Actually the title should read more like "How Can I Tell When My
Batteries are Toast?" Is there a test I can do using my using my Fluke 374 clamp meter to determine the
health of my
batteries? I also found my hydrometer that went missing for a few months, but I don't know how to use it. Everything seems to be working fine with our 24v, 450ah Trojan house bank of 6v wet cell batteries, but what got my attention was inside my new Smart Gauge instructions which stated that the energy saver mode would self initiate anytime the voltage was to drop below 26.4v, but it didn't indicate if this was average or any one time event. I see the voltage dropping below this figure all the time, but the gauge doesn't go into energy saving mode.
So I finally got around to installing the "Smart Gauge." Can anyone explain why the voltage varies so much? Most of the time it hovers up aroud 28v, but after I use the microwave it'll drop down to as low as 24.5v then slowly creep back up over the next 5 minutes or so. When the
freezer of fridge turns on, it drops down in the 26.5v-27v zone, then creeping back up to 28v with the fridge still running over the next 2 minutes. Anytime there's cloud cover and the
solar production drops, the Smart Meter voltage indicator will read figures in the 25v-26.5v volt range with the fridge running. The sun comes out, then back up to 28v.
Also, since I added the
solar and got it online, the batteries are using much less
water. I refill the
water every 30 days per
maintenance schedule, and this month nearly half of the cells didn't require any water to be added.
Why the change? In the past, I've always needed to fill each cell with nearly the same amount of water, approximately 50-75cc in each one. Now almost nothing required.
One more note: I've been noticing a big drop off in the performance of our
windlass over the past two months which actually began last season. If I revv the
engine in idle or run the
generator while taking up the
anchor, it runs OK taking up the chain but still struggles with the
anchor in 45ft depths. I've ordered a new set of
windlass motor brushes per manufacturer recommendation, but is this maybe a symptom of something more sinister? I've already cleaned the contacts and will need to wait a week for help to arrive in order to do further testing and change the
brushes.