ACRs (automatic charging relays)

loydt

Member
Jul 30, 2008
57
Lake Norman, NC
Boat Info
2017 230 W SLX
Engines
6.2 Merc, V/D ECT
Ok, so who besides me with newer model Sea Rays have these installed over the old fashioned battery switches? I ask because I am not so sure my system is operating correctly.

My boat (230 W SLX) has 4 batteries installed. One for the bow thruster, one for the stern thruster, one for the engine, and one for the house. There are ACRs that are supposed to keep them all charged via the alternator when engine is running. I noticed that when out surfing and having lights, stereo, etc on that I would get a message on the display that said "low voltage - reduce battery loads or run engine above 1,000 rpm". I did that while getting back to the dock but the message never went away and the gauge on display did show the house battery right at half.

So last night at the dock I idled the engine around 1500 RPM and used a meter on each battery. The only one that is getting a charge is the engine battery. At what point does this relay "close" and start charging all the batteries? Does the battery have to get low to a certain point before it opens up?
 
My guess is you’ll have a hard time finding someone on the site that has a bow thruster and a stern thruster on a 23 foot boat....
 
What ACR do you have? Did you have the ACR installed recently or is it OEM?

What voltage were you getting at the engine battery with the engine running?

If a traditional manual switch was removed and an ACR or two was put in its place, theres no telling what the issue could be. If you did this, can you post the wiring schematic used?
 
Its all OEM.

Anyway, I found the culprit. There was a small breaker tripped on the circuit. I reset it and then checked with volt meter and all are charging as they should.
 
There is no telling. I may have done it while removing the corroded wiring on the factory battery charger (which I had to throw in the trash and replace myself). Nice when you have to spend hours and $ on a brand new boat you have only had for 3 weeks.
 
2017 would be under warranty still, no?
Fresh water use or saltwater?
Something sounds odd.
 
It has been many years since I installed my ACR and I have never checked it for proper operation since. The way I remember it, once the battery that is being charged is full, then it automatically switches to the other bank. I will dig out the paperwork on it tomorrow and comment further.
 

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