Mixing battery types

[JMK]

Still trying to sort out the electrical system on the boat we recently bought. The house battery bank includes one 8D and one 4D wet cell batteries. The engine starting battery is a Group 24 gel battery. I thought that it wasn't a good idea to mix battery types. Opinions?

Thanks,
J.M.

[Cheechako]

I've used wet cell with gel for 1.5 years in a pinch. All seemed fine when I returned to the states.

Technically not good to charge a gel at wet cell charging voltages. Maybe check your charging voltage with a Volt Ohm Meter.... or many instruments have a voltage meter built in. See what you are running.
How is your battery switching set up? Do both charge automatically? or do you switch to charge each bank?
So many questions.....

[JMK]

They charge automatically, which was my concern. Just starting to wrap my head around the whole system (charger, solar panel and wind generator with regulators, oh my). I have a major haulout planned at the end of the summer and was planning to get an electrician on board to help unravel and map out the electrical system.

Thanks for the opinion. Couldn't help notice your homeport (Skagit City). Even though we're currently on the East Coast our homeport is Seattle.

J.M.

[Andina Marie]

There is no problem paralleling wet cell and gel batteries except the charging profile (if selectable) should be made to prevent over voltage and gassing of the sealed/gel battery. If you decide to equalize your batteries they would have to be done separately due to the wide difference in equalizing voltages.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by JMK

They charge automatically, which was my concern. Just starting to wrap my head around the whole system (charger, solar panel and wind generator with regulators, oh my). I have a major haulout planned at the end of the summer and was planning to get an electrician on board to help unravel and map out the electrical system.

Thanks for the opinion. Couldn't help notice your homeport (Skagit City). Even though we're currently on the East Coast our homeport is Seattle.

J.M.

My friends have a Gulfstar 44. They've had it about 30 years I think. Sailed the pacific in it. Hot on ehte Chesapeake right now I bet. Spent 3 months aboard there in '98.
Get to know your electrical while you are in the water, You can do it piece at a time on a leisure pace. once you haul it seems all kinds of "haulout required" maintenance things take over!

[DeborahLee]

Take pictures and put them in your computer with labels. Your memory won't hold all the info and when you need it they will jog it. I put notes on the pics as to wrench size voltage where it is fused etc.