Multiple charging systems

[capta]

It has always been my understanding that it is best to take the charging leads directly to the positive battery terminal. That was fine when we had one or two charging sources, but with the addition of a windgen, I'll have 5 independent charging sources.
To make things neater and simpler, I am considering having all the charging leads go to a high amp power post or a bus bar of sufficient size, then to the battery with a #2 battery cable.
This would leave me with only two connections on the positive battery post.
Is there any reason why this would not be a good idea?

 

[woodster]

How far from the post is this bussbar going to be and what is the highest in put and out put/draw amps going to be size it for the gravest load you anticipate and also fuse to as much as 1 and 1/2 times of your max load

 

[capta]

Within a foot.
As for input, I believe the 80 amp 110volt charger will be the highest current by far, though rarely used.

 

[Stu Jackson]

high amp power post or a bus bar of sufficient size, then to the battery with a #2 battery cable.

That's the right way to do it.

 

[Charles Erwin]

Is the starter cable fused? If so a single 80amp fuse at the battery post would probably be too small. If not, then 80 amps could protect the 5 charging leads- if they are large enough - but the starter lead will still have to go direct to the battery post.

Perhaps install a two post marine battery fuse holder at the battery - one for the starter 200A and one other for everything else 80A - 100A?

Charles

 

[capta]

We're talking about input lines here, not output. Everything coming in has individual circuit breakers.

 

[Stu Jackson]

In most cases, the starter lead would come from a switch, not directly from the battery.

 

[capta]

As it does on this boat.

 

[Charles Erwin]

I am confused. I thought every cable ending at the battery needs a fuse within 7 inches of the battery (except starter cable.) I don't see how that changes simply because we call a cable 'input' or 'output'?

Charles

 

[capta]

Separate high amp power post or a bus bars for each. Just cutting down on the number of wires actually terminating at the battery terminals.

 

[woodster]

all you are really doing is changing the attaching of the wires to streamline your setup sounds like to me you could set the buss 7 inches from the battery and fuse each system to the appropriate size fuse for each and be ok

 

[Solstice]

Looks like this is what you are looking to do? This is a Blue Seas Buss Bar with everything fused.

 

[Maine Sail]

You ideally need a positive and negative busbar on anyhting larger than about 27'..... Also when stacking lugs the highest load always goes first the the lesser loads stacked in order to a maximum of four per terminal, but preferably less.. The small wires terminals never go below a larger wires terminal..

Battery makers have shortened these posts to purposely avoid lug stacking and high risk situations but have ignored the fact that even series parallel may be tight with heavy duty lugs. The solution is to use an always on bus, switched bus and negative distribution bus.

Every wire connected to the pos post or its switched or always on bus should be fused, preferably within 7" but otherwise as close as you can get....

Here is an example of getting stuff that does not belong on the battery terminal, off the battery terminals. The only things on them are series parallel & take offs plus two temp sensors on the negative.

Here the negative distribution busbar can be seen as well as battery terminal fuses.

The off battery busbars are on the other side of that bulkhead on this 400Ah bank of L-16 batteries.

Another example of off battery busbars and an alternator service disconnect plus volt sensing and a shunt for a battery monitor..

Keep it simple inside the battery box..

An always on bus, switched positive bus and negative distribution bus.

 

[gettinthere]

Hmmm
I have 5 batteries in my house bank.
I read somewhere that feeding charge sources into different parts of the bank was a good thing.

So my 2 40 amp chargers are on each end of the bank and alt, solar and wind are in the middle. Working well for 6 years plus.

 

[mitiempo]

I read somewhere that feeding charge sources into different parts of the bank was a good thing.

So my 2 40 amp chargers are on each end of the bank and alt, solar and wind are in the middle. Working well for 6 years plus.

Not true. All charge sources should be even across the entire bank. Assuming your batteries are in parallel the positive is connected to one end of the bank and the negative to the other end. Also best to use buses for positive and negative to keep battery connections to a minimum.