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28-09-2014, 05:33
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 86
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EPIRB Lithium Battery Life Expectancy
My EPIRB is 13 years old. The packaging says it expires in 2006. I just took it apart. The battery pack is made up of three 3-volt lithium battery cells for 9 volt output. I put a tester on it and it reads 8.98 volts. This seems pretty good but I know lithium batteries are a different animal. Do you think it is still worth hanging on to or is the test I did not a good indicator?
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28-09-2014, 08:10
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: New Orleans
Boat: Kaufman 47
Posts: 1,184
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Re: EPIRB Lithium Battery Life Expectancy
I would send it back the manufacturer to get the batteries replaced and have the unit serviced.
Other than that, EPIRBS have come a long way since it was made. They are not that expensive compared to other boat investments and not something I would skimp on.
I personally would send it in, but if I had the money, I'd just get a new one and go enjoy.
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28-09-2014, 08:34
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Detroit
Boat: Tahitiana 32
Posts: 44
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Re: EPIRB Lithium Battery Life Expectancy
EPIRB battery life is 5 years per most sources. Yes this gives a big safety margin... but you want as big a safety margin as possible when you need it. Remember... its not just voltage that you need... its enough voltage over as long a period of time as possible. Even though an old battery may read a decent voltage on the meter, it may only be able to deliver that voltage for a few minutes under load.
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29-09-2014, 15:41
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 86
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Re: EPIRB Lithium Battery Life Expectancy
I think I answered my own question... I found the data sheet on the battery cells. According to the data sheet, the amp hours don't drop off dramatically until voltage reaches 2.5 volts. So at 2.9+ volts per cell, I have a lot of life left.
I also have a backup PLB and we are coastal cruisers so the EPIRB does not need to last 48 hours.
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29-09-2014, 21:39
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Sacramento, California
Boat: Solar 40ft Cat :)
Posts: 1,522
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Re: EPIRB Lithium Battery Life Expectancy
That is under a load, at rest the voltage will not tell you much.
Why not just replace them if you have it apart?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick01541
I think I answered my own question... I found the data sheet on the battery cells. According to the data sheet, the amp hours don't drop off dramatically until voltage reaches 2.5 volts. So at 2.9+ volts per cell, I have a lot of life left.
I also have a backup PLB and we are coastal cruisers so the EPIRB does not need to last 48 hours.
Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum
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30-09-2014, 03:22
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#6
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Moderator and Certifiable Refitter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: South of 43 S, Australia
Boat: C.L.O.D.
Posts: 20,242
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Re: EPIRB Lithium Battery Life Expectancy
Quote:
Originally Posted by nimblemotors
That is under a load, at rest the voltage will not tell you much.
Why not just replace them if you have it apart?
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Wot he said.
To drive home the point, when the open circuit voltage is close to the original design cell voltage it tells you almost nothing of the remaining capacity of the battery.
Stick new cells in, you already have had 8+ years of "free life".
__________________
All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangereous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. T.E. Lawrence
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30-09-2014, 03:37
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#7
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Manchester, UK
Boat: Beneteau 473
Posts: 5,589
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Re: EPIRB Lithium Battery Life Expectancy
At 13 yrs old, I'd just replace the EPIRB with a new one.
Dont know your location, but there is an outfit in the UK which part ex's EPIRB's, send them the old one, and you get a new one for about the cost of battery replacement, test and service
__________________
Nigel
Beneteau 473
Manchester, UK
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30-09-2014, 05:00
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between the devil and the deep blue sea
Boat: a sailing boat
Posts: 20,420
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Re: EPIRB Lithium Battery Life Expectancy
I would replace the batteries at this age. I have seen batts read OK before loading then drop off dramatically once load applied for some time. Not sure how this applies to lithium ones though.
b.
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30-09-2014, 07:01
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Boat: Charter
Posts: 176
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Re: EPIRB Lithium Battery Life Expectancy
This reminds me of the first time I used a nice digital volt-meter doing house wiring. We spend a long time trying to figure out why we couldn't cut the power to a wire in a length of conduit. No matter what we did - light switch off, breaker off, etc, the meter read 110AC volts. We were sure we had somehow mis-identified the wire.
Turned out the 120 volts was just induced voltage from another live wire in the same conduit length. The fancy volt-meter was sensitive enough to detect it.
Bottom line, a voltage reading doesn't necessarily mean much, you'll want to check the load capacity too.
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30-09-2014, 08:35
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: canada
Posts: 4,634
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Re: EPIRB Lithium Battery Life Expectancy
Why are boat owners so cheap? buy a new battery or new ebirb. Is your life not worth a few hundred dollars? If you can't afford to maintain safety equipment then sell the boat.
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