with digital readout is best for this test.
Measure and record battery voltage with engine off. Conduct this measurement at the battery posts that are being used to power the boat. You should see close to 12 volts, and will likely be 11.8 to 12.4. Let us know if you see voltage outside this range. Start the engine, then measure the voltage again. You should see at least a .5v increase. Voltage range for this test is usually 13.6v to 14.5v.

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by Gugi47

I start the engine wit both battery and run with both battery. The alternator will charge the two battery. When I shot the engine off, I switch to #2 (house) battery. So you don't drain the #1. Before I start the engine again, I switch the both so will charge the house battery when I'm running again. I'm doing this for many years and never have any problem. What problem I should have anyway?

The real issue is if a failure of a battery or the charging systems were to occur you would drain both batteries and not have a reserve.

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by jrsick

You will need a multimeter to check if the battery is being charged. Multimeter with digital readout is best for this test.
Measure and record battery voltage with engine off. Conduct this measurement at the battery posts that are being used to power the boat. You should see close to 12 volts, and will likely be 11.8 to 12.4. Let us know if you see voltage outside this range. Start the engine, then measure the voltage again. You should see at least a .5v increase. Voltage range for this test is usually 13.6v to 14.5v.

Agree, charging voltage is typically around 13.5VDC

[crus]

great guys!
will check and report back

[Phillbo]

Originally Posted by Gugi47

I start the engine wit both battery and run with both battery. The alternator will charge the two battery. When I shot the engine off, I switch to #2 (house) battery. So you don't drain the #1. Before I start the engine again, I switch the both so will charge the house battery when I'm running again. I'm doing this for many years and never have any problem. What problem I should have anyway?

I guess everyone has their own ideas. That does not sounds like a good process.

On my boat all batts are charged in the #1 position.

[jparsons121]

Originally Posted by Phillbo

I guess everyone has their own ideas. That does not sounds like a good process.

On my boat all batts are charged in the #1 position.

This is the typical process that most boating classes teach. At least the part about switching loads to run off a single bank when moored. Theory being that one battery is held in reserve for starting and not drained by typical house loads.

[Gugi47]

Originally Posted by mmwjr

The real issue is if a failure of a battery or the charging systems were to occur you would drain both batteries and not have a reserve.

So if you end up with one good battery and no charging system, what you going to do?....Everybody should keep eye on the gages all the time. If you see something wrong, you can turn back to home. Two 1000 cca battery should be good for more than 4 hours run. That's why I always buy over size batteries and suggest everybody in the site to do.

[jparsons121]

Agree with the over sizing.
I run all Group 27's with the highest ratings I can find.