[C320-list] Re Batteries & Fridge

[Jack McDonough]

Bob:

Having grown up in Dover, I'm very familiar with Great Bay. Driving south 
from Dover, the marina is off to the right as one croses the bridge, if I'm 
correct. Off to the left, before the bridge, a number of boats are on 
moorings. I always wonder how the owners get to them.

Your battery configuration makes sense. I only wonder where you found the 
space to install a separate starting battery. And what is it? A 12-volt 
Sears marine battery? Also, although I have done my share of house wiring 
(outlets, etc., mostly with 14-2 wire) and I installed new wiring and lights 
on our old Pearson 27, I'm reluctant to mess around with battery wiring 
because I wouldn't really know what I was doing.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to start the engine on Both and then switch from 1 
to 2 as appropriate to keep both batteries charged.

Thanks for the tutorial. I'm only an hour away from Great Bay and would like 
to see your boat some time.

jack




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Seastream" <robert.seastream at comcast.net>
To: <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 5:40 PM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Re Batteries & Fridge


> Jack, we're on a mooring at Great Bay Marina, six miles up the  Piscataqua 
> river from Portsmouth harbor, and wouldn't have it any  other way.
> Our reasons were:  Cheaper, less hassle than docking (although we can  do 
> that), and no noise (as would occur on a dock) from late night  revelers 
> returning from a night out.  We even have solutions to the  fresh water/AC 
> power/AC cooling issues.
>
> Regarding batteries:  Yes, the alternator only charges whatever  battery 
> the master switch is set to (1, 2, or Both), so you must  choose 
> accordingly.  What I (and many others) have done is to  substitute a 
> dedicated starting battery for battery 1, then connect  the original 
> battery 1 in parallel with battery 2.  Then use battery 2  for everything; 
> having battery 1 as backup for starting if you drain  (both) batteries 
> connected to battery 2.  Regarding moving the battery  switch while under 
> power, the switch is of the 'make before break'  type.  If you look at the 
> switch, it's impossible to pass through the  'off' position when selecting 
> either battery or both.  Thus, the  alternator is never disconnected from 
> a battery unless you turn the  switch to off.  When I upgraded the 
> charging system on our boat, I ran  the (heavy gauge) alternator output 
> cables directly (through a 150 amp  fuse at the batteries) to the battery 
> bank rather than to the switch,  again making it impossible to disconnect 
> the alternator from the  batteries.
>
> Bob Seastream
> Intuition # 906
>
>
> On Aug 26, 2009, at 12:59 PM, Jack McDonough wrote:
>
>> Irv:
>>
>> Yes, I'm sure you're right about all that. The first time we used  shore 
>> power, I had to enlist the expertise of our daughter, the  engineer, to 
>> read the wiring schematic and advise me what to do. So  you see where I'm 
>> coming from.
>>
>>
>> jack
>> 2003  #947
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Irving Grunes" <igrunes at gmail.com>
>> To: <C320-List at catalina320.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 8:03 AM
>> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Re Batteries & Fridge
>>
>>
>>> Jack,
>>> I'm not sure but I think that the engine alternator only charges  the 
>>> battery
>>> that it is connected to.
>>> So if you use both batteries to start, leave it there until you  shut it
>>> down, then you will be putting charge into both batteries.
>>> One thing that I am sure of is that if you have both batteries 
>>> connected in
>>> parallel, the higher charged battery will send current to the lower 
>>> charged
>>> battery until both are at equilibrium.  So you lose the advantage  of 
>>> having
>>> at least one battery with a higher charge.
>>>
>>> Irv Grunes
>>> 2001 #851
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 10:52 AM, Jack McDonough <mcdonough5 at verizon.net
>>> >wrote:
>>>
>>>> Irv:
>>>>
>>>> I always start the engine on Both (or ALL), to make certain I have 
>>>> enough
>>>> juice to get it  going. Then I switch to either 1 or 2. I don't 
>>>> understand
>>>> what you mean when you say to switch to 1 or 2 after you STOP  the 
>>>> engine.
>>>> Why not switch while it's running? Once it's stopped, what  difference 
>>>> does
>>>> it make which battery setting you're on unless you're running 
>>>> refrigeration
>>>> or lights or something else?
>>>>
>>>> I have discussed this battery subject over the years with any  number 
>>>> of
>>>> boat owners and yacht yard personnel. I have learned that
>>>> (1) it's OK to run it on All; (2) It's not wise to run it on All;  (3) 
>>>> It's
>>>> OK to switch batteries while the engine is running (but, of  course, 
>>>> don't
>>>> turn it to Off.); (4) Everything in 1, 2 and 3 is right. (5) 
>>>> Everything in
>>>> 1,2 and 3 is wrong. In other words, ask 10 people and you'll get 10
>>>> different answers.
>>>>
>>>> On a totally different subject, am I the only 320 owner on the  planet 
>>>> whose
>>>> boat is on a mooring? Everyone else on this 320 website seems to  be at 
>>>> a
>>>> slip.
>>>>
>>>> jack
>>>> #947
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Irving Grunes" <igrunes at gmail.com
>>>> >
>>>> To: <C320-List at catalina320.com>
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 6:42 AM
>>>> Subject: [C320-list] Re Batteries & Fridge
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Brad,
>>>>> No sense FREAKING
>>>>>
>>>>> It is not advisable to ever have the batteries on both because  then 
>>>>> the
>>>>> higher battery will try to charge toe lower battery with the end 
>>>>> result
>>>>> two
>>>>> lower batteries.
>>>>> If you try to start the engine and either of the batteries won't  do 
>>>>> it
>>>>> independently, then connect to both to get a little more power.  Keep 
>>>>> them
>>>>> on
>>>>> both until you stop the engine and go back to 1 or 2
>>>>> If you are out and know you will be running the engine for a  while, 
>>>>> then
>>>>> put
>>>>> the batteries to both so the engine generator will be charging  both. 
>>>>> As
>>>>> soon
>>>>> as you stop the engine go back to 1 or 2
>>>>>
>>>>> Re the fridge. When in the slip, with the charger on, the charger  is
>>>>> connected to each battery independently.so there is no advantage  to 
>>>>> having
>>>>> them on both. So leave the switch on one or two
>>>>> If you leave the fridge on and for some reason you lose dock  power, 
>>>>> the
>>>>> charger turns off and the fridge will just knock down the one  battery 
>>>>> and
>>>>> not both. Thats why you only want one battery on.
>>>>>
>>>>> At our slip on Sue Creek, the dock power is very sensitive to 
>>>>> lightening
>>>>> and
>>>>> so we just don't leave the fridge on.  And since the fridge cools  off
>>>>> quickly, and  by the time we want a beer, its cold.
>>>>>
>>>>> Hope this helps the question on the battery switch position
>>>>>
>>>>> Irv Grunes
>>>>> 2001 #851
>>>>>
>>>>
>>
>