thejollysinker Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 (edited) further to my comments last year on a thread and just today on another, I fear my charge controller is dying, coming back to life, dying etc etc. No lights on it on Monday, naff all! Then, on the way home, it all works, then the battery light goes red 🤷♂️ Went down to the old girl today with avo meter and tested a couple of things. Solar panel whacking out 23 volts, sounds good to me. Intermittent voltage coming from the drain wires.... not good Battery went 16.2 volts... holy crap!! Took the wires off the terminals and re-tested, got 14.7 volts... I think this thing is slowly frying my battery 😞 (when it fires up) I'll have to get a new one. It has lasted 3.5 years. Might (probably will) have to get a new battery now as well. Oh well, boating life 🤷♂️ forget the fishfinder for now eh 😏 Edit: any recommendations for a new controller appreciated. The old one was an Epever brand and now I've lost faith 😅 Edited May 5, 2023 by thejollysinker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDP Posted May 8, 2023 Share Posted May 8, 2023 (edited) Do you have victron over there ? very popular here and the USA. Ive never had an issue with their products, many have multiple battery types such as deep cycle, calcium. lithium, etc as well as bluetooth connectivity which comes in handy. The salt environment is extremely hard on electrical gear and wiring, so using marine wiring (zinc coated copper) and trying your best to keep any moisture away from connections etc is always going to be a struggle on most boats. Just checked and you do have Victron over there https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjployp7OT-AhVTt5YKHZokD_QYABA6GgJ0bA&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESauD2MQNkPgwwFAcedK_oarMpsJUEQpWr7Qzwm_p4LljARI6klgQEf1jEsa_VoYNJuXIJLHGS8fROQ1z7ivtENQcrTu7EfOcXLSfBhi-IrYRix7js2U8ISzzKVA8uSPdF3BW5-TyU_qsbJFc&sig=AOD64_36jiMPJFtgs-wgPhD_6LbcHgSVtA&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwjC2oSp7OT-AhVgt1YBHYbNC4EQ0Qx6BAgKEAE&nis=8&dct=1 Edited May 8, 2023 by JDP thejollysinker 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted May 8, 2023 Share Posted May 8, 2023 Victron are excellent. I’ve got one of their charger/inverters on my boat and been faultless for years. Not cheap mind… but they are fully IP65 or IP67 and built to last thejollysinker 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejollysinker Posted May 8, 2023 Author Share Posted May 8, 2023 well thank you for the replies chaps, it's appreciated. I've been having a look around and the cheapest Victron unit I can run to is sub £100 but the IP raring is only 43. The unit that died is 'waterproof' and mounted on the inside of the cuddy up high and has never taken a splash but, I haven't ever thought about how the condensation that builds on occasion might affect it until now.... Should I make the IP rating the most important factor before choosing a product? I might just have answered my own question there.... I do use coated wire for all my electricals on the boat @JDP and try to keep the moisture away but never really thought about condenseation on a covered boat... 13 hours ago, JDP said: The salt environment is extremely hard on electrical gear and wiring, so using marine wiring (zinc coated copper) and trying your best to keep any moisture away from connections etc is always going to be a struggle on most boats. https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjployp7OT-AhVTt5YKHZokD_QYABA6GgJ0bA&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESauD2MQNkPgwwFAcedK_oarMpsJUEQpWr7Qzwm_p4LljARI6klgQEf1jEsa_VoYNJuXIJLHGS8fROQ1z7ivtENQcrTu7EfOcXLSfBhi-IrYRix7js2U8ISzzKVA8uSPdF3BW5-TyU_qsbJFc&sig=AOD64_36jiMPJFtgs-wgPhD_6LbcHgSVtA&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwjC2oSp7OT-AhVgt1YBHYbNC4EQ0Qx6BAgKEAE&nis=8&dct=1 JDP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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