[C320-list] wiring question

[Scott Thompson]

I paid a boat yard to install a starting battery and parallel the two 
4D's into a single house bank.  The house bank is wired to position #1 
on the battery switch, and the starting battery is on position #2. 
(When I get a chance I will also install a combiner, but not yet.)

I realized after I took the boat home recently that the bilge pump no 
longer worked when the battery switch was off.  Today I removed the 
plate with the battery switch and discovered that the dedicated bilge 
pump lead to the DC panel was wired to the "common" terminal instead of 
to the house bank terminal (#1).  I moved it to the #1 terminal and now 
bilge pump operation is restored to what it used to be -- and I can run 
the bilge pump even with the battery switch off.

Here's the problem:  The yard apparently made other changes to the 
wiring:  The main DC panel is fed from its breaker next to the battery 
switch, but the breaker is fed directly from the #1 terminal on the 
battery switch.  In other words, it is connected (via it's breaker) 
directly to the house bank.  This means that the DC panel has power even 
when the battery switch is off, and that it can't be connected to the 
starting battery #1 except by running them in parallel via "Both."

The windlass appears to be wired exactly the same way.

The battery switch now appears to switch only the engine/alternator (but 
of course it can still parallel the banks in the "both" setting).

I don't think this is the way the DC panel was wired when I took the 
boat into the yard last fall.  What are the pros/cons of this 
arrangement.  Should I put it back the way it was?  Am I misremembering 
the way it was?

The yard is the better part of a day's voyage away, so I'd prefer to fix 
it myself if it needs fixing.

-- 
Scott Thompson
Surprise, #653