Generator Specific Battery?

[Bt Doctur]

But once you do get the hatch up, hard wire a new feed to the hyd pump and run the wires to a convenient location to attach to a battery.

 

[Mittens]

So have a few random questions, figured maybe I should try asking in here first.

My boat has 3 banks, Port/house (2 in parallel), starboard, and Genny

Genny is getting weak, barley starts it. Going to replace, but brings up an important question or 2.

I assume the Emergency start button between the ignition switches at the helm only tie, the Port/House bank to the Starboard bank for jump starting either big block. is this assumtion correct? or could one hold that button down, and use it to connect all 3 banks together and thus Jump start the genny?

I also assume with the genny having its own battery, that it does not receive charge form either alternator when running the big blocks? or am I wrong and it does feed it through a isolator from one of the mains?...

my last boat, has port/house, Starbord, and genny banks as well, and the genny battery only saw juice from either running the genny, or the battery charger... so thats where my assumtions come from. It was a 34 baja, same 8.1d, and westerbeke... but sea ray does things different with battery switches and things.

 

[CliffA]

i have not tested the 'emergency start' set up yet but my understanding is the generator battery is not part of the loop....i think the genny battery is isolated on purpose.....i believe the genny battery only gets charged from the genny while it is running or from the battery charger when connected to shore power....

my boat is wired a little differently than yours.......i have a dedicated battery for the genny and a dedicated battery for the port engine....the house battery and starboard engine battery are wired in parallel.......

so the 'emergency start' ties the two battery bank (one engine and house) with the single battery for the other engine.....

it would be easy enough to test this....just disconnect the genny battery and see if you can start the genny by having someone hold down the emergency start switch while you energize the genny starter.....

cliff

 

[Mittens]

thats so odd that one year they chose starboard to share the house, and the next port... at least we both have dedicated Gennys.

so according to you, both my assumptions are correct.. its a good start. When I remove the genny battery to replace it friday, I will test the Emergency connection just for peace of mind.


also random here, But in the cabin power panel, beside the genny controls is a battery button Port or starboard, its a momentary button, so far all i gather is it lets you see the battery voltage on that gauge, so in its resting position (down) which is labeled Starboard.. it shows the starboard engines battery voltage, and you can push the button (holding it as it wont stay), and see the port banks voltage?

and another intresting question... right beside that is the main battery solenoids. port and star. they turn on and off the whole banks, but the switches in the bilge have lights, but the ones in my power panel do not... But just found this pic... and they have lights.. so maybe mine are just burnt out in my power panel?

 

[CliffA]

thats so odd that one year they chose starboard to share the house, and the next port... at least we both have dedicated Gennys.

so according to you, both my assumptions are correct.. its a good start. When I remove the genny battery to replace it friday, I will test the Emergency connection just for peace of mind.


also random here, But in the cabin power panel, beside the genny controls is a battery button Port or starboard, its a momentary button, so far all i gather is it lets you see the battery voltage on that gauge, so in its resting position (down) which is labeled Starboard.. it shows the starboard engines battery voltage, and you can push the button (holding it as it wont stay), and see the port banks voltage?

and another intresting question... right beside that is the main battery solenoids. port and star. they turn on and off the whole banks, but the switches in the bilge have lights, but the ones in my power panel do not... But just found this pic... and they have lights.. so maybe mine are just burnt out in my power panel?

i think the reason my batteries are wired differently is that my boat originally came from the factory with the old 'log style' exhaust system on the engines.....this exhaust had a lot of issues that led to water ingestion by the engines so the exhaust were converted to the 'water lift muffler' design.....this means the local dealers had to re-arrange the batteries in the ER to make way for the new exhaust system.....i am pretty sure that starting in 2002 the water lift muffler exhaust came standard from the factory so the SR factory may have wired the batteries a little differently than mine as well as placed the batteries in different positions in the ER.....

i think the momentary switch is just a way to verify the port and starboard 12V electrical system are energized.....you can see the amp draw on each system in the 'DC Amps' gauge and the state of charge in the 'DC Volts' gauge when you check the port and starboard system....this is handy to keep check on the state of charge for the house battery bank if you are on the hook and running 12V items while not running the generator.....

yes, those 'Main Battery Solenoid' switches are supposed to be illuminated as shown in the pic you posted.....one of the lights in my switches works and the other does not.....

cliff

 

[Mittens]

Yes Solenoid' switches are supposed to be illuminated as shown in the pic you posted.....one of the lights in my switches works and the other does not.....

cliff

I figured so once I saw the other side of them in the engine room and both where working. Wonder if the lights can be replaced or just the whole switch is easier. will look into it, but nice to confrim they should be lite.

