Battery wiring diagram

lnikl · Oct 31, 2013

Having recently upgraded my charger (money well spent), I noticed that you have your charger going to a bus. The charger I installed has 3 battery "channels" and will apportion its total charging amps to the battery that is most in need. For the kind of cruising I do, this is a good thing as we typically spend a few nights on the hook and then drop into a marina. We don't run the engine enough to replenish the battery and so this brings the battery up. The old charger couldn't put in 200ah overnight at 5A output (old charger was 10A, with two channels but fixed output at 5A per channel, new one is twenty and it will apportion the Amps based on need).
To get to the point, this type of charger (which has 3 sets of +/- leads) requires that you put the charger +/- leads directly to each battery (I have 2 house and one starter) and not via a bus. The instructions are emphatic on this point. So, you might want to look firstly at whether or not you have enough charger capacity for your specific needs and whether the charger can be hooked up as shown in the diagram.

trainmanjess · Oct 31, 2013

hello

I am readily starting my rewire job in my Kittiwake... I built a new electrical panel to hold everything I need... I have set up my recharging system up for solar panels... I bought 2 - 30 watt panels, and the 10amp controller for $100 of the internet... the controller is set up to regular charging of the batteries, trickle charging, and when the batteries are full, it shifts the power to use with the boats electrical... this way I can use power during the day and not drain the batteries as fast or at all...

At the marina where I keep my boat at, we have no electric at the docks... the only dock with electrical hookups is where the club keeps the safety boats (motorboats) and the committee boat (pontoon) docked...

Going solar is something I had to do... it keeps my 2 bank battery set up fully charged for me... when on the boat I listen to the stereo, marine radio, use lights, and sometimes navigation lights, and so far not drained the batteries very much... I have been thinking about hooking up a small fridge and electric stove top in the cabin for the kitchenette.... not sure what the electrical consumption will for those yet... I will have to set them up and monitor the meter I have installed...

My electrical panel I built holds me master on/off switch, solar controller unit, battery volt and amp meter, circuit breakers/switch panel, am/fm/cd stereo, cigarette lighter/usb recharge station, a speaker, and cd pouch... this all fits inside the cabin next to the cabin entrance.... on the opposite side of the cabin entrance is the marine radio, depth/fish finder on extendable swing out arm, boat horn button (outside of the cabin) , and the compass (on the outside of the cabin)...

I still have a lot more to do with it.... my outboard fits into a well inboard on my boat, so I am thinking about an electric start for it... I will be going to the boat shop to see if it is feasible as this is a way older outboard motor...

sincerely
Jess

Maine Sail · Oct 31, 2013

Sefuller said:
I believe I am finally ready to begin the actual wiring part of my project. I have a lot of the cable made up already, and all the components. I need to build a box for my house bank which I am relocating, then I should be able to put it all together. Any comments or suggestions on the diagram?

Thanks,
Scott

I looked at it quickly and the only thing that jumps out as odd is the inverter on the start bank.... Should be on house....

JK_Boston_Catalina310 · Oct 31, 2013

So I have two comments. One on the placement of the ACR and the other on the gauge wires you have listed.

On the gauge of wires you identified, without knowing the distances it's difficult to completely evaluate but it appears you might be too small. For instance, a lot of the places you have 1 gauge most boats have 2/0 gauge. Here is a sizing chart from Blue Seas that I used to determine sizes on my project. http://assets.bluesea.com/files/resources/reference/20010.pdf

On the ACR, I think you want to locate it closer to the batteries. I think there would be a fair amount of voltage drop in this setup that could be avoided if you place the ACR in another location closer to the batteries. But that might depend on the setup of your boat.

Good luck and fair winds,

Jesse

Maine Sail · Oct 31, 2013

On the O'Day 34's, at least the ones I've worked on, the battery switch is very close to the engine and batteries. In fact it is located directly above the engine & below the companionway. That spot is a good one for an ACR as the VD in that system even with 1GA will be pretty minimal...

Stu Jackson · Oct 31, 2013

"Location" of switches and batteries close to their source or use is highly overrated. I see skippers moving big batteries closer to engines altogether too often, when they simply could leave the lead heavy hunkers where they were and just increase the wire size to get from Point A to B.

mitiempo · Nov 10, 2013

I agree with Maine, I would run the inverter off house and keep the start battery dedicated to just that.

Regarding the charger one output to the house bank would be my choice - the ACR will take care of the start battery. Each battery bank will accept what it needs as the battery determines acceptance, not the charger.

weinie · Nov 10, 2013

I agree w/ mitiempo.

If you have 2 batteries in the house bank and two outputs on the charger, max out the charging to the house bank. The "start" battery would be a "reserve" battery and only get used in an emergency where the house bank was dead. It should stay pretty full as it is not getting used but the ACR will keep it topped off anyway.

I installed a yandina combiner in my boat (about $60) which keeps my reserve battery full by combining the batteries when the house bank is getting a charge from whatever source.

My battery charger has two out puts (both of which must be connected). So each battery in my house bank gets one of the two outputs.

mitiempo · Nov 10, 2013

Sefuller said:
lnikl - that's a good question - all the diagrams I could find show the charger only running to the house bank, I assume the ACR handles the distribution from there. Are you questioning the positive charger output to the fuse, or the negative charger lead going to the ground bus?My question for Maine Sail is can I jumper two outputs with the Xantrex TruCharge 20+ like you show with the Sterling charger?
Scott

There is no reason to jumper the outputs from the TruCharge. It is a shared output charger, you can use 1,2 or all 3 outputs - in other words it is a single charger with 3 positives and a common ground. It is only on a dedicated output charger like a Guest that all outputs have to be connected. Just make sure you are using output #1.

Maine Sail · Nov 10, 2013

mitiempo said:
There is no reason to jumper the outputs from the TruCharge. It is a shared output charger, you can use 1,2 or all 3 outputs - in other words it is a single charger with 3 positives and a common ground. It is only on a dedicated output charger like a Guest that all outputs have to be connected. Just make sure you are using output #1.

Some manufacturers suggest bridging the outputs when loading it as a single bank charger to more evenly load the output channels. ProMariner, Sterling and others specifically suggest this. When you ask the question of Xantrex you are usually met with a blank stare....

Chesapeake Bob · Nov 13, 2013

lnikl... what brand charger did you purchase and are you happy with it?

mitiempo · Nov 13, 2013

Maine Sail said:
Some manufacturers suggest bridging the outputs when loading it as a single bank charger to more evenly load the output channels. ProMariner, Sterling and others specifically suggest this. When you ask the question of Xantrex you are usually met with a blank stare....

I am certain that Xantrex, in the installation manual, mentioned if wiring to one bank to use output one only, but it isn't in their current manual. I have installed quite a few over the last few years without problems relating to output wiring. There were a few problems, but non related ones such as fan faults.

The Promariner ProNauticP is a good charger choice and is widely available.

Battery wiring diagram

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