Battery Problems

[408DM]

Hey everyone,

I am the owner of a 1981 PA-32R Piper Saratoga. Recently, whenever I don't fly for 4 or 5 days, the battery seems to drain out and die. Nothing in the aircraft (to the best of my knowledge) is left on. Wondering if any of you had any ideas.

thanks!

[stevef]

You might consider having a capacity check carried out on your battery. Could be it's getting tired.
Also, I can't remember much about Saratogas, but haven't they got a light in the nose baggage compartment? Maybe the microswitch is defective and the light is staying on all the time. Take the bulb out and see if the problem goes away.

[sternone]

Originally Posted by 408DM

Nothing in the aircraft (to the best of my knowledge) is left on.

thanks!

Turn everything off like you left it each time, then use an clamp ampere meter on battery wires to see if there is still an electrical consumer sucking down your darned battery!

[Denny of Oakland]

If you have a multi meter check the voltage across the plus and minus terminals and seen how much voltage is stored in the battery. If I recall correctly you have a 12-volt system so the battery should read close to 12-volts. The onboard electrical system will put out more than 12-volts designed that way. If it is less than 12-volts out put from the alternator you have a bad alternator. Never assume the battery is the problem start with the alternator and work back.

If the alternator is okay, how much voltage is going to the battery your amp/voltage gauge in the cockpit should indicate this, but a multi meter is the best method.

Remember batteries have a life as the plates loose material the battery gets weaker the material build up in the bottom of the battery and will short the cells if the battery is tipped to one side. If the cells are shorted it will drain the battery sitting over night.

The best test is to take the battery to a shop and have a load test performed on it. Most shops will do this for free.

If the battery turns out okay they you have a short somewhere in the system. It would be worth the money to have an avionics shop perform an electrical analysis in this case. In a lot of cases there is corrosion on the terminal board and is leaking across the terminal. You can take off each wire and clean reinstall each one, but make sure you put them back in the same place with the correct washers and stack up the way it came off.

There have been several service difficulty reports (SDRs) on the electrical system wiring. The SRD are available on the FAA web site at FAA - Home and search for SDR.

Just one man’s opinion.
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