Parasitic Drain on the battery

[1st grady]

I was a bit complacent this fall and left the Icom VHF radio in the boat for the winter. In January I charged the battery and again checked it in March. It was virtually dead so I charged it again. The stern switch was off but I determined that there was a second power lead running to the overhead e-box that was not wired into the disconnect switch. I started checking some things out and found that the VHF located in the overhead e-box has a draw of 65 mA even when switched off. I would assume that this was the cause of my weak battery. The boat is a 268 Islander with a hard top. I am going to install a switch now that I have discovered this error. I also believe that this wire is not fused by the battery box but is fused at the junction bock overhead.
Shouldn't this e-box feed wire have a disconnect and fuse in the stern of the boat?
Do you suppose that this feed wire was run post factory installation?
Should there be a continuous draw from the VHF?

 

[seasick]

Do you have a stereo radio? Often they need a direct connection to maintain presets.

Regarding the VHF radio. If it has a knob for on and off, it usually does not draw power when off. If it has membrain switches, it probably does draw current

 

[uncljohn]

Stereo, GPS, and bilge pumps all should have leads directly to a battery (bypassing switch). Those are your standard "phantom power users". A few years ago I installed those "non-float switch, water sensing bilge pumps" that literally turned itself on every 10 minutes to check for water and then turned off. It would drain my battery after a week or 2 in the slip so I pulled that out.

Where are you? Maybe leaving the batteries in the boat over winter killed them? I did that a few years ago (complacent, left batteries on boat over winter) and killed my starting battery.

 

[ocnslr]

Yes, some items need power that is not through the main battery switches.

Bilge pumps are the best example.

However, all are required to have a fuse, or similar protection, within two (2) feet of the power source. You will find inline fuse holders near the batteries that lead to the float switches for the bilge pumps - and these come off the feed terminal on the battery switch, not one of the switched output terminals.

Brian

 

[seasick]

Stereo, GPS, and bilge pumps all should have leads directly to a battery (bypassing switch). Those are your standard "phantom power users". A few years ago I installed those "non-float switch, water sensing bilge pumps" that literally turned itself on every 10 minutes to check for water and then turned off. It would drain my battery after a week or 2 in the slip so I pulled that out.

Where are you? Maybe leaving the batteries in the boat over winter killed them? I did that a few years ago (complacent, left batteries on boat over winter) and killed my starting battery.

Why do you think the GPS should be directly connected? The only things that I see as directly connected are bilge pumps and stereo if it has electronic presets without memory. Even then, I hesitate to directly connect it. It is too easy to forget to turn off.


I also do not like those 'automatic water sensing' bilge pumps. Give me a regular mechanical float switch

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Stereo, GPS, and bilge pumps all should have leads directly to a battery (bypassing switch). Those are your standard "phantom power users". A few years ago I installed those "non-float switch, water sensing bilge pumps" that literally turned itself on every 10 minutes to check for water and then turned off. It would drain my battery after a week or 2 in the slip so I pulled that out.

Where are you? Maybe leaving the batteries in the boat over winter killed them? I did that a few years ago (complacent, left batteries on boat over winter) and killed my starting battery.

Why do you think the GPS should be directly connected? The only things that I see as directly connected are bilge pumps and stereo if it has electronic presets without memory. Even then, I hesitate to directly connect it. It is too easy to forget to turn off.


I also do not like those 'automatic water sensing' bilge pumps. Give me a regular mechanical float switch

What he said.
Also, some GPS antennas (Raymarine) are also have to be powered, there is a green LED on top to let you know is receiving power, if you have one of those put it on a switched circuit.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

FWIW, i never remove my batteries, i just disconnect them over the winter/lay up period, never an issue.

 

[uncljohn]

I'm pretty sure my GPS installation instructions had me send a lead directly to the battery as well as to the switch (as well as to the common ground). It has been 4 years since I did it. :hmm

 

[seasick]

I'm pretty sure my GPS installation instructions had me send a lead directly to the battery as well as to the switch (as well as to the common ground). It has been 4 years since I did it. :hmm

Probably not. I would be quite surprised to find out otherwise.

 

[1st grady]

I received a reply from Icom and they specified that it does have a draw while off but only .06 mA. My meter was showing .6 mA. I am going to re-check the draw and make sure my meter range is correct. They said that if it is .6mA to send it in for service.

 

[seasick]

I received a reply from Icom and they specified that it does have a draw while off but only .06 mA. My meter was showing .6 mA. I am going to re-check the draw and make sure my meter range is correct. They said that if it is .6mA to send it in for service.

OK, so why is the VHF wired directly to the battery? It should be disconnected when the battery switch is off.

 

[1st grady]

Because that is the way it is currently wired. (previous owner's) It must be something added afterward, I don't think the factory would do that. It also needs a fuseable link near the battery. Sometimes you just don't figure all the stuff out until there is a problem. Previously, I did not take the time to figure out all the wiring. It is a dedicated feed to the overhead e-box for the FM, Sirius, GPS antenna and VHF. I assumed the factory would have run a line up there and installed a fuse block, which there is, but it is not wired through the disconnect near the battery. I will be installing a separate switch in order to keep the circuit isolated from the accessories and house system. I there a switch which is circuit protected as well?

 

[BobP]

Grady ran an express feeder directly to the hardtop from the battery for the purpose I suspect many of you forgot come the (recent) days of cell phones. If the main electrical system fails and trips out the 40A breaker feeding everything else, the express feed was independant and stayed alive for you to get on the VHF radio and call for help. I guess VHF radios are going by the wayside too.
It was intended for the VHF radio.

You may also have the usual feed as the hprimary feed coming up from the bridge console power distribution system.

That's exactly how my 252G hardtop was factory wired, with two feeds. Don't know what year or model you have but the owners manual on the website shows the wiring diagrams and the color codes of each wire installed by Grady.

The express feed has an inline fuse at the battery, so should yours, otherwise Grady didn't factory install it or it was modified.

The fuse panel in the hardtop was off the primary feed, no fuse panel for the express feed, just a two terminal, terminal block.