Battery bank charging

[glenn.225]

I have been going through the posts and doing a lot of reading, some great advice. I did order a Victron BMV-600S meter through Jamestown Distributing, great deal at $145.
I have been looking at the different options for combining/charging the second battery but haven't decided which system to go with yet. I will be wiring the 1, 2, both switch as a use switch. Will post some pictures when I get to it.

[Mystic38]

fwiw,

i have two battery banks.. bank1 = 3*grp31 house; and bank 2 =1*grp27 engine.

The battery switch is wired to select which bank the house runs off. So is left at #1 permanently. In the event that the engine battery for some reason goes dead, selecting "both" shunts the house bank for an engine start.
I have a balmar duocharge, which senses the house bank, and when its voltage goes above 13V, enables charging of the engine battery...this operates regardless of charging source..ie alternator, inverter/charger or solar.
This has been foolproof for me for several years, including 2 winters travelling south.

regards.

[Hyprdrv]

I just wanted to verify a few things with the Echo Charger.
Post 2 shows a wiring diagram. The Echo Charger doesn't show a Ground going from the Echo to the Starter Bat. Is this correct?
It was also stated that the Echo is " between the house bank and the starting bank with uni-directional current flow." Is this correct? I thought it was 1 direction (to the Starter Bat) only?
Thanks,
Steve in Solomons MD

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by Hyprdrv

I just wanted to verify a few things with the Echo Charger.
Post 2 shows a wiring diagram. The Echo Charger doesn't show a Ground going from the Echo to the Starter Bat. Is this correct?
It was also stated that the Echo is " between the house bank and the starting bank with uni-directional current flow." Is this correct? I thought it was 1 direction (to the Starter Bat) only?
Thanks,
Steve in Solomons MD

Unidirectional means one direction or one way.... Bidirectional would mean both directions...

If you use a battery monitor the neg lead of the Echo should be on the load side of the shunt as would the starting battery. Would not matter where you physically connected the Echo neg lead so long as it is on the load side of the shunt.

The diagram in #2 does not show a battery monitor or shunt so it really does not matter where the Echo taps in to the neg side of the syetem...

[Zil]

Diagram in #2 shows the negative to the common ground (negative).

[btrayfors]

The above posts re: the EchoCharge ground wire are essentially correct, but to make it perfectly clear:

1. the EchoCharge instructions say to connect the ground wire to the house battery bank ground (which should, itself, be connected also to the start battery ground (as shown in the diagram with the two ground symbols); and

2. if you need to make the wires longer which come with the EchoCharge, be sure to use larger wire size. Size depends on length of the run....I've actually connected an EchoCharge to 2/0 cable in one case -- just because it was already there and convenient :-) Normally, though, one or two wire sizes larger than those furnished with the EchoCharge would be sufficient.

Bill

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by btrayfors

The above posts re: the EchoCharge ground wire are essentially correct, but to make it perfectly clear:

1. the EchoCharge instructions say to connect the ground wire to the house battery bank ground (which should, itself, be connected also to the start battery ground (as shown in the diagram with the two ground symbols); and

2. if you need to make the wires longer which come with the EchoCharge, be sure to use larger wire size. Size depends on length of the run....I've actually connected an EchoCharge to 2/0 cable in one case -- just because it was already there and convenient :-) Normally, though, one or two wire sizes larger than those furnished with the EchoCharge would be sufficient.

Bill

+1!

Just remember if you connect an Echo directly to a house battery neg post, on a boat that has a battery monitor, you can wind up with some serious counting errors on your battery monitor...... The Echo and start battery go on the load side of a shunt...

I only stress this because I see shunts installed incorrectly all the time. A few per week....

[glenn.225]

Maine Sail
While we're on the topic of battery moniters. Can you shorten the UTP cable? It's not calibrated or anything? I have crimpers for RJ45 and RJ11 conectors. Can't tell from photo which it is. The reason for this is I will be installing the monitor about a foot and a half from shunt and I don't want 28 feet of cable hanging in engine comp.

[CharlieJ]

Originally Posted by glenn.225

Maine Sail
While we're on the topic of battery moniters. Can you shorten the UTP cable? It's not calibrated or anything? I have crimpers for RJ45 and RJ11 conectors. Can't tell from photo which it is. The reason for this is I will be installing the monitor about a foot and a half from shunt and I don't want 28 feet of cable hanging in engine comp.

Yes, you can.

