I am getting second battery and planning to connect them in parallel through an isolator, whch means I can discharge one at a time or use both thus doubling the amp hours that way.
Is this the best method? I am planning to get a century Marine Pro 650 which is advertised as good cranking and also deep cycle for electronics. My current battery is a Marine pro 600.
welcome any comments.
Gotta Love Maroochydore.
There are heaps of threads on here about which battery setups are best. just do a quick search.
but what your planing to do sounds like my setup plus I have the auto switching charging thingie. you can buy the complete unit from BLA.
http://bla.com.au/shop-online/marine...t-systems.html
Maturity is not when we start speaking BIG things,it is when we start understanding small things
Hi Gruntahunta, i run my dual through a Blue Seas System setup (rectifier/isolator + 3 position swith), stuff seems well made(in USA) with maxi fuses mounted as specified, their website has really easy to understand diagrams of different ways to set up their gear. http://bluesea.com/
Sold at Chandleries but you pay top dollar there, mine came from the states on ebay.
My main requirement was that the system protect my cranking battery from running down below what id need for a start.
Thanks Guys. I have hooked up 2 batteries through an Isolator which allows me to flow both batteries or keep one fully cahrged when not running. Easy but a good safety net.
Gotta Love Maroochydore.
Did you use a "1-2-Both-Off" switch, if not then you may have a problem.
If you used the 1, 2 or 1+2 switch try and not use both batteries together.
If one battery is crook it'll pull the other battery down too.
Try and use one battery on the way out and the other on the way back.
And never change switch position with the motor going.
Some have 'make before break' contacts in them but some don't. And if you have one that doesn't 'make before breaking' it may cause some damage to the electronics in the motor.
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
Say you have discharged one down below its ability to crank the engine while anchored out on a trip.
Can you then select 'both' to start the motor so that on a run the motor will recharge the flat one as well as top up the healthy one?
I know you can't start on the healthy then change to flat with the motor running or you risk stuffing the rectifyer.
Can you then select 'both' to start the motor so that on a run the motor will recharge the flat one as well as top up the healthy one?
I know you can't start on the healthy then change to flat with the motor running or you risk stuffing the rectifyer.
I can link motor battery 1 to motor battery 2 with my setup and house batteries are isolated automatically until the voltage is up and stable. Only had to do once so far but damn handy.
C
C
What could go wrong.......................
The way I look at it is that your 1st battery should be big enough to run your electrics at anchor and the 2nd battery (same size) is there for a backup in case of failure.
Then alternate the usage to give them both a workout each time you go fishing.
This is where I'd say to you, "You need a bigger battery".Say you have discharged one down below its ability to crank the engine while anchored out on a trip.
Although I've used the 1+2+Both+Off in the past I don't trust them as far as I could throw them and by that I mean the main contacts and their make before break capability.
I had that setup in my last boat but for this one I chose a single suitably sized battery with a jump box for the redundancy factor.
Let's face it, all we want is to be able to hit the key & drive home.
Another boat I had with twins Chimo I ran 2 completely separate electrical systems and just kept a set of jumper leads on the boat.
Mine is just a straight connection.... Switched to one, or the other, or both or off.
If its both then I believe they are in parallel. I know that paralleling a charged with a discharged will drain the charged into the discharged, but doing that for a moment while you start with it on 'both' should work shouldn't it?
In other words will the stronger loose it's cranking capacity immediately and then neither can start, or will it be ok to start and then the motor will fix them both up again?
At that point I'd just flick over to #2 by itself because there's no point in trying to charge a faulty battery.
Nah mate I mean if you have been using it at anchor until its low enough in charge that it won't start the motor. It's still good just not charged. I will do the one out other back system but multi day stays might drain one. That's what I am trying to work out.... Can I then switch to both and the run home charges them.
I'd still fire it up on #2 by itself & put #1 on the charger at home.
I'm not saying to use 'Both' is wrong it's just that you are then down to your last line of defense so why compromise it by hooking it up to a half flat battery.
Unless your traveling big distances at speed then you're not going to get much charge into 'both' anyway.
Er... Rats! I thought that although the flat would pull down the good, it wouldn't happen in the first minute so it would be ok to start on both.
My experience with car alternators has maybe fooled me into thinking that 30 mins of running would take a flat battery to a reasonably healthy one. And then subsequent runs would bump it up till full.
So I thought that if the full one isn't flattened immediately by the flat one then the running motor feeding both would sort them both out.
But you don't reckon that's what would happen.
Mostly I am just trying to avoid undoing battery boxes and connections and lugging the thing to the charger. I buggered a battery when I put it on a uneven surface and it slid off. The less I frig around with them the better I figured.
Sure you can do that, no different than jump starting a car but if the battery you thought was flat has in fact taken a dump ans is somewhat shorted out then it will pull the other battery down very quickly.I thought that although the flat would pull down the good, it wouldn't happen in the first minute so it would be ok to start on both.
Put it this way, you've lost your anchor, #1 is you think is flat? the wind is blowing you towards the rocks and you have to choose between 'both' or #2....?
Typically outboards don't have much charging capacity compared to cars.
It's all in the numbers Wal, if you use more power each trip than what your outboard puts back in then you will have to charge at home.
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