 

[CliffA]

I figured so once I saw the other side of them in the engine room and both where working. Wonder if the lights can be replaced or just the whole switch is easier. will look into it, but nice to confrim they should be lite.

let me know what you come up with....i would like to have both of mine illuminated also....

cliff

 

[Mittens]

SO with out looking at the panel from behind... I am guessing the lense color comes from the actuator (switch cover). which we already have (battery logo, and green lense).

So we need to replace the switch its self which is Off normally, and On momentary (this allows either switch in the bilge or power panel to turn on or off the solenoids from either location)

I also think we need the independent lamp so the light will alumiate when it has power not just when you press it..
So I think we need this following...
http://www.fpmarine.com/Carling-rocker-switch-p/v2da-3.htm

and if you have problems maybe the tool.
http://www.fpmarine.com/Carling-rocker-switch-p/vrt-car-removaltool.htm

 

[CliffA]

SO with out looking at the panel from behind... I am guessing the lense color comes from the actuator (switch cover). which we already have (battery logo, and green lense).

So we need to replace the switch its self which is Off normally, and On momentary (this allows either switch in the bilge or power panel to turn on or off the solenoids from either location)

So I think we need this following...
http://www.fpmarine.com/Carling-rocker-switch-p/v2da-3.htm

and if you have problems maybe the tool.
http://www.fpmarine.com/Carling-rocker-switch-p/vrt-car-removaltool.htm

Thanks!.....i have replaced switches and actuators before...you really don't need the tool to take off the actuator...a small screwdriver works well.....

cliff

 

[Mittens]

also on that note for the battery test switch in the panel...
a ON/off/On switch, giving you the ability to leave the gauge on which ever bank (port or starboard or off) you wanted to monitor....I would think you could replace the (On)/On momentary switch that defaults to starboard voltage monitoring... and momentary Port voltage monitoring with

http://www.fpmarine.com/Carling-rocker-switch-p/v6d1-2.htm

If you wanted it to light up both sides showing you which bank your seeing, the one below does so, but your factory cover only has the top lense.

http://www.fpmarine.com/Carling-rocker-switch-p/v6d1-1.htm

and the new cover:
http://www.fpmarine.com/Carling-rocker-switch-p/vv c3-h black double blue lens.htm

 

[CliffA]

also on that note for the battery test switch in the panel...
a ON/off/On switch, giving you the ability to leave the gauge on which ever bank (port or starboard or off) you wanted to monitor....I would think you could replace the (On)/On momentary switch that defaults to starboard voltage monitoring... and momentary Port voltage monitoring with

http://www.fpmarine.com/Carling-rocker-switch-p/v6d1-2.htm

If you wanted it to light up both sides showing you which bank your seeing, the one below does so, but your factory cover only has the top lense.

http://www.fpmarine.com/Carling-rocker-switch-p/v6d1-1.htm

and the new cover:
http://www.fpmarine.com/Carling-rocker-switch-p/vv c3-h black double blue lens.htm

that sounds reasonable....if you try it let us know if it works.....

cliff

 

[Mittens]

well ordered 2 new ones for mains and a no light on/off/on for battery voltage. will report back. ha

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

Mine has the original factory wiring and uses two batteries for the port engine/half of the house, another two batteries for the stb engine/half of the house, and a separate dedicated battery beside the genny as its starting power. All three banks are charged by the charger once on shore power, but only the two pairs of engine/house banks are charged with the engines alternators. There is an emergency start switch that ties the same two pairs together if needed.