[Hyprdrv]

In my case the Echo would be used for a dedicated Genset start Battery. The ground would not be common to the house ground. Is a second ground needed connecting the house batteries to the start battery?

Steve in Solomons MD

[btrayfors]

Originally Posted by Hyprdrv

In my case the Echo would be used for a dedicated Genset start Battery. The ground would not be common to the house ground. Is a second ground needed connecting the house batteries to the start battery?

Steve in Solomons MD

Steve,

1. All batteries aboard should share a common ground, including the genset start battery.

2. If there were no common ground, then the EchoCharge positive wire to the start battery couldn't do anything, because there would be no closed circuit.

Bill

[smac999]

ditch the old tech 1-all-2 switch and buy a blue sea add a battery kit. the new on / off / combine switch isolates the house and start battery properly and the acr charges both while running. makes using the boat so much simpler. everything is automatic. get on boat, turn switch on. boat, get back to dock turn switch off. no fooling around deciding which one to start off, which one to sail off, and which one to charge.

I would also consider upgrading your charger. you should have about a 40 amp for 2 golf carts (25%) 5 amp is way too small. with the acr you will get all 10 going to the house battery. but that is still small.

if you are sitting at the dock pluged in, using the boat, you probably won't even be charging the batteries as it'll just be all going to loads.

[smac999]

Originally Posted by btrayfors

Steve,

1. All batteries aboard should share a common ground, including the genset start battery.

2. If there were no common ground, then the EchoCharge positive wire to the start battery couldn't do anything, because there would be no closed circuit.

Bill

well if he has a proper ac ground to dc neg bound somewhere on the boat, it'll actually use the green ac feed line in the gen feed cable as the charging ground... seen this before. and no of course it's not right, but it was charging!

every battery on the boat should have a common ground.

[Andina Marie]

Originally Posted by smac999

ditch the old tech 1-all-2 switch and buy a blue sea add a battery kit. the new on / off / combine switch isolates the house and start battery properly and the acr charges both while running. makes using the boat so much simpler. everything is automatic. get on boat, turn switch on. boat, get back to dock turn switch off. no fooling around deciding which one to start off, which one to sail off, and which one to charge.

I would also consider upgrading your charger. you should have about a 40 amp for 2 golf carts (25%) 5 amp is way too small. with the acr you will get all 10 going to the house battery. but that is still small.

if you are sitting at the dock pluged in, using the boat, you probably won't even be charging the batteries as it'll just be all going to loads.

Hmm?

The Blue Seas Switch does the same thing as the "old tech" OFF/1/BOTH/2 switch, so apart from cosmetics don't wast money on something you don't need.

There is nothing special about the Blue Seas ACR, it is a copy of the Yandina ACR , costs more and is less efficient.

[CharlieJ]

The Blue Seas Switch does the same thing as the "old tech" OFF/1/BOTH/2 switch, so apart from cosmetics don't wast (sic) money on something you don't need.

This is such an error filled statement that it is laughable!
1. An ACR does not allow you to select either one battery or the other battery for service.
2. An ACR does not have an OFF position except for the Blue Sea ML series with manual over-ride.
3. An ACR does not need operator intervention in order to combine batteries for charging or un-combine them when providing load current. Both these events occur when voltage criteria is met; floor criteria for un-combining and ceiling criteria for combining.
4. A 1-2-Both-Off switch does not provide over voltage or under voltage protection. A Blue Sea ACR does.

Other than that, they are exactly the same...not!

There is nothing special about the Blue Seas ACR, it is a copy of the Yandina ACR , costs more and is less efficient.

Good grief where are you coming from today?
1. The Andina Combiner 160 is 12VDC only but can handle 160A. The Blue Sea 7610 can be used for 12 or 24VDC systems and is rated for 120A.
2. The Andina Combiner 160 claims to be waterproof. The Blue Sea 7610 carries an IP67 rating.
3. The Blue Sea 7610 has an engine start feature to un-combine during the engine starting evolution so as to not drag down the house battery voltage and drop any electronics (GPS, chartplotter, etc.).
4. Your instructions require using a minimum of 6 feet of AWG 6 conductor, and only AWG 6, with no consideration for excessive voltage drop. Your warranty is void if the owner/buyer attempts to build a proper system with a minimum voltage drop by using > AWG 6.
5. A Yandina Combiner 160 provides minimum and specific over voltage and no under voltage protection. A Blue Sea ACR does out of the box with no special wiring.

I could go on but...

You offer a basic combiner, period.