Camano Batteries

[NCheaven]

I've had great success with house and engine batteries on my 2005 Camano, purchased in July of 2017. Looking at the prior owner's maintenance record, the batteries were 8 years old when I had them replaced in 2018. At 6 more years, the "new" batteries are so far faultless. The boat gets electrical power from the dock year round, and has a solar charger that an electrical mechanic said pumps about 200W during good sun for 10AM to 3 or so PM. The volt meter shows 12.5 or so volts when the engine is running. I do not have a diesel generator. Boat is usually in the water all year, except for 2 winters on the hill waiting for bottom paint early warm days in the spring.

So, the question. Camano owners, what is your normal battery replacement cycle in years? Do you change house and start batteries at the same time? Is there a brand/size that you recommend?

Thanks for your responses!

NC Heaven (for coastal trawler boating, anyway)

 

[amxr39]

What is the ampere hours of the house batteries? Are you thinking about switching to lithium batteries as you don’t have a generator?

 

[NCheaven]

Don't know the Amps on the batteries. They have always been sufficient.

 

[KMAL]

You will want to know your rated amp hours on your existing batteries, or you could audit your needs. Easier to understand your needs if you are happy with your existing batteries and can replace with like output/capacity. Batteries may live two years, seven years, sometimes longer. Their lifespan is a result of many factors, however, likely the largest factor is charging cycles. Depending on your inverter/charger, you may be able to look up the number of charge cycles and other data which would help you in determine lifespan. You can also test your batteries and cells to determine condition. In most cases your batteries will not cease to provide you with required power from one day to the next. Their ability to hold a charge will certainly degrade over time/use. Knowing the rated amp hours and then depleting them to 60% will provide you with some good insight. Was the 40%. capable of keeping you at anchor over night, perhaps two nights? How many amp hours did you use to deplete the battery to 60% charge? You can find good info typically on the battery manufactures web site. Many may suggest going to Lithium - this is a somewhat involved process that will require upgrading your charger and possibly your inverter - if you are happy with traditional batteries, you may wish to stick with them. I run on batteries and can stay at anchor for three days without needing to charge them - no solar, no gen set, just 800 amp hours to play with. I have a very efficient boat as I suspect you do. In my case I consume circa 130 amp hours per day - most of the draw being my fridge/freezer.