Low voltage house battery only on float mode

[Akh97]

Hi all - we just got our 2022 212sd serviced after the first 10 hours. Getting a low voltage warning on house battery after falling from 14v when the boat is running to sub 9v when in float mode….as soon as we flip the boat on, house voltage goes back to 14. No issues starting the boat just the house battery seems to be having an episode….. any ideas?

 

[Farny]

Hi all - we just got our 212sd serviced after the first 10 hours. Getting a low voltage warning on house battery after falling from 14v when the boat is running to sub 9v when in float mode….as soon as we flip the boat on, house voltage goes back to 14. No issues starting the boat just the house battery seems to be having an episode….. any ideas?

Probably bad batteries, I’d have them tested. Do you keep them on a charger while the boat is not in use?

 

[Akh97]

Probably bad batteries, I’d have them tested. Do you keep them on a charger while the boat is not in use?

id be inclined to agree but the boat is brand new and we just had it serviced. We’ve used it everyday so should be fully charged

 

[Akh97]

Also if anyone can direct me to where the batteries are and how to access them? If it’s the black box next to the battery switches, having a hard time taking it off

 

[TommyMcK]

id be inclined to agree but the boat is brand new and we just had it serviced. We’ve used it everyday so should be fully charged

How long have you been running the boat vs. floating and listening to tunes or whatever? If you are spending more time floating than running the boat, the battery won't fully recharge (in general...depending on what you are doing while floating). If you have been re-charging the house battery between outings then disregard.

 

[Akh97]

How long have you been running the boat vs. floating and listening to tunes or whatever? If you are spending more time floating than running the boat, the battery won't fully recharge (in general...depending on what you are doing while floating). If you have been re-charging the house battery between outings then disregard.

We certainly float more than drive I’d say - do you think I should just drive around for a while? Thankfully the starter battery is totally good

 

[Bottom Bracket]

Skinny little black wire needs to be connected to the ground post. It should have a yellow sticker that sez so.

 

[Akh97]

Skinny little black wire needs to be connected to the ground post. It should have a yellow sticker that sez so.

Any pictures or diagram? Or even in the manual?

 

[anmut]

#1, get out your manual and start reading it. Best source of truth out there.
#2, Yamaha doesn't send boats with batteries, it's up to the dealers to put in something decent, or in many cases, something junky.
#3, Your motors don't have an alternator, they have stators to recharge the batteries. That means that recharging takes much longer.
#4, Best practice is to, if you store your boat out of water, install a dual bank charging system to keep your batteries topped off.
#5, Always shut off both batteries when not using the boat from the hard switches. If you leave them on while you store the boat between using, they'll slowly drain.
#6, Don't worry about shutting your batteries off while wet slipping overnight, your bilge is hardwired past the battery switches.
#7, Look for a decent AGM deep cell battery to replace your house battery for next season.
#8, Save this image to your phone for reference later:

 

[TommyMcK]

We certainly float more than drive I’d say - do you think I should just drive around for a while? Thankfully the starter battery is totally good

If you float more than you drive, this will be a continuous issue. You'll either need to increase the drive to float ratio or charge the house battery between outings.

I'm not sure what the other poster was getting at relative to a "shiny black wire", but the root cause is that the house battery is spending more time discharging than charging. The good news is that it doesn't sound like you have an issue with the boat.

 

[Bottom Bracket]

Its' the SKINNY little black wire that comes out of the VDRS. When you install a second battery the SKINNY black wire needs to be connected the Ground post of the battery. SKINNY black wire should have a yellow tag on it stating such. Battery will not charge unless hooked up.

 

[TommyMcK]

Its' the SKINNY little black wire that comes out of the VDRS. When you install a second battery the SKINNY black wire needs to be connected the Ground post of the battery. SKINNY black wire should have a yellow tag on it stating such. Battery will not charge unless hooked up.

The guy has a 2022 model with 10 hours on it. He didn't install a second battery. He has the factory 2-battery 3-switch setup.

 

[Bottom Bracket]

 

[Bottom Bracket]

 

[TommyMcK]

Certainly it's a good idea to check all connections (including the voltage sense relay), but the voltage sense relay isn't likely the culprit given that the op said that he floats more than he runs the boat.