This year I had to replace my 2x225ah house batteries after 8 years. Did the last lot but at 70 this year decided to ask a young friend who owns a fitness business to come and help. He leapt down into the engine room after I had disconnected them and just picked up 68 kilos as if it was a jar of honey twice and then proceeded to carry them to my car and into the boot ahh trunk to you Americans. Then carried the two new ones down and put them in place for me to reconnect. What did it cost me? A great day on the boat with his beautiful family. The enjoyment those 3 girls had made my day and mum and dad had a relaxing day as well. Win- Win I would say!! John
Great article, nice pictures. I'll bet the owner of that boat will take better care of his batteries from now on. The picture of that 8 volt battery with the crystals in the cells was awfully ugly. I'll wager he knows better than to let his batteries get into that condition again. AND, the advice about getting a young man to haul out the old and install the new is absolutely the right call. We are just not as young or as strong as we used to be, no matter what we think. We can do serious damage to ourselves when we behave foolishly. Thanks for a terrific article.
I'm with you Cap'n John... You are indeed a smart man. I remember our 40'er had three 8D's and they were killers. The last new set was replaced by someone young.
This experience has confirmed my hypothesis: buy smaller batteries! Originally I had a pair of Group 31's. Then Seaweed had a couple Group 29's. Now I have a bunch of Group 27's.
My friend was able to hear Nigel Calder speak at the St. Pete Boat Show last December. Calder says lithium's are the battery of the future. Best of all the prices are coming down. Too, they weigh a whole lot less.
All that sounds wonderful. By the time my batts are on their last legs, I am hopeful the budget will allow me to upgrade. Sure would be nice to be able to use all of the power in the battery bank versus a small percentage of same...
Congratulations on your nice payment plan. That was definitely a winner. And thank you too for your comment. I really appreciate that too. J.
Just love that quote by Thomas Sowell! Soooo True! Great article
You are correct. The inside of that 8-volt battery was ugly. We are fortunate the problem was caught early. In hindsight I should have shot the batteries sooner with the infrared thermometer. Leaving a charger on all night was not wise. I should have checked for excess heat. Knock teak, we were fortunate.
You are right too about not getting any younger. Hiring muscles was smart. Best yet, Levi was willing to take on the job. I am glad the owner had someone who could do the lifting.
What I don't say until the next article is how Levi replaced them. All were set in place, with positive and grounds exactly correct. It was perfect, thus no lifting for me to get the wires on properly. Life is good when a plan comes together. And I had a lot of fun. It was like a giant puzzle in a cramped closet. Fun!!!
The owner was great. Cap'n John took his helper and family on a day trip. The owner cooked me a scrumptious t-bone steak. That was a great treat for me.
Thank you Cap'n Mick for your kind words. I appreciate the comments so much. Take care and I hope to see you along the waterways one day soon. Your friend in the south, J.
Thomas So well has my ticket... I remember another quote from him that made me smile. He saidMore than once, after I woke up some morning feeling like I was 20 again, I did something that ended up with me on crutches or otherwise being reminded emphatically by my body that I was definitely not 20 again. Women may lie about their age to other people, but men lie about their age to themselves. Thomas Sowell.
That's life from the Gulf coast. Have a great night and thanks for your comment. See you this summer. Your friend, J.
Using an infrared thermometer is a great idea, Janice. This made me chuckle, "Of course I knew that, but this time it was going to be different. Because I'm special. And these are just 8-volts not the bigger 12-volt batteries I have in Seaweed." We've all been there because we know we're 'special'. :)
Oh Pam, you are so right. I suppose it is the incurable optimist in all of us. This time it's going to be different... Haha.
Truly Pam I had the best time playing in the bilges. I had my own fetch me/bring me please fellow. And I had the biggest fan down there. I was cool whereas boat owner was totally wrung out by end of work day. The fortunate thing is we both understand that being tired exponentially increases the odds of mistakes happening. I quit earlier than I might have in previous years.
Gosh though girl, it was fun. There is a great deal of happiness in finding a problem and then solving it. Of course spotting those two extra wires removed by goodness knows who before I arrived... Well, once attached it was amazing. A bilge pump worked again. If only all fixes could be so easy!
That's it from here. Next week my solar panels will go back on. Don't ask. It was ugly. I am working at the blocks to raise them. My efforts are not very good. It is okay though. I am going to go with Good Enough. They will function and that is the most important thing. Such is life aboard Seaweed.
Thank you for your comment Pam. I appreciate so much hearing from you. J.