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battery use, charge voltage, etc. It is normal for batteries
which are not maintenance-free to require topping off
about once a month.
A battery's state of charge may be monitored by checking
the specific gravity or by open circuit voltage. You may
use the following table to evaluate the condition of your
batteries:
Open Circuit Voltage
Specific Gravity
Measured by
12 Volt
Hydrometer
System
1.265
12.6 or more
1.225
12.4
1.190
12.2
1.155
12.0
1.120
11.7 or less
* Note: Wait at least 5 minutes after charging or discharging
before checking specific gravity or open circuit voltage.
The battery's voltage needs to stabilize in order to get an
accurate reading.
Troubleshooting Your Battery System
If your battery will not accept or hold a charge, one of the
following conditions may exist:
1. A BAD BATTERY. You may have a battery with an open
or shorted cell, a battery without any "life" left. Check by
charging the battery until all cells have a specific gravity
of 1.225 or greater at 80° F. If you are unable to obtain 1.225
in each cell, replace the battery. For maintenance-free or
gel-cell batteries consult the manufacturer.
2. A BAD BATTERY CHARGER. If the battery open circuit
voltage is low and/or the hydrometer indicates your
batteries are low, the battery charger should be providing
current to the batteries. If it is not, check AC input and check
to see that you have charging voltage on the output with
no battery attached. Note: You will not get an accurate
voltage reading on the output of the charger with no
batteries attached. This is checked merely to ensure that
you do not have an open circuit on the output.
The battery charger has a thermal cutout switch to turn
the charger off if it is overheating. If you suspect this is the
case, refer to the information regarding charger location in
the Installation section and cooling fans in the Application
Notes section.
3. ELECTRICAL LEAKAGE. You may have a previously
unsuspected source of current drain from the battery. To
check for a leakage of this sort, disconnect the battery
ground cable and connect an ammeter between the
negative battery post and ground. If you have a reading
over .1 amp, there is a source of current drain from the
batteries which must be located and removed.
State of
Discharge
24 Volt
@ 80° F
System
25.2 or more
Fully Charged
24.8
25% Discharged
24.4
50% Discharged
24.0
75% Discharged
23.4 or less
100% Discharged
IX) REFERENCE APPENDIX
• For more information about boat wiring to conform
to US Coast Cuard regulations, write: Superintendent of
Documents and Request: 33 CFR 183 Subpart I.
• For more information about American Boat and Yacht
Council recommendations for boat wiring, write to:
American Boat and Yach Council
3069 Soloman's Island Road
Edgewater, MD 21037
Request: Standards and Recommended Practices for
Small Craft.
AC & DC systems: Section E-11
A-31: Battery Charging Devices
• For additional installation instructions, refer to:
ANSI NFPA 302
13
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