House battery overcharging

Question on my batteries. I s

Question on my batteries. I seem to have a battery problem with the house battery running dry. Added some distilled water and it looks like either a short or overcharging issue. Any articles on how to check for a problem?

"Ayuh,....
Do you have a Volt

"Ayuh,....
Do you have a Volt Meter on board,..??

What's it running,..??

If Not,.....
Test the Voltage with a Multimeter, at Idle, at WOT......
You should be seeing 13.6V Most of the time......
Any More,+ you probably need a Voltage Regulator or altenator if it's a combined unit...."

"As you called it a "House

"As you called it a "House" battery, I'm assuming you have a "house" charger.

If so, are there other batteries being charged by the same source and how old is the charger? Newer chargers have progressive charge capabilities which allow the charger to go into "maintenance" mode when the battery is fully charged, or no amperage is being used by the house.

Older chargers do not have this technology and tend to boil the batteries at full output once they are full. This is more so when the battery gets old.

One way to check, or even rectify the problem is to turn off the breaker in the charge lead going to that battery when you are away from the boat. Be sure this battery does not operate your bilge pump or other crucial items.

If the problem goes away, you are getting there. I would fully test the battery (hydrometer and load test) regardless to what happens, but that should reveal your answer."