What should my Voltmeter be reading?

[Scott L]

Since the house has been going through a remodel in the front, the boat has been trapped in the back yard. She was able to get out and see if she still floated and her engine ran. Yes to both, but the voltmeter was running between 15-16 idling and running. It would drop down to +/-14.5 when trimming up or down.

I have a 99 Triton TR21 with a 225 FICHT. If memory serves, all that is running to the cranking battery is the Nav lights, gauges and graphs. Does 15.5-16 sound high? The meter only goes to 16.

Please excuse my ignorance of electrical systems.

Thanks,

Scott

[Smile_n_Jax]

How long was the boat sitting? Did you charge the cranking battery before taking it out? How long did you run it? A run down battery could cause the system to overcharge, which is not good. Automotive systems charge at a rate of 13.7 to 15.2 volts. Put a hand held voltmeter across the battery and compare it to the dash meter. If you're still getting high voltage with a fully charged battery, I'd have the system checked.

[Scott L]

I would say it had been about 4 maybe 5 months since the boat was used. The batteries have been on a trickle charge during the storage period.

When I get home I will check the battery reading.

Thanks.

[Bill K]

Another possibility after being on a trickle charge for that time period is evaporation of the fluid. Check that all cells have proper fluid level, as if one or more is down then your system will show a high rate of charge, as it is trying to bring up a down battery. Bill K

[Phil]

MY NEW OPTI 150 AT IDLE SHOWS ABOUT 13.5 .....WHEN TRIM IS RUNNING IT GOES DOWN TO ABOUT 11 VOLTS....AT HI IDLE IT RUNS ABOUT 13.5 TO 14 VOLTS. JUST INFO FYI


JIGS

[Scott L]

Thanks for the replies.

1. The cranking battery is an Optima (no maintenance) so I can't top off the cells with water.

2. The battery measured between 12-13 volts on my multitester and when I turned the key for the console gauge it read +/- 13.5 volts.

When I was on the water the gauge seemed to gradually move from 15 to 16 volts at idle. This seems high, but I don't know. I just can't remember what it normally runs at.

I was hoping to avoid a trip to the boat doctor.

[Fish Chris]

Volts.

Fish