two switches ?

[nicknotsebastian]

new friend’s 23se. i’m a fisherman - not a mechanic or electrician but i’ve been around a lot of boats and i’ve never seen this before. he said “his dad did it like this”. his dad was a mechanic and an electrician and i’d ask him but he has since passed (three year’s ago - he was 90). btw, the boat is an ‘02 with a single hpdi 200 and dual batteries. he said his dad said to “choose on and no 2” ????

 

[nicknotsebastian]

i should add he said “everything runs perfect... two fishfinders/sonor, radio, lights, pumps, etc...”. boat was used “25-30 days” this past season.

 

[Brent]

You need to make a drawing of all wires, switches, batteries, connections to sort it out

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Antidote]

Seems like a start battery (2) and a house battery (on) and possibly separated by an ACR. 1/2/off goes to the engine. On/off goes to the house. What has power with 1/2/off in the "off" position and the on/off in the "on" position and visa versa? I suspect the navionics run; but, the engine won't crank in the first scenario and the opposite in the other.

 

[PKS1801]

Judging from the plugs on the red wire behind the bunch of greys, the on/off runs to a circuit breaker.

 

[nicknotsebastian]

are you saying you’d use two switches like this so you couldn’t inadvertently run down your starting battery running house loads (?)

 

[Antidote]

are you saying you’d use two switches like this so you couldn’t inadvertently run down your starting battery running house loads (?)

That is how an automatic charging relay (ACR) is wired in. The start battery only goes to the engine. The house battery carries all of the house load. The two batteries are connected by the ACR. With both batteries online the engine charges the start battery first. When the ACR senses the start battery is fully charged, it closes and begins to charge the house battery. With the switches you have you are able to isolate either/both batteries from their respective loads. If there is an ACR it will be wired directly inline between the two batteries. Look at your batteries and see if there is an ACR (black box about 2" X 2") wired inline between the two positive terminals of the batteries.

I have a similar set up with twin engines and three batteries. Originally I had port and starboard 1/2/both/off switches for selecting which battery to start either engine. The ACR kit comes with a double pole, single throw on/off switch to control the start and house batteries. I replaced the port 1/2/both/off with this on/off switch on my battery selector panel. Power now goes from the port engine to charge the #2 battery, then through the ACR to charge the house battery and finally to the house load. When the engine is off the ACR opens and removes the start battery from the house load. I left the 1/2/both/off on the starboard battery. With the port switch "on" I can now join both start batteries by selecting "both" on the starboard switch. Normally I run with the starboard switch in "1" and the port switch "on". This isolates the starboard engine and (#1) battery from the port (#2) start battery and the house battery. The starboard engine charges the #1 start battery and the port charges the #2 start battery, then charges the house battery.

If you have an ACR then your set up is similar without the third battery and second engine. If the "On/Off" switch is a double pole single throw you could wire both batteries through it; but, you wouldn't be able to individually isolate/connect the start and/or house batteries from their respective loads. They would both either be on or off.

 

[nicknotsebastian]

Sorry. Like I said, I don’t pretend to know much about electrical - and we’re doing this “absentee / third person”. He’s in CT and I’m in NYC.

This is what he said:

“Both batteries are DC- 31 900 MCA’S. There is a black 2x2 Box labeled Hi Amp Bus 40 amp between the two battery switches and connected to each battery’s positive terminal.”

 

[Antidote]

Sorry. Like I said, I don’t pretend to know much about electrical - and we’re doing this “absentee / third person”. He’s in CT and I’m in NYC.

This is what he said:

“Both batteries are DC- 31 900 MCA’S. There is a black 2x2 Box labeled Hi Amp Bus 40 amp between the two battery switches and connected to each battery’s positive terminal.”

Sounds like there is an ACR in there like I described

 

[nicknotsebastian]

Thanks much ...

 

[warthog5]

Honestly.....It looks like a Pain in the Butt to me.

No one knows exactly what it's doing or not doing.

