Cranking battery discharge

[TritonBrent]

How long cant you guys fish with areator's running and graphs on before your main cranking battery gets low? I have 2 recirculating pumps (one for each livewell). It was a decent day so both livewells were running in "timed mode", and both graphs were on. I fished a bank for 3 1/2hrs and it killed my cranking battery. Battery is a 2yr old Trojan. Am i expecting to much out of my battery?

[MIKE TREMONT]

My batt is over five years old and went all day for me yesterday.
I have an Interstate. I'm pushing it at five years, but it's still going. I usually throw a two amp charge on it the night before I go out.
Good luck.

[Ken C.]

Had you charged it before you went out? What motor do you have on it? Any chance something else (i.e. courtesy lights) might have been left on?

[Ralph Harkins]

you have a pm

[Ralph Harkins]

Morning
I have a question? Is your Starting Battery tied in with your Deep Cycle Batteries? Your Starting Battery should be separate from your Deep Cycle Batteries. You should be running your Live well's, and Electronics off of your Deep Cycle Batteries! Are you running a (4) bank Charger? I have a FIX for you! I just need some information first.
P.S. I have sent you a pm
Ralph Harkins

[Ken C.]

You should be running your Live well's, and Electronics off of your Deep Cycle Batteries!

Question for Ralph - how would you be able to run your 12V electronics off of your 24V deep cycle system for your TM? In most 3 battery systems (mine included) which I believe is most commmon, the deep cycle batteries are wired in series giving a 24V output to the trolling motor. Without separating those batteries you are going to get 24V no matter where you tap into it and this will damage the electronics and livewell pumps. With 4 batteries you typically have 36V to the TM unless you have it configured with a 24V TM and one battery dedicated to the electronics. The only option I could think of would be some type of voltage regulator connected to the 24V system to run the electronics off of at 12V. (to me another device to fail and leave you with some problems!) But now you are also introducing a huge potential for interference eminating from your trolling motor, no? Not slamming you or anything I just am interested in how one would go about this without frying your electronics.

I have run my Skeeter livewells and electronics off the cranking battery all day without any problems at all and I think Brent should be able to as well unless the battery is too small (or bad) or he has another issue with constant drain on the battery or something.

We do need to know exactly what boat/motor/TM, etc. he is running.

[MIKE TREMONT]

I also run all the electronics off of the starting batt.

I think Ken may be on to something, you don't know how many times (thousands) I went out to jump someones vehicle and there was a light on in the glove box, trunk, etc...

[scsiman411]

just my .02 but this situation happend to me a few yrs ago and I took one of my 3 deep cycle batts and dedicated it to my electronics and pumps, and ran my t motor off of the remaining two. T motor may draw a few more amps in 24v but no issues for me after the change over. I still carry a jumper box just in case. Nothing sux worse than needing a jump in the middle of no where. You know I think I remember seeing an Optima battery at sears last time that was a dual purpose unit, blue top marine for both starting and deep cycle, maybe this can be an easy fix for you. Check their site.

[Rod Martin]

If you have 3 batteries in searies _ + _ + _ + attach your 12 volt equip. to the 1st. battery _+ same as you used to do with the 12/24 volt trolling motors

[Gary Dobyns]

If you maintain your fluid levels and keep a charge on a Trojan battery they will last many years. Letting a battery set discharged or burning them without adequate fluid are the two worst things you can do. I run all my pumps and electronics off my cranking battery. I turn my livewell pumps on manual and leave them on all day and have no problems. My guess is you have damaged the battery or you did not have a good charge on it. Trojan SC225 batteries are the best that I have ever used. They are a little heavier. That is what makes them have 225 reserve amps. You can always hook to a positive and a negitive on the same battery for 12 volts, even if they are wired into a series of 24V or 36V. Hope this helps a little.

[Mikey]

I bet the water level is low in the battery(use only disstilled water)

[F Camacho]

I am having a similar problem w/ my '05 Ranger Z21, Merc Verado 250, Trojan batteries, MK 101 Maxxum Pro, Lowrance 332c &135. I cannot fish a full tournament day w/o my cranking battery dying. The battery has been tested 3 times and is fine. By process of elimination, it seems to be related to the livewell pumps. I filled the wells at home and ran them on a medium setting starting with fully charged batteries and all other electronics turned off. The cranking battery died after 5 hours. The boat is currently at Anglers Marine, but so far they have not found an answer and are currently waiting for a response from Ranger on a reason for the drain and a fix. I love the boat. but believe me, this is frustrating. It changes your entire mentality when you can't concentrate on fishing because your worried if you will make it in at the end of the day. Last time it happened to me I had close to 30 lbs. in the boat at Clearlake and had to get a jump from a passing pontoon boat in order to make it in to wiegh in. I carry cables, but it is a 50-50 shot if it will take a jump off the trolling batteries. I'll let you know what I hear from Anglers Marine. Anybody have anymore input.

[jchopper]

I have an 06 Ranger Z-21 with a Mercury 250XS and my cranking battery went out on me about 2 weeks ago. I only stopped for about 1 1/2 hours with the livewells going and it completely died. I couldn't even jump start it with the other batteries that I have in the boat. I even had a buddy take his battery out of his truck to try and get it going and it wouldn't go. They said it was a bad cell. They also told me that this has happened to a lot of the Everstart batteries that they are using. They put a new battery in and it works fine now. I can't remember what kind it is. The bad thing was that I was in a tournament and had to let my fish go to get to the shop before it closed...

[Ralph Harkins]

How many of us are using a 4 bank charger? A 4 bank charger only puts out 10 amps per side. Now some of the 3 bank chargers only put out 10 amps also,the one we us the most is a Dual-Pro-SI. There is a 3 bank charger that put's out 15 amps per side and that is the one we should be using, it is also called a Dual-Pro but not the SI. With that being said please check your charger to see if it is a 10 amp or a 15 amp. Use onl y the 15 amp charger in your boat.

Now your going to say but I have a 36 volt system. Well then go and get your self a home charger that has at least 20 amps and hook it up to your starting battery when you get home. This will help fix most of your problems. Do this after every trip.

Now to the cranking battery.
Most of our new motors on these go fast boats need to have at least 1000 CCA. If you are using less than that you may want to change that battery to a Trojan SM1100 group 27. Any thing less and you may all be left at the starting gate and can't get out.

[charlieevans-batteryman]

Well I am definetly going to have to stand on Ralph Harkins & Gary Dobyns side of the fence on this question!! We all need to make sure that (1) we are properly charging these starting batteries, and (2) they are being topped off with DISTILLED WATER ONLY, NO EXCEPTIONS!! If you are adding any water that is not purely distilled, you are adding impurities into your batteries! And for all of you that are having issues with your starting battery leaving you stranded on the water, put that starting battery on a 20,30, or 40 amp charger for a couple of hours. These batteries need an equalization charge at least every quarter and that should solve alot of your problems with these starting batteries.

Charlie Evans
Battery Systems-West Sacramento
"TROJAN BATTERIES"
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