Battery usage for 19" LCD TV

[jim_m5]

I just installed an ac/dc 19" LCD TV/DVD from Skyworth. Does anyone have expierience running a dc powered TV? How much battery drain does it cause? I have 2 batterries on-board and can manually switch between them. They are almost 2 years old and seem fine. I'm not sure how to measure the health of a battery or how much life remains. The boat is on a lift and the ac charger is always on trickle charge when we are not on the water.

 

[wingless]

Battery capacity is defined as ampere-hours delivered, from fully charged to fully discharged, when discharged at a rate that discharges the battery in 20 hours.

The best way to make this measurement / test is to fully charge the battery, for 24 hours, minimum. Then the battery should be left idle for 24 hours, minimum. Then apply an appropriate load that would bring the battery from ~12.5VDC to ~10.5VDC in 20 hours.

The easiest / safest way to measure capacity is to use a Midtronics Battery Tester. This pops out capacity, state of charge and lots of other important information. Bring your batteries to a retailer, like West Marine or anyone else that sells batteries and they'll measure this for free.

Thank goodness the old-style load testers have mostly gone the way of the dinosaur.

The panel meter is an okay tool to determine the load from the TV on the battery. A better way is to use a calibrated meter.

 

[Quint4]

We frequently watch our 19" LCD for 3-4 hours while at anchor with no issues. I have two batteries and keep my switch on the "house" battery.

 

[mawyatt]

Jim,

The TV manual should state the load current in amps. Multiply this by the use lenght of time in hours and you get to amp hours. Consider this as a % of the total battery capacity. Example: if the TV draws 6 amps and is on for 10 hours then you have consumed 60 amp-hrs, if your battery is rated at 180 amp-hrs, then you have consumed 33% of the battery capacity. Always give yourself plenty of margin when dealing with battery capacity. As mentioned there are a few ways to evalute the condition of batteries. One of the best investments you can make is in a "Smart" charger which has multiple modes to keep the battery charged to optimum conditions and can extend battery life.

 

[wingless]

The TV manual should state the load current in amps.

The nameplate rating is a maximum current. Actual current will be less.

It is okay for ballpark numbers, but a measurement is better.

 

[JohnEGraham]

Hi, Can you please tell me how you like the TV? I am thinking of buying it. Where did you mount it and what brakets did you use. Thanks John G.

 

[sbw1]

From a practical perspective I would be much more concerned about a DC fridge than the TV. We have TV on for several hours watching football while on the hook and never give it a second thought. If you have a DC fridge without a cold plate, the battery can go south in 3-4 hours if you are in and out of it a lot. We used to carry a cooler on board to avoid that issue and would turn the fridge down to low while on the hook. It's always good to have only one battery in play on a boat like yours so you keep one in reserve for starting the motor and recharing the other when you pull the hook.