Can an Espar cause a huge draw if it's not running right?

Rain City

Rain City

Crew Member
I noticed that my Espar is acting funny. It just cuts out and then has a tough time restarting. When I leave it on and it's trying to start up I can literally watch my battery Volts drop on the Magnum screen. Turn it off and they pop right back up again with the solar charging.

I didn't install it so I don't know much about how they work.
 
noluck said:
the glow pin draws a bit of amperage when starting, but with a battery bank you should not be able to tell, sounds like it has a loose power or ground lead
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Could it also be the reverse and my batteries aren't holding a charge? After I shut off my engines it drops from 13.7 to like 12.7 in no time. That's on the magnum screen so who knows how accurate that is
 
13.7 sounds like the alternator is running ant 12.7 is a full charge. My alternator with engine running batteries are at 14.4 and then drop into the 12s with engine off.
 
I wouldn't worry about the voltage drop, a fully charged 12v battery is around 12.6v, the 13.7 will be a surface charge that will bleed off or drop when a slight draw is put on the system for a minute. Check that your fuel lift pump is running and pumping, do a flow test on it, they like to fail.
 
So the thing that really convinced me something was off at the end of the day was the plotter and radio started flickering and popping like I was low on juice. I had just finished pulling traps and using the washdown but both engines were running at the time and it was still reading 12.4 by then. As soon as I throttled up though it popped back up to 13.7 and the gear worked fine. Sounds like I have to continue throwing money at this thing.
 
I'd start by double checking every connection, it sounds like something is loose, if something was causing that big of a draw you would think it would blow the fuse or breaker for that circuit. Isolate both batterys and check voltage in each battery separately, its also possible one battery is pooched causing the load. Also I'm not sure what engines you have but some alternators won't start charging until they hit a certain rpm, mine are like that.
 
Dwaynec83 said:
I'd start by double checking every connection, it sounds like something is loose, if something was causing that big of a draw you would think it would blow the fuse or breaker for that circuit. Isolate both batterys and check voltage in each battery separately, its also possible one battery is pooched causing the load. Also I'm not sure what engines you have but some alternators won't start charging until they hit a certain rpm, mine are like that.
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Old volvo diesels. I don't think they charge unless you throw a bunch of hundreds in the engine bay.

My house batteries are 6V golf cart batteries but I'm still really confused as to which bank does which engine and which charger does which and what the kicker charges and what the magnum is reading and what gear runs off the house vs. the start. It's a mess
 
Are all of the items that you are having issues with off the same panel inside the cabin ? If so, I would maybe take a look at both ends of the wires that feed that panel. Sometimes voltage will look good until there is significant load on the panel.
 
Thunder21 said:
Are all of the items that you are having issues with off the same panel inside the cabin ? If so, I would maybe take a look at both ends of the wires that feed that panel. Sometimes voltage will look good until there is significant load on the panel.
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Every time I try and figure this out, I take one look at the wiring tucked way up inside the engine bay running into panels that I can't reach because I'm too fat and I panic. I'm not comfortable with electrical issues. Both battery banks run through switches on the main panel and then back out in an area I can't see. The big charger/inverter back-feeds the house panel which has the start charger on it so you have to switch the house charger breaker off when you flip the inverter on or you end up charging the starter back with the house. Like I said, North Shore Marine, Inlet, Pleasurecraft, Stem to Stern and now Jeff the mobile guy, I've asked them all to help me trace all of this and draw up some kind of she schematic that I can understand and not one has followed through with it. Mostly because something catastrophic happens and we end up scrambling to get it back in the water and stop the bleeding.
 
Rain City said:
Every time I try and figure this out, I take one look at the wiring tucked way up inside the engine bay running into panels that I can't reach because I'm too fat and I panic. I'm not comfortable with electrical issues. Both battery banks run through switches on the main panel and then back out in an area I can't see. The big charger/inverter back-feeds the house panel which has the start charger on it so you have to switch the house charger breaker off when you flip the inverter on or you end up charging the starter back with the house. Like I said, North Shore Marine, Inlet, Pleasurecraft, Stem to Stern and now Jeff the mobile guy, I've asked them all to help me trace all of this and draw up some kind of she schematic that I can understand and not one has followed through with it. Mostly because something catastrophic happens and we end up scrambling to get it back in the water and stop the bleeding.
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Call these guys. They'll come down and draw the electrical system you have and what is connected where.

Might be you need to run your engines ABOVE 600rpm when pulling traps etc... try idling at 1000-1400rpm... let the alternators work...

Also your battery bank could be tired... load test.. etc....

 
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Rain City said:
So the thing that really convinced me something was off at the end of the day was the plotter and radio started flickering and popping like I was low on juice. I had just finished pulling traps and using the washdown but both engines were running at the time and it was still reading 12.4 by then. As soon as I throttled up though it popped back up to 13.7 and the gear worked fine. Sounds like I have to continue throwing money at this thing.
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Sounds like you where running off battery power only, for some time, until you revved your engines up. Did you notice how long you were running at 12.4 volts (battery voltage)? Is this normal for you to have to rev it up to get it to charge? If not, I would be looking into the alternator, that would explain your batteries “low juice” and espar starting issues, depending on how everything is connected. Not sure on your engines but there is usually a voltage regulator on the alternator. A Visual inspection of all connections and a battery load test is your first step.
 
Yes, he has wired in a few commanders. That’s all he does- electrical and plumbing on boats. I like the guy, he doesn’t sugar coat anything and will tell you honestly what he recommends and why
 
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