I'm looking to put a second battery in my boat for accessories and have one of the batteries used for cranking.
I found this description of a setup and thought it would be the most ideal. Is it the most ideal? What would a system like this be called? Or would I simply have to piece it together?
Setup:
Install a battery switch cluster that has a built in voltage sensing relay (VSR). When you start up your boat, put the start and house switches to the *on* position. Now, go boating, and forget about fussing with the battery switch for the rest of the day. When the alternator on your motor develops 13.7 volts, the relay closes, and both batteries are charged. When you stop the motor, and the voltage drops below 12.7 volts, the relay opens, and the house battery and start battery are automatically isolated. Go ahead and run your house loads all day, and the start battery is never drained, and you don't have to remember to fuss with the switch every time you stop and start the boat. If your start battery does somehow get weak, you can parallel the batteries simply by turning the parallel switch to *on*, effectively jump starting the start battery with the house battery.
Thanks for any insight,
Colin
I found this description of a setup and thought it would be the most ideal. Is it the most ideal? What would a system like this be called? Or would I simply have to piece it together?
Setup:
Install a battery switch cluster that has a built in voltage sensing relay (VSR). When you start up your boat, put the start and house switches to the *on* position. Now, go boating, and forget about fussing with the battery switch for the rest of the day. When the alternator on your motor develops 13.7 volts, the relay closes, and both batteries are charged. When you stop the motor, and the voltage drops below 12.7 volts, the relay opens, and the house battery and start battery are automatically isolated. Go ahead and run your house loads all day, and the start battery is never drained, and you don't have to remember to fuss with the switch every time you stop and start the boat. If your start battery does somehow get weak, you can parallel the batteries simply by turning the parallel switch to *on*, effectively jump starting the start battery with the house battery.
Thanks for any insight,
Colin