Hi, Ron -
On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 01:35:29AM -0500, Ron Rogers wrote:
> Why did the alternator throw sparks?
I'm guessing that when the battery failed, one or more cells shorted and
resulted in a huge load on the alternator, and the sudden mechanical
load caused the mount to flex and the external fan to hit the top brace
(they're fairly close to each other when the belt is at max stretch - as
it is right now.)
> Should a shop check it for damage?
It's been working fine since then, producing 100A+ under load, no more
sparks or any other problems (and no cycling - yay!) I'm satisfied that
the problem was a momentary one.
> I assume that you are using an external regulator.
Yep - a three-stage one. It's actually part of my engine-driven welder,
a really nifty setup.
> A device to
> cause the start battery to charge first would be appropriate.
Hmm, hadn't considered "first" as a possibility. Seems like putting it
in parallel with the house batteries and charging the lot, then taking
the starting one out of the circuit would work at least as well. I can
build that setup myself pretty easily; that was the plan, anyway.
> A Group 31 should be adequate to start the engine.
I'm going for an 850CCA unit from Sam's, an Energizer E49. Given that
the most I've seen on the ammeter while cranking was 230A, that should
be more than adequate.
> What will you use to coat the interior of your new battery boxes?
Well, having ripped out all the old crud - I'm down to the bare steel
hull plate now - I'm going to hit the steel with Corroseal, then top it
with garage floor paint (epoxy). I'd thought of using that to paint the
boxes, but then shifted away from that idea to just bolting some
plastic-coated battery trays to the uprights I'm going to weld in. Even
that's still in question, actually; the port-side batteries are right
next to the diesel tank, so welding might not be the best solution here.
Maybe I'll just bolt some plywood triangles to the frames to bring
everything level and attach the trays to those. Yeah, that sounds like
the ticket: plywood, epoxy over everything, strap the batteries down to
the trays, and Bob's your uncle.
Good questions all - they've made me review and revisit my own take on
these bits. Thank you very much; I really appreciate it.
--
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