I have done lots of searching and reading, and I understand what the ACRs do, etc. but I am looking for specific information for my setup.
I have spent a lot more time working on RV's than Boats, so I am familiar with house and
engine circuits, but the two engines and a house is new to me, and the way the factory
wiring on my
boat is also seems odd.
The
current setup: 1975 Chris Craft
Catalina (twin 350's), 3
batteries.
1.
Generator (I would expect this to be house in RV world, but it is only wired to
generator now)
2. There are 2 12 volt distribution
panels with breakers Marked Port and Starboard, each has a breaker for Ignition (for that engine)
3. The Port breakers all seem related to "functional items"
Navigation,
electronics, horn, etc.
4. The Starboard breakers seem to be the "house" items,
shower,
water pump,
cabin lights, etc.
5. Currently there is no on board
charger (don't get me started on Previous Owner
)
6. There are no cross over switches, etc.
7. The
engine batteries are in the aft of the
bilge area on their respective sides, and the generator
battery is a the very forward area of the
bilge. It would be about a 15 ft run between the generator and either engine
battery.
8. We will be fulltime live aboards, coastal cruising with 90% of the time in a slip with
shore power.
So it seems, the starboard batter doubles as the "house", and the generator stands alone.
I am getting ready to clean up the 12 volt side of the
wiring. And trying to figure out my best approach.
1. Get a 3 port
charger, leave everything as is and just run an charge lead to each battery. Downside is no combined
charging from alternators, no
emergency cross over, which does concern me since the Starboard battery is being treated as the house.
2. Add 2 ACRs. Hook the Generator battery to the port via 1 ACR, to the starboard via another ACR. Add a
single port charger to the generator. Now all 3 batteries should charge from any source (charger or alternators). It seems that with the Blue Seas I would still not have
emergency cross over starting, but if I use the Surepower 1315s then I would.
3. I think ideally it would be great to move the House stuff to the generator, but that feels like a lot of expensive busy
work, that would have me doing a lot of hacking into the stock wiring which is surprisingly pretty much untouched.
Thanks for any suggestions, experience, insight.