LED Insallation with Dual Battery Setup

[garydunmire]

Okay, so I had a marine mechanic install a dual battery system in my 99 Sea Ray 210 Signature. He installed a manual switch like a Blue Sea or something of that nature. Anyhow, I will be installing LED lights throughout the deck of the boat and am curious as to which battery, if any, I connect these lights to. Or do I connect these somewhere else? I would like them to work no matter which battery I am using. However, I can also designate batter one for the lights and everything else and battery two as my starting battery, as long as I am able to switch the battery when the motor is running. I have read many articles and found many conflicting articles. Please help. I am installing a couple utility lights, LED deck lights, and an LED drain plug light.

Thanks in advance.

 

[fhhuber]

Do you want them on from just one battery or do you want them on when either battery is active?

I would wire them somewhere after the switch so that either battery can power them. Probably you have one common ground for everything. So add your fuse for the LEDs after that battery switch and then run the LEDs from there and ground them to the main ground.

 

[airshot]

On my boat one battery is just for the engine starting only! The other battery is a deep cycle battery and ALL accessories go to that battery. I also have a battery selector switch and just so you know....NEVER switch from one battery to the other while your engine is running. Shut everything off, switch batteries then restart.
You probably have a note on your selector somewhere that says NOT to switch batteries while engine is running as most switches do.

 

[fhhuber]

Yep... swapping batteries while running... if you are lucky it blows a fuse. if not lucky it blows up the voltage reg and maybe all the expensive electricals on the engine.

 

[bruceb58]

It is perfectly fine to switch from one battery to another if the switch is a 1/2/both type. They are all "make before break" switches so the alternator always sees a load.

You just never want to switch to off.

 

[bruceb58]

He installed a manual switch like a Blue Sea or something of that nature.

Is it a 1/2/Both switch or a switch that switches both batteries to separate loads. Better yet, what is the model number of your switch? In the first type switch only one battery at at time is selected to all your loads. The second type actually has 2 on/off switches in it so you can have one battery feed the engine and one battery feed house loads.

You never connect your loads directly to a battery. It always needs to go to the output of the battery switch.

Does it look like this:

or this:

 

[64osby]

IMO LEDs have such a low load factor that it doesn't really matter. Hook them to the house battery and go have fun. They will work for many weeks on a battery without charging. Other items on the battery might pull more out of the battery, but the LEDs won't be a limiting factor.

 

[bruceb58]

Depends on how many LEDS you have. My Lumitec underwater light draws close to 3A and each 3ft length of LED strips are 1A each.

 

[64osby]

^^^ That would be all the more reason to hook them to the house battery and never worry about draining your starting battery

 

[bruceb58]

^^^ That would be all the more reason to hook them to the house battery and never worry about draining your starting battery

Through a switch. If the OP has a 1/2/both switch, he will need another battery switch to his house loads..

 

[fishrdan]

Here's my $.02...

The LED lights should be wired to a switch (switches) at the helm and protected with a fuse on the boat's main fuse panel. This will allow the LED lights to be powered off the start battery while the engine is running, or powered off the house battery when the engine is off.

Agree with Bruce that the AB battery switch can be turned in any position except OFF while the engine is running (as long as it's a make-before-break switch). I start on A, flip to BOTH while cruising, then flip to B while on the hook.

 

[airshot]

It is perfectly fine to switch from one battery to another if the switch is a 1/2/both type. They are all "make before break" switches so the alternator always sees a load.

You just never want to switch to off.

Yes you are correct, what I should have said is to NEVER switch to "both" while the motor is running. My switch and many others even have a warning printed on them.

 

[bruceb58]

Yes you are correct, what I should have said is to NEVER switch to "both" while the motor is running. My switch and many others even have a warning printed on them.

Switching to both is fine too! The only warning you will ever see is about turning it to off while the engine is running.

I would love to see a picture with the warning you mentioned.

 

[airshot]

I will try to remember to get a pic of that warning label next time I am at the boat. My switch even has a safety built in to it, you can switch from bat 1 to bat 2 but cannot switch to both unless you either push or pull the knob. Can't remember which way now as I never use this mode.

 

[bruceb58]

Almost every switch made has the "BOTH" position between battery 1 and 2. Can't wait to see what type switch you have.

 

[airshot]

Bruce I stand corrected, I should have looked before I spoke, when I checked my switch it does say never turn to off with the motor running. Guess I jumped to conclusions without checking first.