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Service Batteries

Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 9:16 pm
by Luis Sa
Hello,

My boat was delivered in 2010 with 2 Tudor Expert HVR TE1403 12V 140Ah batteries. They are also referred to as Exide Expert EE1403 Battery 12V 140Ah batteries (I think the initial T is for Tudor and the initial E is for Exide). I replaced them in Brindisi, Italy, in 2013. I installed a monitor and I hope that the present ones will last one more year (eg the 2018 season).

exide.jpg

Fortunately they are very popular in Greece and here is a link (where I can get them by 200 euros each) that came after googling with: "Exide EE1403 site:gr".

Many times I thought about replacing them with 4 Trojan T105 which would give me a capacity of about 440 Ah instead of the present 280 Ah. However the price for the batteries doubles and, may be, my charger and alternator are not powerful enough to go with the Trojans.

Equivalent batteries of known brands are Varta LFD140 which looks like to be difficult to find in Greece

varta-140ah.jpg

and Bosch L5075 available here.

bosh-140h.jpg

Regards, Luis

Re: Service Batteries

Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 10:25 pm
by Luis Sa
Hello,

My batteries were replaced in Brindisi in the year of 2013, and again in May 2018 when I started the 2018 season from Aegina where the boat was left for the winter. They were brand new Exide EE1403 12V 140Ah batteries. In October we left the boat in land on the Cleopatra Marina, Preveza. I left the 220V plug connected to the pillar near my boat (all places have a pillar with electricity and water). One month later when I was in Portugal I received a phone call telling me that a sound alarm was coming from inside the boat. On that call I learned that they remove the plugs from the pillar when nobody is in the boat :cry: . It was the low voltage alarm sounding. I ask them to switch off the battery monitor and the solar panel controller and payed them to charge the batteries every 2 months. In May 2019 I started the season. With solar panels I was OK but during the night the voltage did not hold as usual. We had a terrible problem in pulling the anchor when we anchored in the west coast of the Peloponnese ... result was that we had to buy a new pair. When I was sailing from Monemvasia to Astros, I ordered by phone a pair of the Bosch L5075 which are "Deep Cycle". They cost 350 euros total including delivery in Astros. Very good price and very happy after one season of use!

At the moment of writing I am in Portugal and the boat, this year, stays in water in the Setur Marina of Mytiline, Lesvos Greece. I was undecided on how to leave the batteries. No problem with the 220V plug. The 220V charger would maintain all the 3 sets (the engine start, the 2 service, and the 2 auxiliary for the bow thruster) of batteries at top level. However I was afraid of galvanic corrosion from nearby boats. The solar panels only charge the service batteries. My concern was the start engine battery which is also lead acid. I was not worried with the 2 AGM batteries for teh bow thruster as they keep the charge for almost one year. In the end, I left one 80 watts solar panel connected and put the engine battery in parallel with the 2 service batteries. I removed the 220V plug.

VERY IMPORTANT - next season I will carry a red jumper cable for the case the engine starting battery becomes dead. I replaced one in Croatia in 2015. I was on anchor about 2 miles from a marina. I had to get towed to the marina and then I got a battery. In September 2019 I was in the town quay of Chios, Greece when I notice that I could not start the engine. I was lucky because I was in a town quay. There is not signal that the battery is weak. So I will be prepared. I will construct one (just one as the service and start batteries have the negative terminal already connected) thick read jumper cable!

Regards, Luis