Marina Safety Spotlight: Batteries

This month we’re shining the spotlight on the often overlooked little boxes that power your adventures afloat, virtually every boat has them no matter what you bob about on—your batteries! Whilst there's been a lot of attention around lithium batteries in the marine world as new technologies emerge, evolve and become more user-friendly and cost effective, it's safe to say that the majority of boats in our marina are still running on good old lead-acid batteries, be they GEL, AGM or FLA, so we'll focus on these for the purposes of this post.

You probably are not alone if, like the author, you fit your batteries and then forget about them until they come to the end of their useful life or throw up issues. A little care and attention, though, can help you get the most of your power bank, prolonging the life of those little boxs and catching any potential problems before they can cause a more serious issue. This great guide from Practical Boat Owner has some easy maintenance tips on keeping you batteries in tip-top condition - 

Battery Maintenance for Boat Owners.

One thing to be on the lookout (or sniffout!) for is the smell of rotten eggs— the distinctive sulphurous whiff is not just unpleasant, it could be a sign of battery trouble... Overcharging causes the acid inside the battery to boil or percolate, causing the smell and creating a huge amount of heat which can lead to a fire onboard if you don't catch it quickly.

If you notice a pong on your boat or coming from another vessel on the marina;

• Give the marina team a heads-up right away
• Switch off the boat’s electrics and/or unplug from shore power

If it's your boat or you have access;

• Disconnect the battery if you can do so safely.

If you're looking to replce your batteries, Ecobat can help, and they'll also recycle your old ones too, both lead acid and lithium. Our boatcare team can help with advice on which batteries to fit to suit your boat and usage, drop them a line on portland@boatcare.co.uk or 01305 866190 or pop in and see them in the boatcare office!