Jerry Duke wrote:
Hello, Does anyone have advice on storing the battery on board the M17. I'm concerned about the build up of hydrogen gas. It isn't much fun removing it after every sail. I don't get a chance to go sailing very often and would like to leave the battery in the boat with an external float charger.
Jerry, As long as it's just a *** float **** charger, you shouldn't have to worry about hydrogen generation. Guest has a float charger that you can get at West Marine, I've used it for my boat and my garage queen car. However, if you go on a long multi-day sail, or spend several nights in a slip, etc, the battery may be drained enough that those dinky float chargers won't work. They only trickle charge batteries that are already charged up pretty much full. So you'll first have to re-charge the battery, and then go with a float/trickle charger. It's only during the final stages of re-charge that hydrogen is produced in copious quantities from the dissociation of water. So after a long sail, you'll have to either take the battery home, or charge it on the boat. Guest also has several models of 3-stage chargers, that, once the battery is charged up, will go into trickle charge just like those dinky tricklers. DON'T use a standard cheap automotive charger and leave them unattended, they will overcharge your battery if you leave them on too long and boil off the water, wrecking the battery. The Guest 3-stage charger are obviously more expensive, but not terribly so. When recharging, you should always make sure that charger/battery is working correctly. Once the charger is in float/trickle mode, it's safe to leave it unattended. John Fleming M-17: "Star Cross'd"