Electrical Settings
jbelleye408
Member Posts: 3 ✭
Recently purchased a Rinker Fiesta vee ('94)
Still learning all the ins & outs. In the engine compartment there is an orange control switch that reads, Off- 1 - Both- and 2... which setting is best when the boat is docked and the battery charger is on? Also, what is the difference between each setting. Thanks in advance!
Still learning all the ins & outs. In the engine compartment there is an orange control switch that reads, Off- 1 - Both- and 2... which setting is best when the boat is docked and the battery charger is on? Also, what is the difference between each setting. Thanks in advance!
Comments
Assuming everything is hooked up properly. It should not matter what position the switch is on for the batteries to be charged at the dock. Personally I never have the switch in the off position while docked.
Under normal circumstances you should have the switch on position 1 if that's the starting battery and position 2 for your house battery..ie when you are anchored out listening to music ect....
In an emergency you can put the switch on the both position and it will draw power from both batteries to start the boat.
You can also search the forum for battery switch and there's a bunch of threads about it.
https://www.boattest.com/view-news/3084_solving-the-battery-switch-dilemma
Hope this also helps.
On my boat, the position 1, 2 or both simply implied which battery was the starter battery. By keeping mine on 1, this meant battery 1 ran the starter, and batter 2 ran the house circuit. By going to both, it bridged both batteries to the starter and house circuits. By going to 2, it meant battery 2 ran the starter circuit ... and I think it kept running the house circuit too ... effectively putting battery 1 offline.
I just kept mine on 1 ALL the time, whether on the hook or not. I never had any issues. Charger does not work via the battery switch, it's basically in parallel, so no matter what that switch is on, the charger still works. Same thing with the alternator.
At least that's my understanding.
Boat Name: King Kong
"Boat + Water = Fun"
Whichever battery you are switched to for starting is also the underway/anchor battery. It's not just the starting battery. (Unless you turn off the engine and switch positions.)
It will also recharge only the single (selected) battery while the engine is running. The other battery is totally isolated while the engine/alternator is running.
That said, if you hook up to shore power (no running engine) both batteries will be recharged, regardless of where the switch is positioned, even if it’s in the “OFF” position.
These are ABYC construction standards - not that all manufacturers abide by them.
2018 Cherokee 39RL Land Yacht (Sorry...)
Oh, I should have clarified, when I meant charging I did mean to say on shore power. I'm not sure how the alternator was hooked up via the switch. I am aware it goes through an isolator, but I think it still charged the battery via the alternator, even if the switch was not set to that battery.
On my boat, 260 EC, I can confirm 100% that if the switch was on 1, it meant battery 1 was the crank and battery 2 was the house ... battery 2 was definitely online, and charging as I had electronic devices (fishing equipment like sonar, down riggers, etc) directly wired to battery 2. My switch was ALWAYS on 1, and I could see that battery voltage was always 14.4V when the motor was running (voltage was measured on my Lowrance Fish Finder).
Boat Name: King Kong
"Boat + Water = Fun"