Battery set up opinions

[Pony]

I hope everyone isn't too sick and tired of reading and responding to posts like this......

I recently purchased a new to me 2005 LOWE that I am planning on redoing the battery set-up on at the end of the season. I am not planning on rewiring everything at the moment.

Here is what I have to power

1) Engine is a 115hp Optimax
2) 80lb Minkota Maxxum with Digital Maximizer (24 volts)
3) 40lb Minkota Engine mount (12 volts)
4) Huminbird 997c on at the helm
5) Huminbird 597ciHD at the helm
6) Lowrance 4xd at the bow
7) Minkota Anchormate at the bow with control at the helm
8) 2 LED light sticks for night fishing on a switch
9) 12volt DC plug at helm
10) Gauges are (tach, voltage, fuel, speed, trim)
11) Switches at helm (accy, nav, bilge, livewell, horn)
12) Marine Radio
13) Radio w/ 2 speakers

The P/O added a lot of this and well the boat is a rats nest at the batteries.....as you can see by the picture. I am considering removing the Anchormate and the LEDs with switch because I don't really plan on using them. Right now the boat has 4 batteries. The P/O also added 4 electric downriggers which have been removed.

I think (I have yet to get my hands on a tester to see exactly what is going on) that each trolling motor currently has a battery, there is a starting battery which looks to have most of the accy on it, and the 4th battery seems to be dedicated to 2 of the downriggers and now is probably not powering anything.

So some questions.....

1) Should I drop down to 3 batteries (1 starting, and 1 for each trolling motor)? of keep 4 of them and move some of the accessories (like the locators) to the 4th battery?
2) I need to replace the starting battery as it is on its way to battery heaven. I have had no issues, but it was dead today and when I put it on the tester/charger it comes up "Dead Bat".......What are some recomendations for that replacement?
3) I don't know what the age of the other batteries are....so I plan to replace all of them at once. Same as question 2, but for the additional non starting battery.
4)What would be the best set up for me?

 

[Auger01]

Re: Battery set up opinions

If it was mine I would rip that rats nest out and start from scratch, but thats just me. Making a simple diagram of everthing you have now and how it is wired up might help you when you decide to make changes.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Battery set up opinions

WHOLLY CARP! That's a wiring nightmare...

Here is what I have to power

1) Engine is a 115hp Optimax
2) 80lb Minkota Maxxum with Digital Maximizer (24 volts)
3) 40lb Minkota Engine mount (12 volts)

1) Should I drop down to 3 batteries (1 starting, and 1 for each trolling motor)? of keep 4 of them and move some of the accessories (like the locators) to the 4th battery?

To keep the trolling motors on independent batteries you're going to need 4 batteries; 1- engine, 1- engine mount TM, 2- 24V bow TM.

I would clean up the wiring on the off-season as that rats nest is just a problem waiting to happen. You may need to install a bigger fuse panel to get additional circuits needed.

I didn't notice you mention if there's an onboard battery charger, but I would add a 4-bank charger that will make battery maintenance quick and easy. Instead of buying high dollar AGM or gel batteries and manually charging them, "I would" put the extra money into the charger and get wet cell flooded batteries. The last set of group 29 batteries I bought were about $80 each from Sams Club, they were dual purpose marine batteries. It would be better to buy true "deep cycle" for the trolling motors, but they cost more, around $130 each last I checked. (Could well be worth the extra expense for deep cycle batteries though...... Don't know as I've never used them.)

As for swapping out all the batteries at once, I wouldn't replace a good battery,,, unless I wanted peace of mind knowing they are all new. I'd pull them out, clean, top off, charge, then run them down to the parts store and have them load tested to make sure they are good. I would replace the 24V bank as a pair, or make sure both of those batteries match, age and size.

I'm not sure if there is a battery switch somewhere in the mix, but that might not be a bad idea either. Could save the day if the start battery goes dead again. Blue Seas Add-A-Battery kit contains an ACR that will help keep one of the trolling motor batteries (engine mount) charged while on the water and running the outboard.

