Hi Maine Sail
I have a couple of electrical questions for you!
I have followed your many WONDERFUL articles on batteries, monitors, switches, solar, etc and set up my Catalina 27 based on this advice. It worked absolutely perfectly and I’m so indebted to you!! Recently however, I picked up an ’82 Catalina 30 and am just starting to wrap my head around the electrical system. I have never had a diesel before and this boat comes with a brand new Yanmar 3YM20…but as far as modernisations go….that’s IT. I’ve been poking behind panels and bulkheads and am finding things like corroded non-tinned wire, snipped and left cables, and even an orange outdoor extension cord is being used! Ouch! The boat comes to me from a close friend, and it really is solid. He just wasn't electrically inclined so had left everything as it was. But I intend to fix it! The plan has been all drawn out in the attached PDF. Hope it makes sense.
My actual questions are broken apart for ease …..
A) I’m going to go with your 1-2-Both ‘Use’ switch alteration. I will be using House for everything, as you suggest and want to keep the Start Batt as an Emergency only. There is a 60Amp OEM alternator on the engine, and I’m going to install the Blue Sea SI-ACR unit for charge management. (I could technically go with their Mini unit, but I want flexibility for the future.) Can I install an on/off switch for the ACR to help manage my solar panel trickle? I only have a 60Watt panel so there is little real output. During the week, between uses, I want all of that solar energy to go toward the House Bank (which is 220Ah). I’m not entirely sure if the ACR would bleed off some of the charge or not, but I don’t think the panel will be of much use if it is trying to maintain 3 batteries. Even the 2 house batts are pushing that panel’s capability. Overall it may be better for me to use an Echo Charger rather than the ACR, but I have to draw the dollar line somewhere….
B) The second part of my question relates to your suggestions on rewiring the alternator output directly to the house bank. This makes good sense and I can do it…but the Yanmar has a pile of wiring going on at the Alt and Starter. I just don’t want to mess things up! Everything looks factory installed and it makes me nervous to pull them apart. Right now the wire (which would be removed) between the Alt and Starter is quite small. Probably 4AWG. The Starter then has a non-tinned cable running out to the switch Common post (1AWG)….and I have bought a length of tinned 1/0 to replace it. If I pull that connection between the Starter and Alt, will it potentially affect any other system that is connected to these devices? i.e. those ‘other’ factory wires?? I looked up the wiring diagram, and from what I can tell the extra wires are all for instrumentation (which I don’t have anyway)….so it seems like it would be OK to make the change.
C) Whenever I am working on the engine (or even in that compartment)– would I have to pull the fuse out from the alternator feed? It is going to be right on the batt post. It seems like I am increasing the risk of creating an accidental short from having that direct-to-battery connection on the alternator.
Thank you so much for your help. (I’m open to ANY and ALL suggestions as well!!)
Some other limitations and problems I have identified:
-I have two 13' cable lengths. Ideally these should be run with heavier gauge than I have indicated.
-The internal regulator on the OEM alternator will never get my batteries up to 100% An external one will have to come at a later date. Both of these issues require dollars I just don't have right now. No system is ever perfect, but hopefully my decision to leave these two 'weak points' instead of others is going to be OK.
Best regards,
Mike
I have a couple of electrical questions for you!
I have followed your many WONDERFUL articles on batteries, monitors, switches, solar, etc and set up my Catalina 27 based on this advice. It worked absolutely perfectly and I’m so indebted to you!! Recently however, I picked up an ’82 Catalina 30 and am just starting to wrap my head around the electrical system. I have never had a diesel before and this boat comes with a brand new Yanmar 3YM20…but as far as modernisations go….that’s IT. I’ve been poking behind panels and bulkheads and am finding things like corroded non-tinned wire, snipped and left cables, and even an orange outdoor extension cord is being used! Ouch! The boat comes to me from a close friend, and it really is solid. He just wasn't electrically inclined so had left everything as it was. But I intend to fix it! The plan has been all drawn out in the attached PDF. Hope it makes sense.
My actual questions are broken apart for ease …..
A) I’m going to go with your 1-2-Both ‘Use’ switch alteration. I will be using House for everything, as you suggest and want to keep the Start Batt as an Emergency only. There is a 60Amp OEM alternator on the engine, and I’m going to install the Blue Sea SI-ACR unit for charge management. (I could technically go with their Mini unit, but I want flexibility for the future.) Can I install an on/off switch for the ACR to help manage my solar panel trickle? I only have a 60Watt panel so there is little real output. During the week, between uses, I want all of that solar energy to go toward the House Bank (which is 220Ah). I’m not entirely sure if the ACR would bleed off some of the charge or not, but I don’t think the panel will be of much use if it is trying to maintain 3 batteries. Even the 2 house batts are pushing that panel’s capability. Overall it may be better for me to use an Echo Charger rather than the ACR, but I have to draw the dollar line somewhere….
B) The second part of my question relates to your suggestions on rewiring the alternator output directly to the house bank. This makes good sense and I can do it…but the Yanmar has a pile of wiring going on at the Alt and Starter. I just don’t want to mess things up! Everything looks factory installed and it makes me nervous to pull them apart. Right now the wire (which would be removed) between the Alt and Starter is quite small. Probably 4AWG. The Starter then has a non-tinned cable running out to the switch Common post (1AWG)….and I have bought a length of tinned 1/0 to replace it. If I pull that connection between the Starter and Alt, will it potentially affect any other system that is connected to these devices? i.e. those ‘other’ factory wires?? I looked up the wiring diagram, and from what I can tell the extra wires are all for instrumentation (which I don’t have anyway)….so it seems like it would be OK to make the change.
C) Whenever I am working on the engine (or even in that compartment)– would I have to pull the fuse out from the alternator feed? It is going to be right on the batt post. It seems like I am increasing the risk of creating an accidental short from having that direct-to-battery connection on the alternator.
Thank you so much for your help. (I’m open to ANY and ALL suggestions as well!!)
Some other limitations and problems I have identified:
-I have two 13' cable lengths. Ideally these should be run with heavier gauge than I have indicated.
-The internal regulator on the OEM alternator will never get my batteries up to 100% An external one will have to come at a later date. Both of these issues require dollars I just don't have right now. No system is ever perfect, but hopefully my decision to leave these two 'weak points' instead of others is going to be OK.
Best regards,
Mike
