[C320-list] Battery switch location - port vs. starboard, old vs. new models

Wed Jun 14 15:55:49 PDT 2017

   Not crazy. Improved charging circuits, along with reducing loads via
   installation of LED lighting, is perhaps one of the upgrades that has
   most improved enjoyment of my boat. But you are proposing perhaps more
   than necessary to get most of the value. What I did in stages over
   several years is listed below. This method avoids any need to relocate
   the battery switch or to run additional high capacity cables. (Of
   course if you really feel a need to add/move the expensive and high
   capacity cables and to make new panels then this won't work for you!)

   1. upgraded alternator and voltage regulator (Balmar for both). This is
   a discrete project where all the changes are in the engine compartment,
   requiring no wiring changes anywhere else in the boat. If you want the
   best results, however, you should add a battery temp sensor, which does
   require running a small wire from batteries to the voltage regulator. I
   didn't.

   2. Added a separate starting battery forward of the existing two, and
   paralleled the two 4D's into a single house bank. This is again a
   fairly discrete project that only requires changes within the battery
   compartment.

   If you only do these two projects you have improved charging and house
   bank capacity, but still need to remember to manipulate the 1-2-B
   switch appropriately to make sure that both banks stay charged. That's
   how we operated for several years.

   3. Replaced the 1-2-B switch with a dual circuit battery switch. See
   [1]https://www.bluesea.com/products/5511e/e-Series_Dual_Circuit_Plus_Ba
   ttery_Switch. This was a drop-in replacement and does not require any
   new wiring to be installed but gives you much of the advantages of
   Jeff's battery switch setup. In the "on" setting the starting battery
   is connected to the starter and alternator via the original high
   current cables, while the house loads and windlass are connected to the
   house bank via original cables. Basically you take the cables already
   attached to the three terminals of the original battery switch and
   connect them slightly differently to the four terminals of the dual
   circuit replacement switch. With this setup the alternator is connected
   to the starting battery and not to the house bank (unless you use the
   emergency "combine all" setting). It is connected via the original high
   capacity starting cables, and there is no need to run separate charging
   cables from the alternator to the batteries as in the plan you describe
   below.

   This admittedly will not let you connect the house loads to the
   starting battery alone, or to start the engine off the house bank
   alone. Nor will it let me start the engine without simultaneously
   connecting the house circuit or vice versa. Jeff's more complex wiring
   will give you those additional options if I'm remembering it correctly,
   but are they really needed?

   If you stopped there you would be fine as long as you plug in often
   enough to charge the house bank. The house bank no longer charges from
   the engine. To solve that problem I did the following step
   simultaneously with step 3:

   4. Installed Victron bi-directional intelligent battery combiner in the
   battery compartment. This parallels the two banks using microprocessor
   controlled algorithm that monitors voltage in both banks, including
   trends, and makes smart decisions about when to combine them. My
   understanding is that it is a more sophisticated device than the
   Xantrex EchoCharge but is still very inexpensive.
   [2]https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-isolators-and-combiners/cyrix-
   battery-combiners. In particular, it is not necessary to connect all
   charging sources to the house bank with this setup, as is needed for
   reliable use of the EchoCharge.
   5. Other bells and whistles: I installed a Victron battery monitor near
   the batteries. This required a bit of rewiring to install the shunt and
   a negative bus bar next to the batteries. I have also installed solar
   charging to the house bank via a Victron MPPT controller, which also
   keeps the starting battery charged (via the battery combiner) once the
   house bank is full. The battery monitor shows me the net charge going
   into or out of the house bank, and various other things as well,
   including a calculated state of charge percentage, which is based on
   nominal battery capacity that becomes less accurate description of
   actual capacity as the batteries age, and therefore is not what I pay
   attention to. It does not not show me the output of the solar panels
   except when everything else is off, which is inconvenient. So my next
   step is going to be to install a monitor for the MPPT controller.

   I made no changes to the shore power charging, which I rarely use since
   Surprise rarely spends time at a dock. I still have the original
   Promariner charger, which has not given problems, despite being 18
   years old. (knock on wood).
   With this setup I turn the one battery switch to "on" when I board the
   boat" and everything else is automatic.
   Scott Thompson
   Surprise, #653 (1999)
   On 6/13/2017 11:31 AM, Doug Treff wrote:

Jeff Hare,

I started to chime in to the original thread about battery switches, but
didn't want to hijack it, so I'm creating a new one for my question. I
still think this is a valuable discussion, so I sent to the group vs.
emailing you privately.

All these discussions about battery switches, start batteries, etc...
I have questions about how the newer 320's were wired. Mine is a 1996
model, hull number 350.

I see in your "Electrical Stuff" album on the 320.org site that your
battery switch is mounted in a panel on the starboard side. Does that
mean that the breaker panel above the nav station does not have a
selector switch? I'd love to see what your breaker panel looks like.
Mine is the old style panel with a 1-2-B switch, rocker switches, and
plunger type AC breakers (which I dislike). I currently do not have any
electrical panel on the port side, unlike your boat.

This coming off-season, I am embarking on a major upgrade of my
electrical system and I have lots of decisions to make. Due to previous
owners adding things and rewiring stuff, the front and rear of my
breaker panel is starting to look quite messy and the front is ugly too
with switches that are unused, incorrectly named, etc... I want to do a
good job but don't want to turn this into a money pit either. Some of it
I could fix with better labels and a soldering gun, so all is not
lost...  ;-)

It seems like putting all of those large gauge 12V cables in a starboard
side panel right next to the battery bank makes a lot of sense, which
is, I suspect, why Catalina moved to this design in later models.

If locating the selector switch on the starboard side is a good idea,
then what becomes of the real estate in my breaker panel if the 1-2-B
switch there is made redundant? Looking at the replacement panels
available for the C320 on the CatalinaDirect site, they all have the
1-2-B switch in them. So if I went with a new panel, would I have to get
a custom one made? Seems like a very expensive option.

Things I am considering:
1. Add a start battery, wired directly to the starter, with a shutoff
switch for when working on the engine.

2. Add a panel on the starboard side like you have with battery selector
switch(es), inverter/charger control, Balmar SmartGauge, and start
battery on/off. This would keep all of the heavy gauge battery cables
shorter since the batteries are on that side. Would like to put the
Windlass breaker there too but I fear that would entail a major rewiring
effort to move that heavy gauge wire to the other side and pull out the
old stuff.

3. Combine the 2 house batteries into one bank.

4. Move Alternator output to house bank. Adding an Echo charger to
charge the start battery.

4. Re-wire the breaker panel to neaten up things and better label
everything. I'm considering a new panel but have not made that decision
yet. If I relocate the 1-2-B switch to starboard, I would like to NOT
have one in the breaker panel any longer. This would give more real
estate for other uses. If I can't get a panel from CatalinaDirect, I
would have to go with a custom panel. Very spendy...  $$$

5. Add a high output alternator and regulator.

Suggestions would be great, as I am in the investigation / research
phase right now. All ideas considered. In the end, I may take a phased
approach over a few years to spread out the cost but I want to plan the
entire project at the beginning so I can make the appropriate wiring
changes as I go with an eye toward the future.

Am I crazy for even attempting some of this?

Thanks,

--
Doug Treff
September Song #350, 1996 model
[3]doug at treff.us

References

   1. https://www.bluesea.com/products/5511e/e-Series_Dual_Circuit_Plus_Battery_Switch
   2. https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-isolators-and-combiners/cyrix-battery-combiners
   3. mailto:doug at treff.us