Are My Batteries Toast?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Is this possibly related to the inherent inaccuracy of the gauge during the charging phase?

Yes, my theory which is just a theory is it's confused by charging as I believe the smart gauge is nothing more than a volt meter with some smart software, if so how do you determine the SOC of a bank that is being charged? Voltage is out of wack for the bank even at rest.
However if left alone with batteries being charged at float, my SG will eventually display 100, more of that smart software so think.

Just ignore the thing for a couple of days, and read the SOC display at night of first thing in the morning, that thing is not a POS, it's actually brilliant as it's something that if you just leave it alone and don't much with it, it gets better and better

[Kenomac]

Another lesson learned today... don't touch my lips or mouth after doing specific gravity testing until after washing my hands. Apparently, I got some battery juice on my hands.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Another lesson learned today... don't touch my lips or mouth after doing specific gravity testing until after washing my hands. Apparently, I got some battery juice on my hands.

My one trial learning was don't run your eyes after making nachos with Jalapeños.
Oh and you likely got some on your short too, just don't know it yet, then you will have a church shirt, every mechanic needs at least one.

[Privilege]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Now I really don't understand this Smartgauge.

At 8am this morning, the Smartgauge read 75%. Bright sunny day, so my Magnetronic counted 40ah being added to the bank along with taking care of the daily refrigeration finishing at 5:30pm which is about right. Amp hour counter at 8am 318, counter at 5:30pm 358. Sunny day, 450w of solar.

The Smartgauge never moved from it's 75% reading all day long. Not even one percent in either direction. Looks like this gauge might be a dud. Will see what it reads in the morning.

Is this possibly related to the inherent inaccuracy of the gauge during the charging phase?

Battery monitors are capable of measuring the amperage flow in and out as well as the voltage but they have no idea how big a battery bank you have. That has to be pre-programmed by yourself. Even then, the monitor has to be reset occasionally to 100% when you know your batteries are fully charged. On the Link monitors, you hold both outside buttons in together to synchronize.

Make sure that your monitor knows the proper size of your bank.

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

...The Smartgauge is getting one more day to perform before it's officially declared a POS.

Keep us informed - some of us are very interested in these posts (better to learn from the troubles of others..).

[Kenomac]

It's now 9:40pm and the Smartgauge is still stuck at 75% where it's been for the past 13.5 hours. Meanwhile, the 18 year old Magnetronic began the day at 80%, climbed up to 92% counting the little amp hours along the way and has now dropped back to 87.3%

[john61ct]

I can't say what is currently wrong with your SG.

I would say ignore it for now, other than confirming the connections are OK, let it build up its history for the bank, and just look at it at the start and end of each day.

Balmar does give good support if it comes to that, it is of course possible it's a bad unit.

If there is a question as to the overall health of the bank, that is another possibility.

Remember the other monitor is just counting AH in and out, not actually sensing anything relevant to the health of the battery.

The **only** method to find out about its current actual AH capacity is the load tests outlined above, coutesy of Maine Sail.

Originally Posted by Privilege

Battery monitors are capable of measuring the amperage flow in and out as well as the voltage but they have no idea how big a battery bank you have. That has to be pre-programmed by yourself. Even then, the monitor has to be reset occasionally to 100% when you know your batteries are fully charged. On the Link monitors, you hold both outside buttons in together to synchronize.

Make sure that your monitor knows the proper size of your bank.

All that is true for shunt-based coulomb-counting monitors.

The SmartGauge is not that, and automatically adapts to the declining AH capacity of the bank as that walks down over time.

[Bleemus]

Have you tried a factory reset on the Smartgauge?

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Bleemus

Have you tried a factory reset on the Smartgauge?

I programed it to 100% when I was sure the bank was at 100% or as close to it I could get. I checked specific gravity and both chargers were on float status, then I reset the charger back to absorption and gave the bank another two hours of charging unti the absorption dropped to 2 amps. Specific gravity readings on seven batteries were all indicating 100% except for one battery at 90%.

[Bleemus]

Do a factory reset. Once reconnected and setup dont touch it. Just let it do its thing over a few cycles.

[rgleason]

Little electrons creeping out of the woodwork, who have been buried down there for awhile. They drive the voltage back up. Your use and loads draw it down fast and the voltage drops because there are fewer electrons readily available. Think capacity and surface charge, and all states in between.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Bleemus

Do a factory reset. Once reconnected and setup dont touch it. Just let it do its thing over a few cycles.

I'll try your idea tomorrow before I give up on it.

Thanks

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by john61ct

I can't say what is currently wrong with your SG.

I would say ignore it for now, other than confirming the connections are OK, let it build up its history for the bank, and just look at it at the start and end of each day........

This is why I don't understand why people would want to use the SmartGauge. With my normal coulomb counter style battery monitor, actually I have two onboard, I can check the number of amp-hours down I am at anytime of day or night. I also can see exactly what load is on the battery. This is all I need to make any charging decisions, such as leave it for solar, leave it for tomorrow's motoring, turn on the genset now or maybe early tomorrow morning.

I also peak at the percent charge number on the battery monitor, knowing that it is close but not fully accurate. Since I have AGMs I can't use the accurate, but user unfriendly specific gravity reading of flooded batts. I do monitor the Batts on occasion to see that they get to a very low amperage while at absorption charge voltage a few times a week. Which I think is the most accurate way to determine a full charge for AGMs. Something you cannot do with a SmartGauge.

[john61ct]

It is more accurate, and easier to use, no need to have to guess the new AH capacity as the bank declines, no need to reset or calibrate.

Many people use an AH counter as well for the "realtime" current information.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by john61ct

It is more accurate, and easier to use, no need to have to guess the new AH capacity as the bank declines, no need to reset or calibrate.

Many people use an AH counter as well for the "realtime" current information.

More accurate when read at the correct time of day I guess? Since most cruising boats have solar on all day and many/most add any extra charging during daylight, it still seems it wouldn't give me the info I want to make the normal everyday charging decisions. I'd have to learn when to believe and when not to. If in reality I would! need a standard battery monitor along with the SmartGauge, then I guess I put it in the extra toy to have onboard if I want some more instrumentation catagory.

Makes me think of the old broken watch saying (prior to digital). A broken watch is still correct twice a day.