Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Laking
Added a 12v starting battery to my 6v golf cart batteris. I would like to start the boat on the starting battery and then turn the Battery selector switch to all after the engine starts. Will the Balmar spike protector allow me to do this or is it just an emergency protector for covering for mistakes like turning off the key before shutting the engine down or switching the battery switch by mistake?
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Ron,
With just two 6V batts I will assume you have a smalish
diesel, under 50hp. You can save yourself a step and just start on the house bank, it is easier and has much less potential for human error. If you add either a voltage sensitive relay, like the Blue Seas ACR or a Xantrex Echo
Charger you will charge both banks automatically and only ever have to turn the battery switch to OFF and HOUSE. Think of your 12V start battery as a "reserve bank". By adding a behind the scenes aux bank combiner or digital
charger you really simplify things. One fried
alternator will eclipse the cost of an Echo Charger or a Blue Seas ACR. My buddy Mike
repairs about 60-90 alts a year fried by disconnecting the load/passing through OFF. He's repaired one customers alt four times for the same problem.
If you are maintaining your
batteries correctly, not drawing them below 50%
depth of discharge, then they should start your
motor just fine. I used to start the huge Cummins on my downeaster with a bank of 6V golf cart batts. Been starting on house
batteries for well over 20 years and never once not been able to fire up the engine.
The Zap stop only protects you from switching through the OFF position or when switching while using an old break before make switch. Alternatively you can wire the alt directly to the house bank then let the ACR or Echo charger do its job of
charging the reserve or start bank. If you do this you never disconnect from the load no matter what you do with the battery switch. I generally install a switch in the alt line in-case you need to
work on it or need to disconnect it. I also fuse it at the bank.