Upon arriving at The Bluffs Dock at Erwin Marina in Chattanooga, we are greeted by the welcoming staff. There is 1 other boat already docked. We hook up power and walk into the city to see some sights. It has warmed to 62 degrees so this late afternoon stroll will be enjoyable. The aquarium is located near the docks. It is the world’s largest fresh water aquarium which has won many awards for its displays. The aquarium also boosts a salt water tank and museum and an IMAX movie. We will not have time to enjoy this attraction but have heard it is amazing. At “The Bluffs” is a historical museum, many local shops, and a bakery that has the best whole grain bread we have ever had. After picking up some loaves we wander around finding artists sculptures, interesting pathways, cobblestone pathways and an outdoor climbing wall. The Bluffs area is a tour unto itself. Located just above the Bluff Dock within a short walking distance are paths that connect each other along the Riverfront. That evening it stays warm so we head over to the Mellow Mushroom for an artisan pizza on their patio. Inpromptu date nights are my favourite.
That night, while we were all snuggled in with power, our carbon monoxide sensor went off. We quickly grab some warm clothes and head outside. Scott heads down to the engine room. With no generator running and diesel as our fuel, Scott is wondering what is making it go off. Tools out, lights on in the boat, windows and ceiling panel open in the 40 degree night I check the inside of the boat. Scott is still in the engine room. He has shut down everything already. We notice a burning smell coming from the engine room. Scott checks the batteries. We have 8 house batteries plus a bunch more for the systems and engines. The batteries for the house are hot, too hot. We open and vent the engine and pod room and wait for them to cool before Scott disconnects and spends some time looking at them. For about an hour we vent the boat and put on our winter coats. The carbon monoxide sensor stops beeping and glows green again. Putting a fan into our master bedroom window we continue to vent our sleeping area. Scott disconnects the battery bank and disconnects the battery charger. We head back to bed. Note to anyone without a carbon monoxide sensor to get one.
First things first, check the situation from last night. Scott researches up on the battery chargers. We have 2. He looks at the factory wiring and is not impressed with the issue. Apparently they have been wired in a way that has created an overcharging to our batteries which in turn has made the battery life quite a bit shorter. He rewires the 1 battery charger to take the load of the remaining 3 banks, (6 batteries), and keeps the 1 remaining bank disconnected. Now we wait to see how these charge. After a couple hours Scott is comfortable with how they are charging. That being said we must now buy 8 new batteries. Timing is everything, they say, right? This past summer we bought a complete electrical monitoring system that Scott was going to install. With the busy summer that we had in 2021, he decided he would tackle the entire install in Florida where he would find parts and pieces readily available and buy the supplies he wanted rather than just buying what we could get. Now with us needing new batteries this old system is not set up for the lithium ions he wanted by buy. So now we have to buy batteries we don’t really want to have to fit into the old and the eventual new Victron system Scott will install. More research to follow for this Captain.
Since he is comfortable with the charging and battery system we find a group that plays pickleball. We grab an Uber and head over to East Ridge High School. Little did we know that we would find some amazing new friends in such a short amount of time. Too many to mention here but these folks are welcoming, kind and the hospitality shown by the Chattanooga Pickleball group will stay with us as a very fond memory. Thank you for making us part of your family.