 

[Pony]

Re: Battery set up opinions

I did forget to mention that I do have a 2 bank charger on the boat now. I do plan on switching that to take care of all the batteries and not just the ones controlling the trolling motor. I need to get in a see how those two motors are hooked up or if they are both hooked up to a 24volt 2 batt series now......because I know the 4th batter just has downriggers on it. I haven't done anything with the wiring since buying it.....haven't had a need to until the starter battery was dead and I then realized just how much of a nest I had. I know that at least 4 or 5 things that are hooked up in there are useless and will be removed. I probably need to invest in a decent tester so I can start figuring out what goes to what....

I am very unfamiliar with batter switches and fuse panels etc.....guess I need to start learning now that I have a rig that has batteries......previously had a batter to just run nav lights and a single locator......that was easy

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Battery set up opinions

You need to learn basic low voltage wiring. Then you buy a multi-tester callec a volt-ohm-milliammeter. Until you understand circuit principles the meter will be a confusion factor more than a diagnostic tool. You don't need to spend a lot of money for a meter.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Battery set up opinions

It's good that you have a 2 bank charger, and now looking for something to charge all the batteries.

If one of the batteries was solely running the downriggers, you could remove or re-purpose that battery. The 24V bow TM should have dedicated batteries, and the outboard should have a dedicated battery that can be shared with the electronics. The wildcard is the engine mount TM, while it could be sharing the outboard or 24V TM batteries, it shouldn't be doing so. It will either draw down your starting battery or throw off the balance of the 24V bank. (The 24V bank could be swapped over to a parallel 12V bank with the proper receptacle and plugs, but I won't go into that unless you want an explanation.)

You don't need to spend a lot of money for a meter.

LOL, I have several freebie Harbor Freight DVM's hanging around; boat, truck, car, kid. I have a couple Fluke DVM's also, but wouldn't dare leave them stowed in the boat, so the HF DVM's fit the bill. I did replace the cheap 9V battery in them, so they worked when I went to use them...

ST is right on learning about low voltage wiring before diving into this project... One battery wire placed in the wrong position could quickly fry things, I wouldn't want to be replacing electronics, gauges or rebuilding the electrical system of that Optimax.

 

[Pony]

Re: Battery set up opinions

So my next question is about the charger. I have a Dual Pro XL with two 6 Amp charging banks. The current set up is using each bank to charge the two 12 volt batteries that are in series for the 24 volt bow mount. The way it is currently set up, the rear engine mount 12 volt motor is drawing off of one of those batteries. The starting battery is powering the other electronics. The 4th battery was only connected to 2 downrigers (which are removed from the boat and won't be going back on) That 4th battery is also a starting battery and not a deep cycle which doesn't make sense to me. For the time being I have removed the dead starting battery and charged the 4th battery that was originally powering the riggers and am going to use that until I buy a new starting battery.

I agree with the suggestions above. I am going to remove the 12v engine mounted motor to its own deep cycle battery in the spring. The 24v series will only have the bow mount trolling motor on it then. 3 batteries total.....

1) Am I better off getting a 3 bank charger and running a bank to each of the trolling motor batteries and then just leaving the starting battery alone because it should be okay being charged from the Optimax throughout the day?
2) Do i keep the current Dual bank and get another Dual bank.....having 4 banks total....and then add the starting battery to the mix so it can be charged more easily?
3) Keep the Dual Bank and just add an addition single bank for the engine mounted trolling motor battery?

Also.....I am assuming I should get a dual purpose battery to replace the bad starting battery, since it powers the electronics. So it would be starting/Deep Cycle?? I don't have the original manual....how many CA's do I need for a 115hp Optimax?

I assume with the 6 Amp charging banks I should stay at 70 or 80 amp hour batteries if I replace any?