Knowing that my batteries were getting low, I anchored out last summer and found that the two pairs had dropped low enough not to start either engine even with the emergency start switch. After starting the genny I used jumper cables from the genny battery to one of the paired banks to get it started. This after realizing that it would be some time for the charger to get the marginal batteries back to the point of being able to start the big monsters...

Got fresh batteries this year. The old ones were from 2008.

 

[CliffA]

Mine has the original factory wiring and uses two batteries for the port engine/half of the house, another two batteries for the stb engine/half of the house, and a separate dedicated battery beside the genny as its starting power. All three banks are charged by the charger once on shore power, but only the two pairs of engine/house banks are charged with the engines alternators. There is an emergency start switch that ties the same two pairs together if needed.

Knowing that my batteries were getting low, I anchored out last summer and found that the two pairs had dropped low enough not to start either engine even with the emergency start switch. After starting the genny I used jumper cables from the genny battery to one of the paired banks to get it started. This after realizing that it would be some time for the charger to get the marginal batteries back to the point of being able to start the big monsters...

Got fresh batteries this year. The old ones were from 2008.

thanks for the post.....I had not thought about keeping a set of jumper cables on the boat but after reading your post I may do that now....

cliff

 

[Mittens]

I too have a set of cables always in my boat tools bag.. never know when you need to old school its and jump one of the motors from the other....

my setup has port/house with 2 in parallel but the starboard is a single bank which is fine......but more then just the motor runs off it, which to me is odd/bad. Anchor lights, Nav, Dash stuff (VHF, GPS, cockpit lights) all run off the starboard bank.

SO while unlikely to kill both sides, frdiges, and cabin lights, and head and water slowly kill its 2 battery bank. anchor light, VHF, and Cockpit lights from at night parting.. boom it is possible to kill both starboard and port banks..... instead of the house running EVERYTHING... and starboard just be the motor.

 

[CliffA]

I too have a set of cables always in my boat tools bag.. never know when you need to old school its and jump one of the motors from the other....

my setup has port/house with 2 in parallel but the starboard is a single bank which is fine......but more then just the motor runs off it, which to me is odd/bad. Anchor lights, Nav, Dash stuff (VHF, GPS, cockpit lights) all run off the starboard bank.

SO while unlikely to kill both sides, frdiges, and cabin lights, and head and water slowly kill its 2 battery bank. anchor light, VHF, and Cockpit lights from at night parting.. boom it is possible to kill both starboard and port banks..... instead of the house running EVERYTHING... and starboard just be the motor.

I have never identified what items run off each battery bank so thanks for posting that....I bet mine is wired like that as well....I always 'ASSUMED' everything 12VDC ran of the house bank and the single battery just started the one engine.....

this makes switching all the light bulbs on the boat over to LED a little more important since some lights can run off the single battery....minimizing the amp draw on all the batteries is always a good idea.....we do try to run as few things as possible when we are on the hook without the generator running....

cliff

 

[Mittens]

its easy to find out. Turn off one back at a time and then try and turn things... most the cabin is on house... most the cockpit is on the other.

 

[ttmott]

My 400DA spends a lot of time perusing the Bahamas so the battery system needs to be redundant and reliable. The basic 12 volt system that Sea Ray installed is very good so I only had to supplement with one additional battery for the Starboard/House bank to support the inverter and added Automatic Charging Relays between the banks. This enables charging from any alternator to any battery bank and charging to all banks from the charger / converter. If you are going to do some mods to supplement the batteries you might consider something like this:

 

[CliffA]

My 400DA spends a lot of time perusing the Bahamas so the battery system needs to be redundant and reliable. The basic 12 volt system that Sea Ray installed is very good so I only had to supplement with one additional battery for the Starboard/House bank to support the inverter and added Automatic Charging Relays between the banks. This enables charging from any alternator to any battery bank and charging to all banks from the charger / converter. If you are going to do some mods to supplement the batteries you might consider something like this:

very impressive.....thanks....

cliff

 

[Mittens]

Little Update, the Switches I ordered for the Main disconects where not correct. So stand buy until I get the correct ones, and all is fixed.

The other switch for the battery test button does work, now I can leave it on which ever bank I want to monitor. or off.