500/520 DB official thread

rlynch03 said:
thanks Tom - I think I am going to order one and put it under the bed just in case…
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You'll never have a problem if you do. It's the first law of the Rule of Spares. Replace the belts and save the old ones as spares also.
 
Anyone replace the air filter service indicator? The one on my port engine cracked (suspect mechanic bumped into it), wondering where to order replacement.
 

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j98052 said:
Anyone replace the air filter service indicator? The one on my port engine cracked (suspect mechanic bumped into it), wondering where to order replacement.
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I don’t think I have that filter. Can you share photo of where it is mounted?
 
For those who have installed an engine room camera, I have two questions:

1) Where did you mount the camera?
2) What nearby 12V wire did you tap into to power the camera?

Thanks!
 
I put 3 cameras in - 1 in front of the engines looking down between them, and 1 above each shaft. I can take a photo of the view.

Power - I tapped into a breaker that was no longer in use for "TV Systems", as I have the TV plugged into an inverter.
 
Thanks so much. 3 cameras is a great idea too. Of the 3, what is the most important view in your opinion?

Also, which inverter are you currently using and where do you have it located? Also does inverter run all of the AC devices? Great idea.
 
I like all 3 view to be honest. I suppose you could get away with 1 camera in the back, if it had wide field of view.

I have a 1500 watt inverter in the cabinet under the TV (the lower one, on the starboard side when you first enter). It does not run all the devices - the TV, a set of outlets under the TV, and the outlet at the dining table (I often work from there).

I have a 2nd 500 watt Victron on the flybridge that powers Starlink.
 
Thanks so much. I bought a Garmin VIRB X, which has a wide viewing angle and should function as a great wireless cam down there. I will try a forward facing view and attempt to capture the 3 views that you recommend.

As for the inverter option, is there something that can be installed at the battery management level, to offer a generator-free whole boat AC option while underway? It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.
 
When I installed the Garmin system about 4 years ago, Garmin sales rep strongly advised against the wifi cameras, said they would not perform well in the engine room.

I'm sure there are whole boat options, but I think it's a big investment. I did add 2 more 8D batteries since we often anchor.
 
Yes, I will report back with how the VIRB does. It was only $100 on eBay, so I can always upgrade to wired setup if needed.

And very interesting solution with adding 8D’s. I’ve been batting the idea around to add a few more in series as well to get through an entire night without having to run the genset. Where did you place these additional 8D’s?
 
Is this an error by my yard?

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I removed the battery cover to start my install of a Victron Shunt and it looks like the positive pole of my Port 8D goes to the Starboard Side Line Panel Feed. My inclination is to correct this, but I wanted to make sure first. Seems odd to say the least.

In addition, the ProMariner 1250 is only monitoring the starboard battery currently? Is this what came OEM? The monitor cable is attached to the negative terminal of the starboard side battery in the pic.
 
Does it matter which battery feeds which side? As long as you know. The small wire on the battery post is a temperature sensor which should be on the most heavily loaded battery - the port battery.
What's curious to me is that jumper in the main disconnect panel. The bolt that is tied to is the feed to the starboard starting motor. Everything leaving that panel except for the starters are fused. An unfused circuit going somewhere.
 
Tom, you are 100% correct. Except my brain likes things to line up as much as possible, so I switched them around. Lol. As for the unfused circuit, are you referring to the circuit circled in red?

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If so, this is my new Freedom Lift, which is fused outside of the box (circled in yellow). If you see another unfused circuit, though, please let me know. Thanks!
 
they sit right between the poop tank, hot water heater, and glendinning. Had a metal rack welded to hold them.
 
With 4 8D’s, how long can you go (running all the things you need) before hitting that magic 50% discharge level and also ensuring that the engine will start the next day? I’m just curious how this solution has worked for you.

Also, how do you have these extra 8D’s wired in?
 
Usually I can go about 12 hours or so--say from 8pm to 8am--and be at about 12.2v the next morning. As we're out on the boat for 2 months right now, I put in a 100l Dometic fridge/freezer which runs of 12v (or 120v ac). Unfortunately it was too big to fit anywhere but the flybridge, which gets a bit warm :) So on hot days, which here in the PNW is nothing like Florida, with all the fridges/freezers running, I probably can go 8 hours. These batteries are going on 4 years old, so if they were new, I suspect you could go longer.

The batteries are wired in parallel, and wires run across the top of the lazarette and down into the main battery box. We were careful about installing them opposite the main bank for weight distribution.

I recently had the vacuflush replaced with macerator toilets, which freed up space in front of the engines, near the thruster batteries. This might also be a good place for more batteries. I would consider upgrading them to lithium, however we are considering a change in boats. Kids are now out of the house, I can work from anywhere with Starlink, and we are thinking about something more suited to longer range cruising.
 
Thanks for the additional info about timing. I am going to do some additional testing while at the dock to both see how low I can get my amps down to, as well as seeing it I can make it through the night and still start up my engines in the morning. The generator doesn’t take as many amps, so I always have that emergency option as well.

As for the lithium option, I would love to find a simple setup that would allow the 8Ds and Type 31s to continue to start the engines and run the thrusters, respectively, and to add 12v Lithium to serve as a true house bank for the salon and bedrooms. Maybe also have the Lithium power the bridge electronics as well. Any ideas to do this that isn’t super complex.

Instead of replacing everything with Lithium, I would like to separate the two battery technologies (and charging) to power different things since lead acid and LiFeIon play horribly together.

I also have plenty of room anterior to the starboard engine to add a decent LiFeIon house bank.
 
When we first bought the boat, I had a dedicated group 31 installed for the generator. Cheap insurance.
 
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