Maine,
Installing a new charger and batteries (4 GCs series/parallel one bank, separate start battery, Promariner 1250) and doing some much needed new wiring. Reading your article about installing a charger, I saw this photo. It is a simple, elegant and fiscally efficient to fusing battery circuits. However, I do have a few questions.
What material is the bus bar made of? And how is the proper size (cross section) determined? I understand that if it too thin, it becomes a fuse and took thick it become fiscally inefficient.
The connection on the upper left has 2 wires, the labels are not in the photo. The way it is wired makes it an always hot connection to the battery. Are these for the always on connections? If so, where is the fuse?
On the bottom right there are 2 wires, one clearly labeled Charger In, the other label is not visible. What is the purpose of the other wire? The wire sizes are clearly different and the fuse appears to be appropriately sized for the smaller wire, won't this cause nuisance trips on the second wire as it can handle higher currents?
Finally, here's a list of what will be coming to the battery + terminal (or more correctly to the + bus).
Main DC Panel Feed
Always Hot Panel
Blue Seas ACR
Charger
Alternator
Balmar Smart Gauge
The instructions for the Smart Gauge and the ACR say that the connection should be made to the battery terminal. Is a bus bar a foot away close enough? (Bus Bar will be connected with 2/0 wire.)
As always, thank you for your advice.
Dave
Installing a new charger and batteries (4 GCs series/parallel one bank, separate start battery, Promariner 1250) and doing some much needed new wiring. Reading your article about installing a charger, I saw this photo. It is a simple, elegant and fiscally efficient to fusing battery circuits. However, I do have a few questions.
What material is the bus bar made of? And how is the proper size (cross section) determined? I understand that if it too thin, it becomes a fuse and took thick it become fiscally inefficient.
The connection on the upper left has 2 wires, the labels are not in the photo. The way it is wired makes it an always hot connection to the battery. Are these for the always on connections? If so, where is the fuse?
On the bottom right there are 2 wires, one clearly labeled Charger In, the other label is not visible. What is the purpose of the other wire? The wire sizes are clearly different and the fuse appears to be appropriately sized for the smaller wire, won't this cause nuisance trips on the second wire as it can handle higher currents?
Finally, here's a list of what will be coming to the battery + terminal (or more correctly to the + bus).
Main DC Panel Feed
Always Hot Panel
Blue Seas ACR
Charger
Alternator
Balmar Smart Gauge
The instructions for the Smart Gauge and the ACR say that the connection should be made to the battery terminal. Is a bus bar a foot away close enough? (Bus Bar will be connected with 2/0 wire.)
As always, thank you for your advice.
Dave
