[C320-list] FW: Re: Starting Battery Question

[crashley at gte.net]

Karl,

Good point. I have two bilge pumps right now, one on each battery. (The 
previous owner installed a quieter Rule pump in the bilge so I added a 
second battery connection, fuse and floatswitch and use the original Jabsco 
"loud" one as a backup. Call me paranoid.) I guess I could keep the 
arrangement the same since, as Pete points out, the starter battery would 
always be charging in the slip, which is where the boat is most of the time. 
And since I installed a dripless prop seal, there is very little bilge pump 
activity anyway.

So it sounds like having the starting battery in the 2 position is a good 
way to go. The only time they would paralleled is during the very brief 
period when turning the battery switch from 1 to 2 in the event that the 
house battery (1) was unable to start the engine.

I may pick up the book that Orlando recommends too.

Thanks, everyone.

Chris Ashley (aka CRA)
Rosebud #882


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Karl Mielenhausen _/) " <kmielen at iwon.com>
To: <C320-List at catalina320.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2006 4:10 PM
Subject: [C320-list] FW: Re: Starting Battery Question


>
> Pete,
>
> I agree with your approach, but I would caution CRA to determine which 
> circuit that his bilge pump is wired to. I would want that connected to 
> the house bank, not the starting battery. In my case, I made "1" the house 
> bank. I generally keep the switch on "1" and keep the starting battery in 
> reserve in case the house bank can't start the engine.
>
> An alternative would be to use the starting battery to start the engine, 
> let the alternator charge it for 5 minutes, then switch to the house bank. 
> I found it too easy to forget to switch at the appropriate time and gave 
> up on that approach.
>
>
>
>
>
> Karl Mielenhausen
>
> 2000 C320 Hull#690 "Silver Lining"
>
> New Bern, NC
>
> http://members.cox.net/mielen/
>
> From: peteherron at adelphia.net [mailto: peteherron at adelphia.net]
>
> To: C320-List at catalina320.com
>
> Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 15:38:05 -0700
>
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Starting Battery Question
>
>
>
> CRA,<br><br>Wire the two 4Ds to the "2" position, and the one starting 
> battery to the "1" position.  Then just leave the switch on "2" all the 
> time.  The 4Ds will start your engine and power your other needs, and the 
> engine will charge only the 4Ds.  Depending on your power usage, you can 
> easily do a Fri/Sat/Sun weekend at the island without charging the 4Ds - 
> and the benefit is that you don't have to listen to the engine (we get 3 
> days on the 4Ds before they drop to 12v, but your use may differ).  The 
> starter battery gets charged when you are back at the dock and plugged in 
> to 120v.  You never really need the starter battery, but it's there if you 
> do.  You'd have to be off shore power for weeks before it self 
> discharges.<br><br>Check out my boat at KH G9 sometime if you'd 
> like.<br><br>Pete<br>Dreamtime, #329<br><br><br>---- crashley at gte.net 
> wrote: <br>> I've read a lot about adding a third, smaller starting 
> battery and combining the two existing 4D's into a single large
> house battery. This sounds attractive and I may want to do this someday, 
> but I have a basic question. If you use the existing battery combiner 
> switch it will parallel the 4Ds and the new smaller starting battery (in 
> the "all" position) for charging from the alternator but I thought I've 
> read that you never want to parallel different size and/or aged batteries. 
> How do you get around this? Is there any way to avoid paralleling the 
> house and starting batteries and charge both batteries from the 
> alternator? The shore charger is easy to configure since it has two 
> separate outputs already. Any advice?<br>> <br>> CRA<br>> Rosebud 
> #882<br><br><br>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
>