Fish Finder Help Please!

[TOAJosh]

Hey guys I have ran into a weird issue. I uninstalled my old Eagle Cuda 168ex and installed a Hummingbird 570di on the front of my boat. I used the same power wires I already had installed. The problem I am having is the battery is dying after I keep the 570 on for just 15mins! The master switch controls the power so it's not straight wired to the battery. What's the problem?

[Wayne P.]

A 570 DI is not a power hog. Are you sure the battery is dying or you just don't have good enough wires and connections to support the unit?

[Fishing Rhino]

Somewhere in the system there should be a 3 amp fuse. At least there has been in the four Humminbirds I've installed on my boats. There is no way a three amp fuse would handle the power draw required to kill a good, fully charged battery in just 15 minutes.

I had to install the fuse in the power lead to the battery. The units did not come with a fuse in their power leads.

Heck, that much power draw would melt down a 14 - 18 gauge wire.

If you've got a buddy or acquaintance who's an electrician, or is handy with wiring, and have them take a look at it. Otherwise, I'd take it to the shop. You'll have to pay a few bucks to get it sorted out, but how much frustration, and lost fishing days are you willing to put up with vs. the cost of getting it fixed?

[Bob C]

I had that problem when I used a small battery charger that I would charge one battery at a time. I wasn't getting a full charge in them. I installed a 3 bank on board charger and now I can go all week end and still have battery left.

Bob