BLUEMOMENT

Will the lights go out on the Clyde Scuttlebut Cruise? I've got a battery on the bench undergoing therapy. The man on Google says no more than 0.05SG difference between cells, I've got 0.3... Anyone on here tried the high frequency de-sulphation devices mentioned in Webland? (or does anyone else have SG measurements to compare?)~(and is sulphation the perpretator of unequal SG?)
Incidentally, the battery takes a good charge current over a long period, and will discharge at 8 amps for a day before hitting 10v. A wire coathanger 'drop tester' across the terminals for 10 secs still gives 12v and lots of smoke, so you would think it was Ok for a 4 year old 110AH.
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I have VIP visitors coming and don't want them to be frightened of the dark.

sahona wrote:the battery takes a good charge current over a long period, and will discharge at 8 amps for a day before hitting 10v. A wire coathanger 'drop tester' across the terminals for 10 secs still gives 12v and lots of smoke, so you would think it was Ok for a 4 year old 110AH.

Depends exactly what you mean by a day, but taking it literally: 24h X 8A = 192Ah, which is not bad going for a nominally 110Ah battery!

I like your "drop" test! Would really upset some of the H2phobes in T O P!

Seriously, what would be very useful to know is the "rest" voltage, i.e. after being fully charged, then left disconnected for several hours. That should give a fairly clear indication of whether one cell has gone down.

Fiver each from the breaker, carry a spare.....

I have VIP visitors coming and don't want them to be frightened of the dark.

We'll be bringing headtorches . . .

Is there a night sail planned then?

Not planned (as far as I know) but it has happened before. I was more concerned that you might be frightened by the mushrooms and moving things in the forecabin, we never go in there. We'll look out some nice friendly nightlights, just in case.

DaveS . It hasn't lost a cell yet. I can tell by the voltage measurements and the SG. It looks like 2 cells are limping. Was really interested to see if anyone had successfully de-sulphated and brought back the dead. It is Easter after all. (Sorry) My day was only 13 hours by the way- a bit nearer reality.

Bullet bitten, after hunting the motor factors and lucas-on-the-web, I got a 110AH leisure battery from Eglinton caravans for £60. Seems to be the best value around here. Shame it didn't quite slot into its box...!

They never do.

Silkie wrote:They never do.

I have found a measuring stick useful for this purpose. You may also need a pencil & paper too if you are no longer in your prime.

Should this have been in the Tips forum?

once it's in there's space all around, but it did require dismantling the box to get it in. It was measured, but not the diagonals...just a wee bit bigger than the original, I guess. Anyway, for the first time, I've managed to start the engine from cold without the GPS (garmin) dying, so it's an improvement.