H340 Battery upgrade and relocation

[bamabaxter]

After getting some good ideas based on other people modifications here, I decided to upgrade electrical system. I got rid of the garbage Guest 50 amp charger that was oem for the H340. Upgraded to a Sterling Pro Charge Ultra 30 amp which is plenty for my needs. Charger is located under the nav desk. Previous owner had 2 group 31s for start/house in the aft stbd locker. Upgraded to dual Duracell Golf Cart battteries from Batteries Plus Bulbs which are actually East Penn Deka batteries. These fit perfectly inside of the closet behind the nav station. I also installed a combiner switch and included a Blue Seas Combining Relay. The start battery is a Group 24 that is still located in the aft locker, but I plan to move it inside under the dinette settee.

 

[M_Michaels]

Do you plan to hang clothes and jackets and such in the upper part of the locker? If yes, I would be concerned with the affect of the battery acid fumes that will permeate the locker during a deep charging cycle. Does your charger have a relay that gets pulled on during the charging cycle? If yes then you could use that to power an exhaust fan mounted in the battery locker. Keep the air in there fresh.

 

[bamabaxter]

I do not plan to hang clothes. The admiral has asked me to install some sort of a shelf sytem for more storage. The plan is to leave enough room in the bottom to remove batteries and do maintenance. I do have a relay for charging (small red light in the picture) and plan to do exactly what you are talking about with a fan for air circulation. That will all be done when I finish final battery relocation.
One thing I can't recommend enough to everyone is change over to LED bulbs. My mast light is the only incandescent bulb left which is hard to get to since I have in mast furling ( requires removing a sail to free up a sheet for climbing mast). I was surprised that the 22" LED 12v TV I have only draws about 1.5amps vs the 2 amps for mast light.

 

[Bill19233]

Interesting to see how someone else did this. I moved the batteries out of the stern on my 340 a couple years ago. It helps trim quite a bit getting all that weight over the keel.
I put the three house batteries under the port settee and the start battery in the cabinet. And I put the charger in almost the same place as you did. I was a little concerned about heat off the charger not able to rise and dissipate, but I have checked it dozens of times and it's not an issue.

 

[bamabaxter]

I may have been inspired by your relocation.

 

[Bill19233]

Hopefully it was a relatively trouble free project for you. I did the battery move one year and the new charger the following year. The battery move took two full weekends and involved dozens of parts runs, lots of colorful language, and more gymnastics and yoga in confined spaces than I thought someone of my size was capable of.
I replaced the start battery a few months ago, voltage kept dropping below the charging relay cutoff. Thought it might be a problem with the relay, but the new battery has been taking and holding a charge.

 

[Maine Sail]

I replaced the start battery a few months ago, voltage kept dropping below the charging relay cutoff. Thought it might be a problem with the relay, but the new battery has been taking and holding a charge.

Really need more information on the specifics; what relay. brnad & model? Where does charging feed to (all charge sources including alternator)?

This may still happen with the new system if the charging goes to the start battery first. Feeding start battery first, for charge sources, is for small boats, eg: small center consoles, with equal sized banks. When you have one large bank and one small bank all charging should be to house first then the ACR would feed start. This problem is called "relay cycling" and it is one of the most common issues I am called in to correct related to voltage sensing relays...

 

[Bill19233]

Really need more information on the specifics; what relay. brnad & model? Where does charging feed to (all charge sources including alternator)?

This may still happen with the new system if the charging goes to the start battery first. Feeding start battery first, for charge sources, is for small boats, eg: small center consoles, with equal sized banks. When you have one large bank and one small bank all charging should be to house first then the ACR would feed start. This problem is called "relay cycling" and it is one of the most common issues I am called in to correct related to voltage sensing relays...