This is why a BEP Cluster is superior. Blue Seas....Add a Battery is not near as clean a setup as a BEP.

 

[nicknotsebastian]

Honestly.....It looks like a Pain in the Butt to me.

No one knows exactly what it's doing or not doing.

This is why a BEP Cluster is superior. Blue Seas....Add a Battery is not near as clean a setup as a BEP.

thanks. i sent him this info. he said “thinking about adding more reserve with the new livewell - maybe combining two dc-31s in paralell and adding a new start battery - so anything and everything can be on the table”.

i am also getting him to set up his own username on here so he can communicate with you all directly

 

[Antidote]

What engine is it? Yamahas can also charge both batteries in the same fashion without the ACR by using the pig tail off the engine fuse box.

 

[Antidote]

Honestly.....It looks like a Pain in the Butt to me.

No one knows exactly what it's doing or not doing.

This is why a BEP Cluster is superior. Blue Seas....Add a Battery is not near as clean a setup as a BEP.

I used the Blue Seas ACR. The only way you can tell it is installed is to look at the batteries and notice the ACR and the switch panel now has a 1/2/both/off switch and a on/off switch (verses the two 1/2/both/off switches it came with).

 

[nicknotsebastian]

What engine is it? Yamahas can also charge both batteries in the same fashion without the ACR by using the pig tail off the engine fuse box.

He has a hpdi 200

 

[warthog5]

Honestly.....It looks like a Pain in the Butt to me.

No one knows exactly what it's doing or not doing.

This is why a BEP Cluster is superior. Blue Seas....Add a Battery is not near as clean a setup as a BEP.

I used the Blue Seas ACR. The only way you can tell it is installed is to look at the batteries and notice the ACR and the switch panel now has a 1/2/both/off switch and a on/off switch (verses the two 1/2/both/off switches it came with).

Yes....But your missing the point.....Large cables say 2ga can only turn in XYZ space. That space gets a lot larger with the Blue Seas add a battery than with the compact BEP.......

I do know this....I've installed 1 Blue Seas Add a Battery........Many,,,Many years ago. I'm on #37 on BEP clusters now.

 

[Antidote]

Honestly.....It looks like a Pain in the Butt to me.

No one knows exactly what it's doing or not doing.

This is why a BEP Cluster is superior. Blue Seas....Add a Battery is not near as clean a setup as a BEP.

I used the Blue Seas ACR. The only way you can tell it is installed is to look at the batteries and notice the ACR and the switch panel now has a 1/2/both/off switch and a on/off switch (verses the two 1/2/both/off switches it came with).

Yes....But your missing the point.....Large cables say 2ga can only turn in XYZ space. That space gets a lot larger with the Blue Seas add a battery than with the compact BEP.......

I do know this....I've installed 1 Blue Seas Add a Battery........Many,,,Many years ago. I'm on #37 on BEP clusters now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[warthog5]

Yes....I see the pix....But your Battery switches are all part of the system too...All spread out.

No one knows which position equals which battery is online.

Cleaner, simpler and self explaining.

 

[Antidote]

Yes....I see the pix....But your Battery switches are all part of the system too...All spread out.

No one knows which position equals which battery is online.

Cleaner, simpler and self explaining.

For my application the Add a Battery was a cleaner install. The ACR is under the deck in the bilge out of sight. The original switches are in a panel on the port side of the false transom. I removed the port 1/2/both/off and replaced it with the DPST on/off switch which controls the Port (#2) battery and the house battery. The panel also has the breakers for house supply and the windlass. If I had gone with the BEP setup I would have had to either remake the panel or install it else where. In the current configuration I turn the port switch to "on" and the starboard switch to "1." This isolates the port engine, battery and the house battery from the starboard engine and battery. I could also select "on" and "both" to connect all three batteries to both engines or "on" and "2" to connect all three batteries to the port engine. Just my $0.02.

 

[warthog5]

So You have Twin 200HP motors on your boat?