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4G6: DC Current & Voltage Metering
A DC volt meter to right of the lower helm, and the toggle
switches immediately above it help you monitor the load on the
ship's batteries where:
1 = Port starting battery
2 = Starboard Starting Battery
3 = Generator Starting Batteries as follows::
Toggle Switch Up: 20kW, Down: 8kW
4 = House Battery Bank
Toggle switch up House Battery 1, down 1A
For all the batteries,
•
12.8 volts is a fully charged battery at rest for at least ten minutes with no charging or
discharging;
•
13.2 volts is a battery being "float" charged, i.e., it is fully charged but on a proper
charger to keep it that way;
•
14.2 - 14.5 volts is a battery that is not fully charged, "bulk" charging to get it charged;
•
10.5 volts is considered a "dead" battery.
4G7: DC: Checking the batteries' "State of Charge"
You can check and monitor the current State Of
Charge of the house batteries using the remote control
panel for the inverter.
Press the FAVS button once to "wake" up
•
the remote. Press it again to see the State
Of Charge page. It will display the State of
Charge as a percent, i.e. 98%.
Whenever the State of Charge (SOC)
reads 70% or less, then it is time to start
one of the generators to recharge the
batteries.
This display can be of particular value in determining if you have enough battery charge to last
overnight on battery power (e.g., at anchor).
When you go to bed, note the SOC. Example: You check the SOC and it reads 89%. Then you check
the SOC again when you arise eight hours later, and it's 70%. You have learned that with the load that
the batteries had that night, they didn't go below 70%, so they could handle that load that long.
Now if you check before bed another night, and the SOC is only 75%! You know
it's not enough! You need to charge the batteries up to at least 89% before going
to bed if you plan to have the same load for the same length of time.
There is also a meter just below the inverter remote panel. It shows the amps
going into the batteries (a positive number) or leaving (a negative number) the
house batteries. By monitoing this meter you can determine what the load is on
the batteries when yo go to bed and shed any unnecessary items.
Section 4F: Electrical Systems, DC 4.20
The DC meter. It is in the "House" position, with float
charging voltage indicated.
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