Battery monitor problems!

G

gabosifat

Member III
Hi Everyone,

Don't know if anyone can help me with this, but here goes:
I'm having a frustrating time with my Link 20 battery monitor. I usually leave the boat with the trickle charger going all the time and normally my batteries are fully charged and the Link monitor shows 4 green lights at the top for each battery, and the digital readout show positive Amp hours that have gone into the batteries. Lately though, the 4 greens have gone to 3, then 2, then turned orange, and the monitor says that the Amp hours are in discharge mode and that I have discharged 50 to 100 AH and more depending on the battery. Yet the battery voltages are both up at 13.90 volts, and the engine starts easily from one battery as it would on a full charge. Recently I moved the boat to a dock with no power and put an 80 amp solar panel to keep the batteries up. The solar panel has a digital readout as well and it shows all positive AH and agrees with the Link on the voltage (13.90 volts). When I put a hydrometer on the cells, they're all fully charged at 1.265 (in the green band).

So I'm sure it's the link but wondered if anyone else has experienced this?

Many thanks for any help.
Cheers,
Steve Gabbott
E35/3 Silent Dancer
Gabriola Island BC
 
M

Maine Sail

Member III
Most likely culprit is a shunt connection issue. Check the Amp screen with the solar running, not Ah, and see if you have a - current flowing in or +current. It can read voltage fine but may not be capturing the amps due to a wiring error. ALL LOADS (loads can be considered charging devices) must be on the LOAD side of the shunt and NOTHING but the jumper on the battery side. I trouble shoot this type of wiring error a few times a month. Just did one last Thursday and the shore side battery charger was by-passing the shunt. A simple three minute fix. Sadly the owner had already purchased and installed a new charger, when it was working fine, but the monitor showing that it was dead in terms of amps all due to a wiring error.
 
G

gabosifat

Member III
I've had the monitor working fine for over 5 years and up to this point it hasn't given me a problem. I know it's not faulty wiring, however I'm wondering if corrosion on the wires to the shunt might be the problem. Next thing is to take them all off, clean them and restart the monitor (it always starts with full greens showing 100% charge).

Cheers,
Steve Gabbott
E35/3 Silent Dancer
Gabriola Island
 
Last edited:
exoduse35

exoduse35

Sustaining Member
I would check the solar panel wiring... The rest of the wires are several years old but you say that was recently added. If so that is the logical place to back up to. I would disconnect it and see if it fixes the display. Edd
 
M

Maine Sail

Member III
exoduse35 said:
I would check the solar panel wiring... The rest of the wires are several years old but you say that was recently added. If so that is the logical place to back up to. I would disconnect it and see if it fixes the display. Edd
Click to expand...

That was my thinking too but cleaning the connections is a good start.
 
R

ralph roddam

Member I
pro-cruz battery monitor

HI, I have the same problem with my battery monitor(pro cruZ) It tells me the amp hours are always falling,goes to zero eventually. I know this is not true,,the company told me that I needed to calibrate it,using a known current of at least 30 apms dc. help ! I checked the wiring!

Ralph Roddam,
Ericson 35-2,Chula VIsta,Ca
 
treilley

treilley

Sustaining Partner
I had the exact same problem on my 35-3 with a Link 20 after 2 years. It was also draining my starter battery. Support was clueless. Threw it in the trash and bought a Victron. Works much better and easier to install.
 
P

pick

Member II
Had the same problem. I cleaned up the connecting wires etc. but still had the problem. On second look one on the wires to the link was almost broken through. I fixed
that and that fixed my link!
 
TRMN8R

TRMN8R

Member II
treilley said:
I had the exact same problem on my 35-3 with a Link 20 after 2 years. It was also draining my starter battery. Support was clueless. Threw it in the trash and bought a Victron. Works much better and easier to install.
Click to expand...

Very happy with my 602 (dual battery monitor), easy install, a little more challenging setup, but once you work with it, it's great! Got mine at Jamestown Distributors, exc price and support. GL!
 
Sven

Sven

Seglare
TRMN8R said:
Very happy with my 602 (dual battery monitor), easy install, a little more challenging setup, but once you work with it, it's great! Got mine at Jamestown Distributors, exc price and support. GL!
Click to expand...

The 602 looks like a great product. One question, doesn't it need one shunt for each battery bank in order to monitor two of them ? We're about to order one without the answer but I'm wondering if there is another shunt in our ordering future ?

Thx.



-Sven
 
M

Maine Sail

Member III
Sven said:
The 602 looks like a great product. One question, doesn't it need one shunt for each battery bank in order to monitor two of them ? We're about to order one without the answer but I'm wondering if there is another shunt in our ordering future ?

Thx.



-Sven
Click to expand...

The 602 only monitors the voltage of a second bank. None of the Victron or Xantrex monitors currently made will do amperage and volts on both banks. After Xantrex dropped their dual bank monitors no one stepped in to fill that void. If you really want to monitor two banks fully you'll want to buy two BMV 600's. If this is simply a starting bank there is no really need to monitor anything but volts..
 
Sven

Sven

Seglare
Maine Sail said:
The 602 only monitors the voltage of a second bank. None of the Victron or Xantrex monitors currently made will do amperage and volts on both banks. After Xantrex dropped their dual bank monitors no one stepped in to fill that void. If you really want to monitor two banks fully you'll want to buy two BMV 600's. If this is simply a starting bank there is no really need to monitor anything but volts..
Click to expand...

Thanks, that answers my question. Yes, the 2nd bank is the starting bank which we will keep topped up with a eco charger. I'd originally intended to use the eco charger to top up the two MinnKota dinghy batteries but they may need another solution or a second eco charger.

Appreciate the answer !



-Sven
 
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