Quote:
Originally Posted by boy boater
The 0.5 discharge (with all the domestic circuits switched off) only shows when the isolator switch is ON, it goes to zero discharge with the isolator switch OFF.
Can anyone throw light on my 10V and wildly fluctuating ammeter readings?
Is my best course of action to get the battery tested by a battery supplier?
What readings, in all regards, should a good battery show?
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1) I used to have a 0.5A discharge, even when the isolator switch was off. Turns out that the Navtex is connected directly to the batteries, and doesnt have an on/off switch so, if you want one, you have to fit one in the circuit.... which I have now done - no more discharge. I dont know of anything else which might not have an on/off switch, (where you would expect one), but there must be something, which isnt obvious.
My bilge pump is connected to the battery, so this will discharge when it activates - which is how it should be.
2) Before you pay anyone to test your batteries, if you get yourself a multimeter, (Maplins or somewhere for £10-£20, and very useful in lots of situations), and check the voltage at the battery terminals, this will confirm the true voltage, rather than the voltage which may be misread by the built in voltmeter. I tend to get 13.2V at the battery terminals, (and other places), whereas the Sterling monitor reads 12.5V or so, (these figures change as the batteries discharge, but the Sterling seems to underread consistently).
If your batteries are reading 10V at the terminals, and 12V max, something is wrong.
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