I am confused about the battery switches on my Beneteau 323. Three switches: house-engine-neg.. info: batteries- 2 group27 house & 1 group27 engine alternator: 20amp charger: 20amp equipt.: GPS,utopilot + plus wind, tridata,lights... Here is my question... I can start my engine with either or both batteries switched on. When I am sailing, I turn OFF the engine battery, but does that really isolate that battery? Also, if I am running the engine to charge my batteries, does having one off give more charge to trhe other bank? thanks
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No way for us to know, unless there's
someone with exactly the same boat that has not had any wiring changed. Only YOU can trace the wires and figure it out.
someone with exactly the same boat that has not had any wiring changed. Only YOU can trace the wires and figure it out.
Welcome to the stage of confusion
known as Beneteau electrics. Stock Bene's are set up with all batteries in a single bank so as to allow charging from a single source, i.e. alternator or shore charger. You would be better served to have the banks separated into house bank and engine start so that if you draw the house bank down too far (and it will happen) you can still start the engine because the start batt is not in the house circuit. You'll need a combiner in order to charge both banks from a single source. Then, your switches will be, from the left, NEGATIVE, ENGINE START, HOUSE BANK. While aboard, leave all the switches on; at the slip, turn off the ENGINE START, and if you have things programmed, like radio/TV, or run the refrigerator, leave the HOUSE BANK on and the NEGATIVE on, too. You will also want to upgrade your alternator and regulator to allow faster charging and to avoid the engine running when the alternator is not putting out much current because the regulator is holding it back. Leave all switches on when charging. This is a very simplified explanation and you have a lot of reading and studying ahead of you.
known as Beneteau electrics. Stock Bene's are set up with all batteries in a single bank so as to allow charging from a single source, i.e. alternator or shore charger. You would be better served to have the banks separated into house bank and engine start so that if you draw the house bank down too far (and it will happen) you can still start the engine because the start batt is not in the house circuit. You'll need a combiner in order to charge both banks from a single source. Then, your switches will be, from the left, NEGATIVE, ENGINE START, HOUSE BANK. While aboard, leave all the switches on; at the slip, turn off the ENGINE START, and if you have things programmed, like radio/TV, or run the refrigerator, leave the HOUSE BANK on and the NEGATIVE on, too. You will also want to upgrade your alternator and regulator to allow faster charging and to avoid the engine running when the alternator is not putting out much current because the regulator is holding it back. Leave all switches on when charging. This is a very simplified explanation and you have a lot of reading and studying ahead of you.
Beneteau battery hook up
I'll do my best to keep it simple and answer your questions. I have a B361 and suspect it's wired the same as your's as most Bennys are. First if you have 3 switches then you have two banks, a start and house. You'll have 2 red or positive switches and one black or negative/ground switch. I'm not sure if your start battery is a true starting battery or a combination deep cycle/starting type. Your house batteries should be deep cycle. Most likely all are wet cell types. Yes you can start the engine with either or both turned on. However you should always have the start turned on as it's a starting type battery. This type of battery is capable of providing a high level of power (amps) for a short period of time. It's made to do that and has a life expectancy based on you using it for only that. While you can use it to power house utilities such as the fridge it will shorten it's life. On the house side you should have deep cycle batteries. They're built to deliver smaller but continuous power loads. The opposite of the start battery. While they can be used to start the engine it's not what they were made for and you'll likely shorten their life by doing so. You won't know the difference when starting the engine. You'll find it out when you're replacing your batteries prematurely. You must have both red switches turned on to charge both sets of batteries. This applies to charging by either the engine alternator or shore power. Leaving one off does not impact the ability to charge the other unless one of the batteries is weak or worn out. It's one of the reaons why you'll see it recommended to replace all batteries at the same time. A bad one will tend to ruin the others. Turning the start battery off while sailing is a good idea if you'll be doing so for more than a couple of hours. The same goes for anchoring; definately turn the start off to be sure you have a charged battery when it's time to leave. Currently it seems as though both banks are well charged when you're starting the engine. If you were to run one of the battery banks down and only had that one on you would easily see the difference when you tried to start. Battery power is a science all to itself. Just surf the web for articles to see what I mean. The best bet is to keep each cell topped off with distilled water. That means checking them at least monthly if not more frequently and making sure the plates are covered with water. Be careful it's actually acid in there not water. Keep them charged. Use the right battery for the right application. (e.g. start battery for cranking the engine) Don't allow the deep cycle house batteries to be cycled too low. (use up more than the recommended amount of power before recharging) Keep your terminals clean for a good connection. There are devices made to monitor the batteries and therefore help you understand how you're using them, when to recharge, etc. Most are not cheap. On average your batteries should last about 5 yrs. So unless your doing a lot of time on the anchor or under sail the investment may not be worth your while. There are always exceptions to what I've stated but I've tried to be as straight forward as possible. Hopefully I've not confused you. Mike
