3560 battery questions

R

radams

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2007
RO Number
25309
Messages
5
Hello everyone,

My port side starting and the house (8D) batteries need replaced. Both are around 2.5 years old. Starting battery won't even turn over the engine any more.... the house battery dies MUCH faster than they used to.. etc. What kind of lifespan is everyone else seeing? Is 2.5 yr reasonable?

I figure I'll replace the starter battery (Trojan C31-1000) with a Nautilus Marine Gold NG-31. Decent choice? Any suggestions for the replacement 8D house battery?

Also.. do the engine alternators charge the house battery? I assume they charge the starting batteries?

Thanks,
Jason
Tierra Verde, FL
 
I'm just over 2.5 years and all batteries are still strong, so I haven't had to research my replacements. What kind of usage have you endured? I don't think the 8d has ever been more than 50% discharged without the genny or shore power recharging. My battery charger is always plugged in at the dock and I top off the 8d battery every 4 months with distilled water. I've not done anything with the cranking batts.

Don't know if the alternators charge the house battery. I'm inclined to think not.
 
Ken,

My house battery has been abused at least three times. Every time I take the boat in for service I ask .. "Can you hook it up to power so that the refrig runs? Otherwise I'll empty it.". Each time they said "no problem".. but when I get the boat back the battery is dead and everything in the fridge bad. From what I've read this is very bad for the battery. Err.. I've since learned to just empty it and turn it off when taking it in.. no idea why it took me three times to figure that out. ;) I think the starting battery failure is a fluke.. it's completely dead.. the other one is in great shape though.

Seems like a lot of stuff that we've had go bad/fail has the same answer.. "oh.. you only get around 2 years out of that anyway". Guess that's why they say upgrade every two years. Now if I can just talk the wife into the 5260.. although the Four Winns v458 is looking damn good.

-jason
 
On most boats, the engine alternators will charge all batteries, including the house, through a battery isolator which sends charging current to the batteries in need. It (the isolator) also protects the alternators from any damage that could be incurred by charging too many batteries.
 
indeed, you alternators shoudl should charge all batteries.

you shoudl really check and be familiar with the systems though, take a look at the wiring diagram for your boat. or if you dont' have it, check voltage at the house battery with the charger off. it shoudl be around 12.5 or so. start each engine and check voltage; it shoudl go up to around 13.5 (bump the RPM to 1200/1400)

some chargers are very hard on batteries, have you been checking water levels ?

2.5 years is not much, even in florida... 3 to 4 shoudl be a minimum.

for house duties, a good alternative to an 8D would be a pair of golf cart batteries (in series + to - ), that will give you 220 amp/hrs for around $130 and are much easier to handle since each weight around 60lbs. GC batteries are also designed to handle true deep cycling.

that's what i use on my boat, I have 4 pairs for my inverter bank (which is where most of my house loads come from), 3+ years of very deep cycling and they're still strong
 
4 pairs ! How long will they run your operation without genny ? I have to upgrade my battery situation, if I leave my boat for an hour without power or shore with the fridge on they are pretty low.
 
i have a full size fridge/freezer, most lights are AC, etc... so 4 pairs, 880AH, give us about 20 to 24 hours before we need to run the genny to recharge (3 to 4 hours run time). typically we run the genny in the evening when we use the most lights, cook, etc... then shut it down till the next evening.
 
Jason;

The longevity of your batteries is going to be based on a number of factors. First is the quality and type of battery you start with and second is how it is maintained. If you are using lead acid type you need to make certain the water level is maintained even if they are labeled maintenance free, the constant charging from the battery charger will slowly boil away the water if left untended. As others have noted most batteries will not handle very deep discharges, thus having a good charger/monitoring system is important. Also, if you move up to AGM or Gel type batteries make certain that your charger is configured for these types as the max. charge voltage is less on both of these more advanced types and overcharging will ruin them too. To get better info on the expected life cycle of your particular battery, go the mfgs. website and ask them based on your application.
 
Vic has good points about making sure your charger is set properly for whatever type of battery/batteries are being used. My 3560 had the Charles 60Amp charger which had individual settings for whatever type/combination of batteries being used, make sure that they are properly set. On another note, the 8D house battery would run all night with the fridge, anchor lite, fans, water pump for shower, etc. on and it never did run down, I was very happy with the 8D but it looks as it would be a bear to replace.
 
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