Battery drain
kpstevens727
ATP B727-787 CFI/II/MEI/SES
I leave my LED position and beacon switches on 100% time.
this way if I forget the master on I see the beacon on and it’s a visual reminder to me.
and if the beacon is on it means either someone is in plane or someone forgot to turn off master.
😎
Kevin Stevens-retired :-)
ATP-B727,737,757,767,777,787,DC10,A300,CV580
CFI/II/MEI/SES
Comments
I leave the beacon on all the time, so that if I forget to turn off the master, it is flashing to warn me.
With the master on, it also warns folks that I will be starting the engine soon.
Position lights are hard to see in the daytime.
There are some electrical loads in the aircraft that never turn off with the master switch. Fortunately, they are small loads but, nevertheless, they do drain battery power over time. An electric clock and the SureFly electronic ignition come to mind. In addition, all conventional batteries drain themselves over time; self discharge. A good case for a periodic maintenance charge if you are not flying as often as you would like.
Regards,
Mike
My old Cessna has a windup clock, so no parasitic drains.
It's most important to be sure tat the alternator is charging the battery at 14.0-14.5 volts. [ plug a small digital voltmeter into the cigarette lighter socket].
I do connect a battery charger very 1-2 months, especially if the open circuit voltage is less than 12.7 volts , at least 24 hrs after a flight, 2 amps max. and see that it charges to 14+ volts.
When locking my entry door, I listen for the quiet whine of my electic T&B indicator. I want to see quiet and dark before leaving.
Just before shutting down the engine: Avionics master OFF, Beacon ON and all other Electrical OFF.
When I bring the tug out, if the Beacon is on, it is quite visible. I also make it a point to check I have the Ignition Key in my hand or double check my pocket. I invariably have to rotate the 3-blade prop 30 degrees for the tug to have access to the nose wheel.
The beauty of having LED position and beacon lights is they are very visible both during the day and night.
My plane has an electric clock and requires a keep-alive voltage from the ship battery. Since I do not know the next time I will be at the hangar, I have a BatteryMINDer plugged in and connected to the ship battery.