I'll do my best to keep it simple and answer your questions. I have a B361 and suspect it's wired the same as your's as most Bennys are. First if you have 3 switches then you have two banks, a start and house. You'll have 2 red or positive switches and one black or negative/ground switch. I'm not sure if your start battery is a true starting battery or a combination deep cycle/starting type. Your house batteries should be deep cycle. Most likely all are wet cell types. Yes you can start the engine with either or both turned on. However you should always have the start turned on as it's a starting type battery. This type of battery is capable of providing a high level of power (amps) for a short period of time. It's made to do that and has a life expectancy based on you using it for only that. While you can use it to power house utilities such as the fridge it will shorten it's life. On the house side you should have deep cycle batteries. They're built to deliver smaller but continuous power loads. The opposite of the start battery. While they can be used to start the engine it's not what they were made for and you'll likely shorten their life by doing so. You won't know the difference when starting the engine. You'll find it out when you're replacing your batteries prematurely. You must have both red switches turned on to charge both sets of batteries. This applies to charging by either the engine alternator or shore power. Leaving one off does not impact the ability to charge the other unless one of the batteries is weak or worn out. It's one of the reaons why you'll see it recommended to replace all batteries at the same time. A bad one will tend to ruin the others. Turning the start battery off while sailing is a good idea if you'll be doing so for more than a couple of hours. The same goes for anchoring; definately turn the start off to be sure you have a charged battery when it's time to leave. Currently it seems as though both banks are well charged when you're starting the engine. If you were to run one of the battery banks down and only had that one on you would easily see the difference when you tried to start. Battery power is a science all to itself. Just surf the web for articles to see what I mean. The best bet is to keep each cell topped off with distilled water. That means checking them at least monthly if not more frequently and making sure the plates are covered with water. Be careful it's actually acid in there not water. Keep them charged. Use the right battery for the right application. (e.g. start battery for cranking the engine) Don't allow the deep cycle house batteries to be cycled too low. (use up more than the recommended amount of power before recharging) Keep your terminals clean for a good connection. There are devices made to monitor the batteries and therefore help you understand how you're using them, when to recharge, etc. Most are not cheap. On average your batteries should last about 5 yrs. So unless your doing a lot of time on the anchor or under sail the investment may not be worth your while. There are always exceptions to what I've stated but I've tried to be as straight forward as possible. Hopefully I've not confused you. Mike
I would not
I would not recommend running the engine to charge batteries with both start and house banks on. If you have one bad battery, the others will not charge beyond the capacity of the weak one. For example if you have a bad battery in the house bank, and you try to charge both start and house banks at the same time, you will only get a charge on the start battery equal to the weak house battery. I always start the engine on the start battery, run long enough to fully charge it, then switch to the house bank, and leave it there.
I would not recommend running the engine to charge batteries with both start and house banks on. If you have one bad battery, the others will not charge beyond the capacity of the weak one. For example if you have a bad battery in the house bank, and you try to charge both start and house banks at the same time, you will only get a charge on the start battery equal to the weak house battery. I always start the engine on the start battery, run long enough to fully charge it, then switch to the house bank, and leave it there.
Papillon, good explanation, but would you
know the purpose of having a negative interrupt switch. Is it for redundancy, in case of a short? If you tell me is just french design I will understand. I have owned Peugots, Renaults and Citroens and know the french have a different way of doing things. I do agree with Nice and Easy on keeping the starter battery bank separate from the house bank. It insulates one from the other providing backup and reduces the opportunity for mistakes that can leave you dead in the water. Rechaging the start battery by itself with the alternator will be a quick endeavour while recharging the house bank may take hours. It also confuses me that the inboard battery charger is not hard wired to charge both banks at once. Merci Monsieur.
know the purpose of having a negative interrupt switch. Is it for redundancy, in case of a short? If you tell me is just french design I will understand. I have owned Peugots, Renaults and Citroens and know the french have a different way of doing things. I do agree with Nice and Easy on keeping the starter battery bank separate from the house bank. It insulates one from the other providing backup and reduces the opportunity for mistakes that can leave you dead in the water. Rechaging the start battery by itself with the alternator will be a quick endeavour while recharging the house bank may take hours. It also confuses me that the inboard battery charger is not hard wired to charge both banks at once. Merci Monsieur.
I leave them both on
I always charge with them both on. I agree you can run into a problem but I think for me there's a greater risk of forgetting to recharge one of the banks. I've done it this way for over 6 years with this boat and never had a problem. Of course I also keep a sharp eye on the batteries. Just replaced the start a year ago and last summer converted the 4d to two Trojan 6V golf cart batteries. Now have a total of 225 amp hours which allows me to weekend on the hook and not worry about running out of juice. One of these years I may add a Xantrex monitor so I'll really know what's going on.
I always charge with them both on. I agree you can run into a problem but I think for me there's a greater risk of forgetting to recharge one of the banks. I've done it this way for over 6 years with this boat and never had a problem. Of course I also keep a sharp eye on the batteries. Just replaced the start a year ago and last summer converted the 4d to two Trojan 6V golf cart batteries. Now have a total of 225 amp hours which allows me to weekend on the hook and not worry about running out of juice. One of these years I may add a Xantrex monitor so I'll really know what's going on.
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