Thanks for coming in Maine Sail. It's a Blue Sea SI-ACR. And the charger is wired directly to the house bank (battery A on the ACR) and the start/reserve battery 2 is "battery b" on the ACR.
Battery 2 was always below 11 volts on the Xantrex when I would get on the boat. I tried removing the battery and charging it on a portable battery charger. It would hold a charge until I put back in, water level was fine and I used it to start the boat and run while sailing once in a while. Like I said, new battery has been fine for at least 6 months now.
And, not to start a battery debate, I bought Exide deep cycle group 31 batteries for the house and group 24 for the reserve at Academy over 2 years ago. I believe I can buy several sets and still be money ahead on supposedly longer lasting, more expensive AGM's.

 

[Maine Sail]

And, not to start a battery debate, I bought Exide deep cycle group 31 batteries for the house and group 24 for the reserve at Academy over 2 years ago. I believe I can buy several sets and still be money ahead on supposedly longer lasting, more expensive AGM's.

There are "deep-cycle batteries" and there are deep-cycle in name only batteries. There are quality AGM batteries and there are poor quality AGM batteries.

Just three days ago I tested a 2014 Odyssey TPPL AGM battery (a quality AGM) at approx 96.5Ah's. It is a 100Ah battery. This battery is charged perfectly in every way and the care and proper charging shows. I expect this owner to get about 8-10 years out of them.

Yesterday I tested a 1.5 year old Trojan SCS-225 (G-31) flooded battery that has not been properly charged or cared for (customers alternator is 14.2V (stock) and his battery charger is 14.1V). The Trojan SCS-225 delivered a paltry 85+/- Ah and is a 130Ah battery. It is going into the scrap lead pile and he is buying some less expensive flooded batteries he does not mind ruining every 18 months or so.

My point here is that price you pay up-front, does not dictate the real cost of the batteries..... The AGM owner will have a lower overall battery cost than the guy abusing his Trojan (or what ever he decides on next, flooded batteries. Unfortunately most boat-owners are charging their batteries incorrectly by not fully charging them (incorrect absorption voltages & absorption duration) and / or cycling them too deeply. Many also ignore temp compensation and ruin them this way too. Battery orientation is another big one, when it comes to flooded batteries...

Flooded batteries are a great bang for the buck but they too need proper charging.

 

[Sailing Wx]

Hello. I just bought a 340 and I am looking to relocate my battery bank from the starboard aft cockpit seat locker to somewhere less intrusive and less exposed. Have any of the 340 owners here considered relocating the batteries to the transom between the fuel tank and black tank (forward of, or on either side of the rudder post)? There is quite a bit of room there and making a shelf above the bilge to sit them on and adding an access door from the aft bunk area is appealing.

 

[Bill19233]

Congratulations on buying a 340, if you're on Facebook, we have a great group you need to join with owners from all over the world, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America, and about every state, Facebook Groups

I put my house batteries, three group 31’s under the port settee, almost over the keel on my 340.
There are issues with venting into the boat interior that have been brought up I may fix. But, I race and I want them there.

And, I put a filter system between the the waste tank and the fuel tank. Yes, I made the access panel and I open it more to check tank levels than I do to mess with the filters. You can see how much water is in the filter bowl, how much water do you think gets carried over from the filter below the bunk in between changing it once a year.

 

[Sailing Wx]

Thanks for the reply, Bill. I swore off social media long ago, but the Admiral still has FB. I'll have her check it out. I like the idea of moving the batteries to the lowest and most central point, but I'm not yet ready to put them in the cabin and deal with the venting issues. Venting from the aft area seems much simpler with easy access to the lazerettes. Since I need to replace the batteries, I may go with AGM and reduce the maintenance and off gassing.

I really like your fuel filter setup. I may have to borrow that in some way in the near future. What are they mounted to?

 

[Bill19233]

I really like your fuel filter setup. I may have to borrow that in some way in the near future. What are they mounted to?

Walmart cutting board, I bought several for future projects. The cutting board is mounted to an aluminum angle and hung from the floors of the corner cockpit lockers thru bolted with fender washers.
We were out racing today, Boxing Day. On the way back in, crossed paths with this 340.

Check out my YouTube channel, nothing but Hunter 340 racing.
https://www.youtube.com/user/tnick340