Stumped the experts!-gctid390248

[CaptTom]

OK, I gotta share this with a group I know will appreciate it.

Had some work done on the boat. Owner of the shop runs 2 marinas, a huge shop, and a brokerage. His shop manager has been in that job, and at another marina before that, for as long as I can remember. They both see the guts of more boats in a week than I do all year.

They were concerned about my battery hook-up. I thought I'd done a pretty professional job, so I was a little offended at first. Then the owner explained what was bothering them: I have two batteries with the positive of one hooked to the negative of the other.

Together we drew a little circuit diagram in the air with our fingers and I slowly got them to come to the right conclusion. They were very they hadn't tried to re-wire it for me.

To all of you who already know where this is going, pat yourself on the back, you know more than two seasoned experts!

To the rest of you, any guesses?

[2850Bounty]

CaptTom wrote:
............... I have two batteries with the positive of one hooked to the negative of the other.

Together we drew a little circuit diagram in the air with our fingers and I slowly got them to come to the right conclusion. They were very they hadn't tried to re-wire it for me.

To all of you who already know where this is going, pat yourself on the back, you know more than two seasoned experts!

To the rest of you, any guesses?

Several possible scenarios with one Battery + cable leading to a - of another Battery:

• 1 wrote:
• You have two 6 volt batteries cabled in series in order to create 12 volts, and they mistook these batteries for 12 volt batteries.
• You have two incorrectly connected 12 volt batteries cables in series in order to create 24 volts, and they caught it.
• You have two 12 volt batteries..... one with a reverse polarity charge! :kidding

If #1, then they simply are used to seeing the 6 volt batteries being used for a HLBB.

If #2 or #3, well...........................................

I'm never surprised at what we hear or see occasionally.

In our area, there is a mechanic who I just happened to see working on a V/P upper unit. He was changing out the main drive gear seal, and also the seal surface washer.

He was not aware that you must re-shim and re-set the BB rolling torque value when this part is replaced (pre-A transmissions).

I tried to kindly and politely explain this to him, but he was not open to the idea!

And that's just one example!

.

[The_Other_Gary]

#1 and

you have a 24 volt system for a thruster.

[captharv]

You have 2 6V golf cart batteries in series, just like I do.

[CaptTom]

Yeah, pretty much all of you guys got it. Two 6V golf cart batteries in series.

I was just so surprised they never saw that before.

[Jeffw]

CaptTom wrote:
Yeah, pretty much all of you guys got it. Two 6V golf cart batteries in series.

I was just so surprised they never saw that before.

There are boaters, and there are boat riggers and mechanics. Seldom are they both...

[2850Bounty]

I'm surprised that they did not notice the three cells per battery, as apposed to six cells per battery.

Well, now they know!

.

[captharv]

The boat manufacturers do not install GC batteries. They use 4D and bigger when a lot of amp hours are required. The GC batteries are about 1/3 the cost and hence, 1/3 of the profit. Althouigh, to someone educated in batteries, the GC ones are not labelled "marine".

"Technicians" who repair boats are used to selling/working on big batteries, not 2 in series.