Battery Switches
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Mark Yashinsky
Battery Switches
Has anyone converted from the traditional OFF-1-2-BOTH main switch w/ two batteries being either house and start and charged or not connected, to having two battery switches (one for each battery) with one being the starter battery and the other the house battery and a third switch to bridge the batteries for emergency purposes??? I have read the general advantages of this method but want to hear from real people about how it was to implement and live with and the praise and problems from doing this. Pls be specific. Thanks to all
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Lee H. Hodsdon
Re: Battery Switches
Mark,
Yes I have experience with this system. I installed the system on my 25D three or four seasons ago. I used the layout in the West Marine catalog, and the battery combiner from the same catalog. I have never been without starting or house battery power. I have no complaints whaterer, in fact only praise for system.
I just installed the same system in a friends boat and the gear has certainly improved in a couple of years. The new combiner is much better than the "prototype" in a small plastic NEMA box! There is a combination switch/breaker pannel in the new West Catalog which you should look at. I used three separate switches, this new pannel is a great improvement.
IF you have any specific questions e-mail me.
Sincerely,
Lee
Yes I have experience with this system. I installed the system on my 25D three or four seasons ago. I used the layout in the West Marine catalog, and the battery combiner from the same catalog. I have never been without starting or house battery power. I have no complaints whaterer, in fact only praise for system.
I just installed the same system in a friends boat and the gear has certainly improved in a couple of years. The new combiner is much better than the "prototype" in a small plastic NEMA box! There is a combination switch/breaker pannel in the new West Catalog which you should look at. I used three separate switches, this new pannel is a great improvement.
IF you have any specific questions e-mail me.
Sincerely,
Lee
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Larry DeMers
Re: Battery Switches
Mark,
I installed a comletely new electrical system in my CD30 this past summer. Everything from the fixtures, and wiring to the alternator are out and replaced with higher output and better equipment.
Part of this project was my requirement for 2 house batteries at 220 and 440 Ah respectively, and the starting battery, separate in all functions (chg/dschg). but easily switchable to any other battery.
This is in anticipation of adding refrigeration next spring. The 440 Ah bank poses some interesting problems, some not resolved yet. I will be adding the 440 aH bank of 6v golf cart batteries to a fiberglass basket that I will build and mount in the floor of the cabin, under the sole.
What I did was make the battery switch in the cabin select between house 1 or 2 for house loads. A separate 1-2-both -off switch then connects the starter to either the starter battery (position 1), or to the output of the house battery switch in the cabin (position 2). The charging sources for all three batteries all pass through a 3 battery combiner from Heart. With this device, I allow the batteries to become combined when the incoming voltage is above a settable threshold. This can be from solar, alternator, or the Heart Inverter/charger..they all end up tied to the same input on the combiner.
I made one switch from the Heart plan. They want one battery connected to the alternator all the time, as the alternator diodes will blow due to unlimited voltage caused by a lack of load. What happens then is that when you turn the heart inverter on, it uses the battery that is connected all the time to the common input buss on the combiner, and if this is the starter battery, then you draw that battery down. Sooo, I used house battery 1 connected to the common feed buss. It works great, and all is happy. Except that....virtually everything that Heart makes oscillates horribly, knocking out my ham radio, Am-Fm, SSB, and even VHF to some extent. The inverter has a deep bass 60 hz howl that my portable rcvr picks from the dock!!
They have been notified several times of the troubles, and nothing has been forthcoming. I would quote the saying "Caviat Emptor"..and check the StatPower folks out. <Darn spelling>
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
demers@sgi.com
I installed a comletely new electrical system in my CD30 this past summer. Everything from the fixtures, and wiring to the alternator are out and replaced with higher output and better equipment.
Part of this project was my requirement for 2 house batteries at 220 and 440 Ah respectively, and the starting battery, separate in all functions (chg/dschg). but easily switchable to any other battery.
This is in anticipation of adding refrigeration next spring. The 440 Ah bank poses some interesting problems, some not resolved yet. I will be adding the 440 aH bank of 6v golf cart batteries to a fiberglass basket that I will build and mount in the floor of the cabin, under the sole.
What I did was make the battery switch in the cabin select between house 1 or 2 for house loads. A separate 1-2-both -off switch then connects the starter to either the starter battery (position 1), or to the output of the house battery switch in the cabin (position 2). The charging sources for all three batteries all pass through a 3 battery combiner from Heart. With this device, I allow the batteries to become combined when the incoming voltage is above a settable threshold. This can be from solar, alternator, or the Heart Inverter/charger..they all end up tied to the same input on the combiner.
I made one switch from the Heart plan. They want one battery connected to the alternator all the time, as the alternator diodes will blow due to unlimited voltage caused by a lack of load. What happens then is that when you turn the heart inverter on, it uses the battery that is connected all the time to the common input buss on the combiner, and if this is the starter battery, then you draw that battery down. Sooo, I used house battery 1 connected to the common feed buss. It works great, and all is happy. Except that....virtually everything that Heart makes oscillates horribly, knocking out my ham radio, Am-Fm, SSB, and even VHF to some extent. The inverter has a deep bass 60 hz howl that my portable rcvr picks from the dock!!
They have been notified several times of the troubles, and nothing has been forthcoming. I would quote the saying "Caviat Emptor"..and check the StatPower folks out. <Darn spelling>
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Mark Yashinsky wrote: Has anyone converted from the traditional OFF-1-2-BOTH main switch w/ two batteries being either house and start and charged or not connected, to having two battery switches (one for each battery) with one being the starter battery and the other the house battery and a third switch to bridge the batteries for emergency purposes??? I have read the general advantages of this method but want to hear from real people about how it was to implement and live with and the praise and problems from doing this. Pls be specific. Thanks to all
demers@sgi.com