Shorepower charger connected to start battery not charging house bank

[Vags]

Hi all. I have a problem with my house batteries not being charged by the battery charger (Victron Blue Smart IP22) when connected to shore power. Single inboard engine with starter battery and house battery bank.


The charger is connected to the engine start battery. The start battery and house batteries are connected via a BEP digital VSR square battery distribution cluster - which I have checked and is wired as per manufacturer's diagram.


At present the charger is in storage mode (maintaining starter battery at 13.2v) presumably because the starter battery is fully charged. As I understand the VSR device will join the batteries (allow the house batteries to receive charge) after the starter battery is fully charged and reaches 13.4v.


Currently the house batteries are only being kept charged by the solar system and don't seem to be charged by the shore power charger at all. However I did last night update the charger software (via bluetooth) and noticed once it started up again it was not in storage mode and was delivering charge to the house bank until the charger ended up again in storage mode.



My setup was done professionally about a year ago ($$) but due to some other things that were also done I have reason for doubt. I had new house batteries, new charger and new VSR installed. The battery monitor has always indicated the house bank struggled to charge when on shore power. The electrician said the battery monitor just needed a few months to adjust (that was over a year ago). For a long time I thought it was the battery monitor but have just recently spent considerable time checking the wiring and it all appears ok from what I can see. Battery monitor is a xantrex linklite.


I have some ideas (such as old start battery) but would appreciate any thoughts.

[Dsanduril]

The easiest solution would be to change the storage voltage on the IP22 to 13.5V. If everything works with that setting then you know where the problem lies and have to decide on a solution. If you're OK with that storage value then all good, otherwise the options get more complicated, but first step would be to confirm everything works by increasing the storage voltage.

This does presume that the charger is able to hold enough voltage that the VSR doesn't disconnect once the banks are combined and on the demand the charger is higher.

PS, welcome to CF

[Vags]

Thank you Dsanduril for the welcome and prompt reply! Will give it a go and see what happens.

[smac999]

if you can't adjust it. you'll either need a 2nd charger on the house bank or a new 2 bank charger.

is that charger only a single back? if it has a 2nd output, run a wire to the house battery instead of relaying on the VSR to close

[Uncle G]

Surely the alternator on the engine will keep the start battery adequately charged.


Why not simply connect the Victron Blue Smart IP22 direct to the house bank?

[CharlieJ]

The most common way of wiring house and starter batteries is as Uncle G states in #5 above.

[Cadence]

I will admit total ignorance. It sounds like the charger is seeing the solar charging voltage.

[Dave22q]

Like a number of others I .think your setup is backwards. It might require a couple of feet of extra wire but I would charge the house bank and let the overflow go to the starter battery. That puts the charger where the load is.

[Sailmonkey]

I concur, you’re backwards. Charger to house battery, let the ACR take care of the start battery.

[Vags]

Originally Posted by smac999

if you can't adjust it. you'll either need a 2nd charger on the house bank or a new 2 bank charger.

is that charger only a single back? if it has a 2nd output, run a wire to the house battery instead of relaying on the VSR to close

Yes a second charger would work and I could then just forget about the VSR but I'm trying to avoid another purchase... The charger has 3 positive 'outlets' and 1 negative. Currently there is only a single positive and negative cable going to the corresponding starter battery terminal.

[smac999]

Originally Posted by Vags

Yes a second charger would work and I could then just forget about the VSR but I'm trying to avoid another purchase... The charger has 3 positive 'outlets' and 1 negative. Currently there is only a single positive and negative cable going to the corresponding starter battery terminal.

run the 2nd output to the house bank. (fused at battery) problem solved.

[smac999]

Originally Posted by Uncle G

Surely the alternator on the engine will keep the start battery adequately charged.


Why not simply connect the Victron Blue Smart IP22 direct to the house bank?

98% of boats sit 6+ months a year and want all batteries on a charger for mainatace. if the boat is used every week then it should not need an engine battery charger.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by Vags

Yes a second charger would work and I could then just forget about the VSR but I'm trying to avoid another purchase... The charger has 3 positive 'outlets' and 1 negative. Currently there is only a single positive and negative cable going to the corresponding starter battery terminal.

In that case wire another charger output to the house bank. Only positive is needed, negatives should be common.

As others have stated if there is only a single output from a charger it should go to the house bank - always the most loaded bank.

[smac999]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

I concur, you’re backwards. Charger to house battery, let the ACR take care of the start battery.

alot of the BEP vsr's are one direction only. you can't just put the charger on the other side. the charger and alt need to be on the same side.

[Vags]

Originally Posted by Uncle G

Surely the alternator on the engine will keep the start battery adequately charged.


Why not simply connect the Victron Blue Smart IP22 direct to the house bank?

Thank you and yes the alternator would do the job I believe. I'm not sure why the marine electrician wired it up this way. He did however wire it up according the BEP wiring recommendations. Their wiring diagram shows the sensing battery as the starter battery and the second battery as the house. On a smaller boat where you have a single starter and a single house this may not be a problem. I'm not sure if there's too much disparity between my starter battery and my house bank?? From what I can tell, my starter battery is 12v 1000CCA (I believe that is around 135Ah). My 3 AGM house batteries are 12v 1000CCA 135Ah each.


I agree with your comment and am contemplating either only charging the house bank and having a switch where I can allow the house to give the starter a jump if ever needed or reverse the current BEP combiner so that the sensing battery is the house bank and the secondary battery is the starter.