Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 09-06-2019, 15:35   #1
Registered User
 
Ketchgould's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Apostle Islands, Lake Superior; St. Paul
Boat: Rhodes, Chesapeake, 32
Posts: 155
ACR, blower, charge, combine question

I have a start battery and a house battery. I have a Blue Sea automatic Charge Relay connecting both batteries and also the matching, on/off/combine battery switch. I have a generator, not alternator, from 1961 which I have had rebuilt and have used reliably. It is capable of generating about 18amps, which I have seen with a multimeter and also with a Blue Sea Vessel System Monitor. I also have the original (1961) blower motor which draws 6 amps.

On my last sail my house battery was at 10.64 volts and my house was at 12.81. The blower motor is wired to the house battery. I started the motor to charge the system and the start battery was reading 13.9 volts but the house battery was still reading 10.64. The amps charging into the system were bouncing between .5 amps in and .5 or so amps out. I ran the motor a while to see if the ACR would combine and charge both batteries, it did not.

I then combined the batteries and both were then charging, immediately drawing 18 amps from the generator.

I have noticed this issue before surrounding the blower. The generator does not seem to sense the draw that the blower motor has and even if the batteries are in need of charge, if I turn the blower on I am at a net loss for charging, even though my generator is capable of 18 amps. If I turn the motor on without the blower the amps being generated or put into the system can be 5 or 6 amps, but then once I turn the blower on the amps being generated drop to zero instead of going to the 5 amps it was generating and then the 6 amps needed to run the blower.

Questions:
1-where should I wire my blower motor to, house or start battery?
2-shouldn't the generator sense the amperage needed from the blower and add that to the supply that the generator is producing?
3-This old blower is strong enough to dry your wet hair on, should I get a new blower that may draw less than 6amps?

Thanks!
Christian
Apostle Islands, Lake Superior
Ketchgould is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-06-2019, 23:06   #2
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: canada
Posts: 4,642
Re: ACR, blower, charge, combine question

sounds like the ACR is not combining. the blower has nothing to do with it.

make sure both pos connections and the ground wire to the ACR are good. when it engauges the LED light should come on. if the start battery is at 13.9v it should turn on within 30 secs. if not something is wrong with the acr or wiring.

note your house bank should never be below 12.0v. 10.6 is way too low. you are destroying it.

with only 18a alt. and a house battery low. you will likely see cycling of the ACR and the charging. but that is not your current issue. the current issue is the ACR is not working

18a is not going to charge much while running other things. you many not charge at all if running a few things.
smac999 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 20:50   #3
Registered User
 
Ketchgould's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Apostle Islands, Lake Superior; St. Paul
Boat: Rhodes, Chesapeake, 32
Posts: 155
Re: ACR, blower, charge, combine question

I figured it out. The ACR will not combine when a battery is below 10.7 volts, it is programmed to completely isolate a battery that needs to be jumped, charged or replaced. In my case, the battery is 6 years old and needs to be replaced.

I still have an issue with the generator not responding to he blower being turned on and compensating for the increased draw that the blower requires. My hunch is a ground issue.

Should blower be on start battery or house battery?

Christian
Ketchgould is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 23:11   #4
Registered User
 
NYSail's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Long Island, New York
Boat: Beneteau 423 43 feet
Posts: 850
Re: ACR, blower, charge, combine question

I would have blower on house. Btw how is your system wired? I have my alt attaches to my house bank then the acr connects the starter battery..... here that is the better route as house typically needs the bulk of charge of batteries remain isolated.

Good luck!
Greg
NYSail is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 23:14   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: canada
Posts: 4,642
Re: ACR, blower, charge, combine question

the old ACRs were 6v. and the newer ones are 9v cutoff. 10.7 should still combine. unless they have changed them again. is it now working with a higher voltage?

the blower has nothing to due with the alternator output. the alternator does not know or care what is on. it only cares about the battery voltage. when anything is turned on, the voltage will drop and the alt will put out more current. it doesn't care where it's going.

if the blower had a bad ground, it would not be working.

how are you measuring the alt output? with a clamp meter?
smac999 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2019, 19:02   #6
Registered User
 
Ketchgould's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Apostle Islands, Lake Superior; St. Paul
Boat: Rhodes, Chesapeake, 32
Posts: 155
Re: ACR, blower, charge, combine question

I am measuring with a blue seas vessel system monitor 422 which I have used reliably since 2012.

The ACR combines at a higher voltage.

I am below the low voltage cutout blue seas has programmed, so the generator was not responding to the blower because I was below the cutout.

My house battery is five years old....there we go; I need a new house battery.

Thanks for the help!
Christian
Ketchgould is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Xantrex Echo-Charge vs Blue Sea ACR skipmac Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 59 12-08-2020 21:46
Can you combine multiple chargers to charge? tulsag Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 12 08-07-2013 15:50
Can I Combine Breakers? tulsag Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 15 21-10-2009 18:55
HELP, want to combine 2 staterooms richardfll Construction, Maintenance & Refit 2 11-05-2009 17:18
What Do You Get When You Combine NZ and California? Raven Flotsam & Sailing Miscellany 11 05-03-2007 04:28

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 16:04.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.