Monday 28 December 2009

Engine hours

I have been checking back on my blog posts last year and I was efficient in posting my engine hours when we were on the boat on the 27th December 2008. We were on the boat at the same time (well we came a day early this year) just a year ago. The engine hours count then was 134 and by the time we leave today it will be 285 - so we have run our engine for just 151 hours this year. I can imagine that compares very poorly to the likes of Bruce on Sanity and Sue on No Problem.


A couple of other observations.....


We ran out engine yesterday to charge the batteries and got them up to 95% on the smartgauge. This morning they were at 45% I don't think we have ever dropped such a large % which I have to assume means they are perhaps on their last legs. By July we will have owned Waterlily for 3 years and the batteries were not new when we got her (I think one might have been as I found a receipt for an third leisure battery to be fitted when the previous owners has the 150 watt inverter fitted. I recall reading it is never a good idea to add a new battery to old ones?)


I'll see how the batteries fair over the spring and summer but it could be when Midland Chandlers open at Mercia in the spring we will be a customer for three batteries. It would make sense to have them fitted at the same time as Waterlily is at Aqua for her new coat.


We fitted the engine counter early in 2008 so the 134 hours last year plus a bit before the engine counter was fitted means we are close to matching the same engine hours over two years!


Now I am going to look back on when were were aboard and where we went in 2009...

Nev
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2 comments:

Andy Tidy said...

Hi Nev
Wand'ring Bark subsists on just two leisure batteries which are now must be 4.5 to 5.0 years old. I havnt measured their capacity to hold a charge (no reader)so ignorance is bliss, but I have a feeling that they are on the wane too.
Better submit a bulk order to Midland Chandlers!

28 December 2009 at 16:47
Anonymous said...

Does the smart gauge take the temperature into consideration, the capacity can drop by 20% between 20 and -10 degrees (not sure if that is the exact figure but batteries seem to lead a life of their own) So the capacity may very well return with warmer weather. Although having said that I guess with the engine running the temperature in the battery compartment will rise.
When we next change our batteries I definitely would fit some kind of battery monitor. At present I religiously turn off the inverter at night and measure the voltage in the morning and assume that the battery is at rest despite the fact that the fridge is on. I don’t like it being below 12.2 volts which from some sources is 50%. This is a tedious and inaccurate way to go on but I am reluctant to change unless I have to replace and rewire the batteries

Sorry this has got a bit long winded, and I may have mentioned it on a previous comment, thinking about it.

28 December 2009 at 18:14

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