Battery Wiring Diagram

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Nichole340

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Jan 12, 2019
107
Hunter 340 Narragansett
My 3 - 12 volt batteries have reached the end of their life. I thought the end would be back in 2019, but it's now.
I'm thinking I would be better off with 6 - 6 volt batteries now. A 6 volt Deka will give me 206 AH vs a 12 volt with 130AH. Plus, I don't want to be taking batteries off the boat each year anymore.
I'm on a mooring all season and the only source of charge is when I motor or motor-sail for the day. That's not going to change.
I think the added AH of the 6 volt batteries would be to my benefit. And I have room, although cramped, for 3 groups of 2 - 6 volt banks. I'd go with 2 banks if my 27 HP Yanmar isn't up to the charging needs.
I've drawn up my diagram and want to make certain it is right before going forward. So I don't have a repeat of miswiring a bank as I did once before.
I know others use 6 volt exclusively so I would be interested in hearing any feed back before I go forward. Thank you.
 

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Tally Ho

Tally Ho

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Jan 7, 2011
5,442
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
The basic wiring looks sound to me. I am sure others will chime in with more comments.
I don’t see an alternator feed to the batteries, but assume it will go to the house bank since you are using the ACR to charge the reserve bank.

Too bad you couldn’t add some solar to help charge the bank.

Greg
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,979
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Nichole340 said:
I'm on a mooring all season and the only source of charge is when I motor or motor-sail for the day. That's not going to change.
Click to expand
Tally Ho said:
Too bad you couldn’t add some solar to help charge the bank.
Click to expand
Greg's right. Get a small 20-50W panel to leave on the boat during the week. Your batteries will be full when you return. It's math: energy budget.
Nice boat. :)
 
N

Nichole340

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Jan 12, 2019
107
Hunter 340 Narragansett
Thank you both. I wanted to be sure my wiring was correct and knew this was the place to check. I'll do that, start shopping around and get a panel.
Thank you again. Enjoy your summer.
 
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L

leo310

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Dec 15, 2006
644
Catalina 310 44 Campbell River BC
I don't use shore power from March to November using only solar power for charging.
 
Scott T-Bird

Scott T-Bird

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Oct 26, 2008
6,239
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I don't know what experience you have had with your batteries, but if you are having unsatisfactory battery life, then I think you may be missing the point that killing your batteries may have nothing to do with your battery capacity and everything to do with chronically undercharging your batteries. If you have a stock alternator without external regulator, I'm sure that you aren't charging your batteries to full capacity.

BTW, your battery selection and diagram looks fine to me. It makes complete sense to increase your capacity with the more economical and efficient 6v GC batteries. Now, just make sure you aren't going to kill them the same way you may have killed your previous set-up. If you are going to rely on your alternator for charging, you'd better make sure that you have a higher capacity alternator/regulator combo. But honestly, if you are on a mooring, I don't think you can rely on fully charging your batts while motoring. You probably don't motor nearly enough. You need to have solar or wind generation to get full charges while you are away from the boat. The sulfation that occurs by leaving your boat sit on a mooring without fully charged batteries is what kills the batteries. You can get by for a while - even seasons, but it leads to premature death. If you are not going to change anything, you might be better off simply exchanging the cheapest batteries on a regular basis.

There are a lot of articles and threads in this forum that will explain the specifics of my argument. I recommend catching up on the reading for the health of your batteries. :cool:
 
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N

Nichole340

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Jan 12, 2019
107
Hunter 340 Narragansett
I agree Scott, it's long durations of sitting and not really bringing in a full charge.
I am reading all the articles here regarding solar and wind. I have to do a complete energy audit and adjust for the longer term.
I would be interested in what others are using for 20 - 50W panels like Stu and Leo suggest.
 
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BarryL

BarryL

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May 21, 2004
1,056
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 409 Mt. Sinai, NY
Hey,

I've had boats on moorings since 2004. In 2013 I bought one of these
www.defender.com

Go Power 20W Eco Series Solar System - GP-ECO-20

The Go Power!™ Eco Series 20W Solar System Kit is an economical solution for keeping your batteries charged and healthy. Features: Affordable solution that will extend the life of your batteries Includes everything needed to install on a fl
www.defender.com www.defender.com

Now, when I come to the boat for a weekend sail, or evening sail, the batteries are fully charged.

On my last boat I had 3 batteries and the 20 watt panel. My current boat has a lot more batteries so I have a 90watt panel.

