Battery Rewiring

[Lee Hadjiosif]

I'm in the process of rewiring the batteries by parelleling the two existing starting batteries(bank one) and adding a second larger deep cycle battery (bank two) to the system on my H310. The problem I'm running into, is finding the alternator output cable connection to the battery. I can find only one cable from the engine area to the common stud on the battery switch. Since there is no other wire coming from the engine "area" that I can find, I assume that the engine cable is used to start the engine and also to charge the batteries after engine start which means that the alternator output in fed into the main engine start cable somewhere before it reaches the battery switch. This prevents me from routing the alternator output through a battery isolator and charge both banks at the same time. My A/C charger has a three-bank output so there's no issue there. Any input/advise will be appreciated. Thanks,LeeS/V Calaloo

 

[Daniel Jonas]

Wiring

Lee,Most newer Hunters in that size range have the alternator wire hooked to the starter wire at the starter per your suspicions. You will need to run a new wire for the alternator to the isolator and then on to the batteries, while disonnecting the wire from the alternator to the starter. Fusing the wire is a good idea. The technician put in a heavy duty circuit breaker in our system.You could also leave it the way it is and just add the new bank. You would want to leave the battery switch on both during the time you are running the auxillary, and then switch to one or the other bank when you shut off.We redid ours during the commissioning process. High amp Balmar, MC612, Pathmaker combiner, two Group 4D for house one and two and a Group 27 for the dedicated starter bank. Included adding a seperate engine battery switch and Link 2000 monitoring of the two 4D's.Dan Jonas (S/V Feije II)

 

[Steve Weinstein]

Been there done that, Lee. Why don't

you send me your email address and I'll forward you a diagram of my setup. EssentiallyI charge the house bank (2/ea Gr27 batterie wired in parallel) from the engine and the starting battery from the house bank through an in-line Echo Charger.My address is windsock1@pipeline.com