Battery ground problem? advice appreciated

549 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by CaptPaul, Aug 26, 2008

660577

Discussion Starter · Aug 25, 2008

I recently had some issues with my batteries and had to take them out to charge them up. I have an 18 foot Aquasport center console with 1 marine starting battery and 1 regular battery for running the electronics (just a fish finder and radio basically). I went install my batteries after charging and when I went to connect the positive terminal on the starting battery, the ground terminal was already connected, and felt a current going through my hand. The battery switch was off and no electronics were on.

I am not sure what exactly this means and what damage it could do. I assume it is a faulty ground but I can't find where it is. I am only going to have my boat in the water for another 3 weeks and I am wondering if I can't find the problem if I could still use my boat safely. Will this drain my battery? Will it cause any other problems? Is there a way to handle rig it for 3 weeks till I can get it to my mechanic?

Thanks for any help.

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CaptPaul

· #8 · Aug 26, 2008

Quailoh wrote:
Sounds to me like you were grounded. Regardless of how your battery is grounded, or not, it is perfectly normal that if you hold the positive in your hand and ground another part of your body, the current is going to flow through your body. Simple answer there. You have successfully tested your vessel's grounding system. If the ground of the system is tied into the bonding system, or engine block, as it should, and you were a bit damp, you provided a direct path from the positive terminal, through your hand, through the boat, back to the negative terminal.

Paul

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