How can I tell if my battery is charging?

[live bait]

Hi I am new here, (been out with Alun J a few times and very enjoyable each trip).

 

I wonder if anyone can advise?

 

Have Yam 30 autolube 2 stroke on 15 ft Terhi open boat. Engine does not produce v large charge so have been using a small solar panel trickle charge betwen trips (and during trips) to make up for this and livebait pump use while on drifts.

 

All good so far this season.

 

However a few weeks ago had v wet trip and next time out found batt nearly dead, water had got in producing corrosion in cig lighter socket where charger / bait pump plugs in, so batt had been draining rather than charging. Have fixed that now.

 

Question is, can I fit a guage of some sort that would tell me if the battery is actually receiving charge rather than losing charge?

 

If so can anyone descibe how I would obtain / fit it?

 

Any help appreciated!

 

Thanks

 

Clive

Live Bait

[duncan]

many electronic units have a voltage readout (all Lowrance units that I am aware of do) and you can get the basic info from that including -

1. charging voltage with engine running

2. static voltage before and after trips

3. load voltages, with and without charge

 

voltages aren't everything but they are great indicators

[live bait]

Thanks Duncan, sorry for slow reply, have had dead computer.

 

Do you mean that my Garmin 550 should show me voltage condition?

 

If so I'll have a fiddle and see if I can find how to display it.

[Mike Fox]

Try the full screen sonar setting...

 

Mike

[fisherman1055]

Voltage reading is normally on the fishfinder

 

I have a Garmin 550 and have not found the voltage on it, but have garmin 16oc which shows battery voltage and when charging there is 13.8 volts

 

Good luck

 

Tony

[Barney]

I have a 550s and can view system volage on full sonar screen or it can be configured to be shown on the numbers screen.

 

Mick B

[live bait]

Thanks guys I found the "voltage alarm" on the garmin, and following your info Mick will have a search around the numbers section / sonar screen.

 

Meanwhile I put my solar panel charger on for 3 days. Checked the panel's output, 16v. I put a meter across my battery and it showed 12.4v.

 

However when I put the muffs on to see if it would start OK the battery faded within 2 goes. I guess this means a duff battery? Dead cell or something?

 

I have taken it to BHG who are lending me a batt for the weekend (weather permitting!)

 

By the way mine is also the 550s but I never worked out how to get the water speed showing, only gps speed.

 

I tried the instructions about getting up to speed etc but it did not seem to work for me.

 

Any step by step you can give on that would be appreciated.

 

Thanks v much.

 

Clive

 

[Barney]

Clive

 

If you go on garmins web site you can down load the manual. I find it a lot easier to read on the pc than from the book.

 

I know i may sound daft but do you have a speed sensing transducer ie the one with the paddle wheel. Some of the packages i looked at did not include this option.

 

If so then i just followed instruction in manual (page 33) and it works.

 

 

Mick

[fisherman1055]

Clive

 

In order to get through water speed you will have to have the paddle wheel (if you were provided with one) connected to the GPS

 

otherwise you wil only get speed across water

 

Tony

[live bait]

Thanks for comments all, I have now found the voltage numbers on the Garmin.

 

Meanwhile I am pleased to report better service from BHG Marine.

 

I had suggestions that the reason my engine was cutting back under load was likely to be carbs contaminated.

 

I took in the boat in there and they stripped the carbs (Cost me