Beneteau battery switch
- Thread starter jmkinsfbay
- Start date
Hmmmm, good comment, probably wouldn't have easily figured that out. So, instead of the handle feeling spring-loaded, did it just spin?
In my case, it still felt like it was spring-loaded. The handle moved out and snapped into the open position however it was not far enough out to open the circuit.
The house batteries work in tandem with both switches on; engine battery remains isolated. Unfortunately, this doesn't allow for house-battery charging while motoring. Nonetheless, 8 hrs of motoring the other day, and the small house battery showed no sign of fading.
Has already been mentioned, but remember, if you're using battery power while sailing (electronics, 'fridge, etc.) remember to open your engine battery switch. If you leave the engine switch closed, the engine battery will be drawn down at about the same percentage as the house batter y/ries because of the default electrical setup.
Just for the record, Beneteau has changed its switch wiring over the years. Our 2014 Oceanis 37 does not have a jumper between the switches. The two switches switch the house and start banks independently. There are voltage drop free isolators to combine the batteries when charging. It does still have the ground switch, which would be better repurposed as an emergency cross-over, allowing the house bank to start the engine in a pinch.
Davidasailor26, that sounds like the best of both worlds. Is there an easy-to-obtain schematic? Perhaps it would be worth considering this option, if not too expensive, on my somewhat older boat.
That's exactly what I always say: a switch per battery as on my B323 that I added a third battery & switch to. A batt goes bad, take it off line. Need more amps for starting or winch or windlass... turn them all on. Beneteau does this for good reason. Now, people will post that what they have is best....
Check out the second picture in post 8 at https://forums.sailboatowners.com/i...-red-electrical-switches.191463/#post-1456512. That's pretty much the ideal state in terms of flexibility and robustness. Converting to that from the default Beneteau configuration would probably require a bus bar, ACR, and some short lengths of cable.