[C320-list] Battery Combiner

[Jeff Hare]

Hey Jeff,

  I like the price/versatility of the Blue Sea CL-series ACR unit,
personally.  It has current limiting (~60 Amps?) and lets you adjust the
cut-in / cut-out voltages, allows for a manual override switch if you want
one and has a built in driver for a remote LED to show when batteries are
joined. 

I picked mine up at West Marine for $75 and then applied a boat show
discount coupon.
	 
Some things to consider regarding current limiting and starting batteries:

1) Pretty quickly (within minutes) after you start charging your house bank,
the batteries will begin to accept less current anyway, so I from our
experience, it doesn't really affect bulk charging in any noticeable way.   

2) Unless the starting battery is weak, it's not going to draw much charging
current for any length of time anyway, so the current limiting wouldn't come
into play except in extreme situations.  It might draw 10-15 amps for a
couple minutes, but starting batteries recharge really fast and don't
typically get drawn down hardly at all if just used for starting.

 I installed a starting battery with the CL-ACR in a C380 2 years ago and
went with the Exide orbital AGM because it's a pretty indestructible AGM
battery with really high starting currents for about $110.  (That, and the
380 had a screwed down floor panel for accessing the starting battery
compartment making it inconvenient to check water levels in a flooded
battery.)  :)

On the bonus side, It can also be wired as an automatic low voltage
disconnect for loads under ~50 amps.  I have a second one that I plan to
mount behind the electrical panel that will disconnect the fridge if the
house bank drops below some voltage that I choose.  That will prevent my
batteries from being drawn down if my shore power breaker gets popped or I
forget to turn on the shore power charger when getting back at the dock.. :)


Should something happen to the starting battery ACR underway, I'd have a
spare I could use quite easily.

http://bluesea.com/productline/overview/386

-Jeff


-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Church
387
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 7:48 PM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: [C320-list] Battery Combiner

Jeff

We may have discussed this a few years ago. I'm going to install a 
starting battery in my 387 and I need a recommendation. I'm looking at 
various battery combiners such as Blue Sea's Battery Link and the 
Xantrex Echo Charger. The Echo Charger seems to have the advantage of 
limiting current to the starting battery when the battery charger is in 
bulk mode. Do You have a preference or recommendation?

Thanks

Jeff Church