Battery usage with engines off

[jez112 0]

Hi Guys,

Greetings from Gibraltar Europe. Just received my Monterey 298ss brought over from Kellys port Minosota. Finally here and great purchase. Any idea of battery usage when engines off and at anchor with stereo on? Just keep an eye on volt meter? Or set up third Battery for that usage?

Another question, have an inflatable tender which would need inflating/deflating to get from anchor to shore would the cigarette/socket cope with a 25amp pump??

 

Let me know,

 

Best,

 

jez

[Bon_Temps 0]

If you have the room, a third battery for stereo works best. If you have a amplified system of more than 800W then your definitely going to need a third battery...I recommend you go with something in the 92AH-105AH deep cycle battery range in the 27 to 31 group but really depends on your stereo's power requirements. Not sure how long you run the stereo but definitely get a deep cycle as it allows for a lower discharge vs recover rates...an AGM style would be the best but they are pricey. Not sure if you can get them there but look at the DEKA battery's...they have some of the highest AH series for the money. I'm running 2500W in my 268SC with them and can run for several hours and a pretty heavy load. Found the DEKA's to be far superior to OPTIMA's. Their a piece of junk IMO...I killed two of them in one season but my DEKA's are going strong now on 3 years and their cheaper. As for the socket 25 amps is pretty high...you could fuse it for 30 amps but your wiring would need to be upgraded and you may melt the sockets terminal end. Most sockets are in the 5-20 amp ranges. I would probably use something I could connect straight to a battery.

[tawool 0]

I am assuming you have 2 batteries right now, 1 being the starter, 2 being the house battery. I typically when on anchor switch to the house battery which is a deep cycle battery. I can go all weekend long running stereo and lights without a problem Can go 24 hours easy running cabin refrig, stereo, TV and lights. Usually when out for a weekend will start the generator and run for about an hour charging batteries. If I ever added a 3rd battery I would dedicate to the generator. For now just watch the voltage meter in the cabin, when it falls below 12 volts you are getting close to the end. As for the pump to inflate the tender, I am assuming the boat does not have a generator (if so, start and use a pump that plugs in), if not you could add an inverter to create the required power for an AC pump.