Barry
 
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dmax

dmax

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Jul 29, 2018
1,155
Telstar 28 Buzzards Bay
"I would be interested in what others are using for 20 - 50W panels like Stu and Leo suggest."

I have a 50 watt Renogy panel mounted on the pushpit with a Victron mppt controller - fully charges the batteries (2 Group 31 and 1 Group 24).
 
Brian D

Brian D

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Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
Here is how I handled my solar install.

Finally have solar on the boat.

OK, not the best job, but at least I can go afloat and not worry (too much) about power conservation. This is a quick job for a mini cruise my wife and I will take on Saturday. Panel is 50 Watt Renogy I purchased on Amazon. It is mounted with insulated 1" clamps. The support is not glued...
forums.sailboatowners.com
 
dLj

dLj

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Mar 23, 2017
4,208
Belliure 41 Back in the Chesapeake
Just a note on your set-up - the current thinking is not to have two separate banks, but to have one bank, run good control systems so you know the state of charge - keep that bank up to snuff.... so to speak....

dj
 
N

Nichole340

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Jan 12, 2019
107
Hunter 340 Narragansett
dLJ…Do you have a diagram of set up you are describing. Hopefully as easy to read as I think mine is.
Brian I like your set up. Thank you for sharing.
 
Head Sail

Head Sail

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Nov 13, 2013
723
Catalina 34 Tacoma
You seem to be missing some major components to your diagram. How is the alternator and starter wired?
A robust wiring system will be capable of:
1) Starting the engine with either house OR start batteries.
2) Running house loads with either start OR house batteries.
3) Charging house battery directly with the alternator.
To accomplish these, you need a separate battery switch for the start battery.
Check out mainsails diagrams at marinehowto.com
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,979
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
dLj said:
Just a note on your set-up - the current thinking is not to have two separate banks, but to have one bank, run good control systems so you know the state of charge - keep that bank up to snuff.... so to speak....

dj
Click to expand
Nichole340 said:
dLJ…Do you have a diagram of set up you are describing.
Click to expand
dj, she already has a large house bank and a separate reserve or start bank. There is no need to combine all six batteries together. Your suggestion made sense if there were two equal sized banks.

Nicole, you're just fine as you have drawn it.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,979
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Head Sail said:
1) Starting the engine with either house OR start batteries.
2) Running house loads with either start OR house batteries.
3) Charging house battery directly with the alternator.
To accomplish these, you need a separate battery switch for the start battery.
Check out mainsails diagrams at marinehowto.com
Click to expand
The 1-2-B switch does 1 & 2.
3) is a very good idea, she already shows an ACR, so she doesn't need a separate battery switch for the start bank.

Nicole, in addition to marinehowto.com, here are a series of links to help you avoid reinventing the wheel:

Electrical Systems 101 Electrical Systems 101
 
Head Sail

Head Sail

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Nov 13, 2013
723
Catalina 34 Tacoma
Stu Jackson said:
The 1-2-B switch does 1 & 2.
3) is a very good idea, she already shows an ACR, so she doesn't need a separate battery switch for the start bank.
Click to expand
Stu, you may have extra knowledge but If the starter wiring is not depicted, it is unknown how she starts. Here is mainsails picture.
If you end up using this diagram, consider a donation to marinehowto.com.
 

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Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,979
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Head Sail said:
Stu, you may have extra knowledge but If the starter wiring is not depicted, it is unknown how she starts. Here is mainsails picture.
Click to expand
Extra knowledge? What does that even mean?
Nicole asked about battery wiring, not a complete system diagram.
What you have shown is only ONE OF MANY DIFFERENT WAYS to wire battery banks on a boat.
Indeed, it is one of the many included in the links in Electrical Systems 101 that I provided earelier.
 
jviss

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
7,089
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Stu Jackson said:
Extra knowledge? What does that even mean?
Nicole asked about battery wiring, not a complete system diagram.
What you have shown is only ONE OF MANY DIFFERENT WAYS to wire battery banks on a boat.
Indeed, it is one of the many included in the links in Electrical Systems 101 that I provided earelier.
Click to expand
I think what he was trying to say is that you need the switch for the starter battery even. if you have an ACR, in case you need to isolate a bad (shorted) starter battery when starting from the house bank.
 
DArcy

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,767
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
Your diagram looks good for the batteries. Here is my wiring diagram for my boat showing the charge and load connections as well.
DC Wiring Diagram.jpg
 
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