Battery Bank with Switch, help?

[houstonshark]

So I got the blue sea si series automatic charging relay.

Did you order it from Chpthril? It sounds like he is going through a lot of time and effort to answer your questions and help out. He sells all of the products you are asking about. I had several questions about the charging system for my boat and he was very helpful. I purchased an ACR, Switch and On/Off switch from him and it arrived in just a couple days.

[chpthril]

So I got the blue sea si series automatic charging relay.

I install and sell a lot of the Blue Sea 7610 ACR.

On the ACR you have 2 5/16" posts marked "A" and "B", then you see 3 spade terminals along the bottom marked GND, SI and LED

Post "B" needs to connect to the POS post of your battery bank, either at the battery or at the "2" post on the switch. "A" needs to connect to the POS post of the cranking bank either at the battery or the "1" post on the switch.

GND - 14ga (fused) wire to the GND post of the cranking battery.
LED - run it to the dash and an LED if you want to see that the ACR is combined.
SI - not always needed, but it isolates the cranking battery from the house bank during cranking. This would be a switches B+ off the starters solenoid circuit. Just need to confirm that it ONLY has B+ when the key is in the crank position and not with the engine running.

Its also not a bad idea to disable the GND wire during shore charging. This allows your charger to condition the two banks independently. As the battery voltage comes up on the house bank, the ACR will combine.

I typically use 4ga wire for my ACR to battery connections. Its more then enough to handle the alternator current as thats all that will be on it.

Hope this helps.

[patryk]

I went to a store and picked it up here yesterday. Sorry :/ I really appreciate all the help and advice. I wish you were here so I could just drop it off and have it done.



What if I wired it like this? Also is 4 gauge for all of this adequate?

[chpthril]

I went to a store and picked it up here yesterday. Sorry :/ I really appreciate all the help and advice. I wish you were here so I could just drop it off and have it done.



What if I wired it like this? Also is 4 gauge for all of this adequate?

did you get the complete "Add-a-Battery" kit with switch and ACR? if so, let me study on your diag. i dont use that switch, so its a little different on the back end than the Blue Sea 9001E multi-battery switch I use.

[patryk]

I didn't get the "Add-a-Battery" pack because the switch was huge. It's the same switch, but a smaller version. My boat had a stock on and off switch by Blue Sea that is the same size so I can mount it in the same spot. If it's easier to use the Blue Sea 9001E I can do that as well, I just don't understand all of the wiring besides how to hook up the ACR to the switch. From there I don't know where the batteries or alternator hook up.

[chpthril]

I didn't get the "Add-a-Battery" pack because the switch was huge. It's the same switch, but a smaller version. My boat had a stock on and off switch by Blue Sea that is the same size so I can mount it in the same spot. If it's easier to use the Blue Sea 9001E I can do that as well, I just don't understand all of the wiring besides how to hook up the ACR to the switch. From there I don't know where the batteries or alternator hook up.

Do you have handy the the switch number? It looks like its a 1/BOTH/OFF switch, is that correct?

[patryk]

6011m-Series (Mini) Battery Switch Dual Circuit Plus

[chpthril]

I went to a store and picked it up here yesterday. Sorry :/ I really appreciate all the help and advice. I wish you were here so I could just drop it off and have it done.

What did you have in mind for the "power distribution block" and how far from the switch/battery is it? You need to either take both of your 4ga amp B+ cables right to the switch, with the fuse holders with in 12-18", or do a 1/0 trunk line from the switch to the the amp rack with some sort of circuit protection 12-18 inches of the source.

This would need to be confirmed with Blue Sea, but I think that when that switch is in the OFF position, the 2 terminals that the batteries are connected to are isolated from the other two terminals that the ACR is hooked to. Like a said, I typically dont use that style switch, so im not 100% on that part of it. This would be a plus as the ACR is out of the loop while the shore charger is on.

Also is 4 gauge for all of this adequate?

No. 4ga will work for individual runs to the amps and from the ACR to the switch as well as connecting the 2 batteries of the stereo bank together. For the other connection, you need at least 1/0 as they have the potential of carrying the load of the starter, which can peak above 250A and be 180-200 continuous.

[patryk]

What did you have in mind for the "power distribution block" and how far from the switch/battery is it? You need to either take both of your 4ga amp B+ cables right to the switch, with the fuse holders with in 12-18", or do a 1/0 trunk line from the switch to the the amp rack with some sort of circuit protection 12-18 inches of the source.

I'll just run my amp 4ga straight to the switch and put the fuse about a foot after.

This would need to be confirmed with Blue Sea, but I think that when that switch is in the OFF position, the 2 terminals that the batteries are connected to are isolated from the other two terminals that the ACR is hooked to. Like a said, I typically dont use that style switch, so im not 100% on that part of it. This would be a plus as the ACR is out of the loop while the shore charger is on.

Yes when the switch is off, it makes the ACR out off the loop. I asked a guy this, and he said to hook the charger straight to the batteries.

No. 4ga will work for individual runs to the amps and from the ACR to the switch as well as connecting the 2 batteries of the stereo bank together. For the other connection, you need at least 1/0 as they have the potential of carrying the load of the starter, which can peak above 250A and be 180-200 continuous.

Ok that makes sense. Can I run 4ga from the batteries to the switch or no?

So the bilge hooks directly to the battery, what about everything else like the gauges, taps2, perfect pass, and everything else that needs power besides stereo stuff? How do I find those leads?

I really appreciate all the help!

Thanks

[patryk]

I found this when I did a google search. It was on the Moomba Forum. Pretty much the same as what I had written up. Do you feel his gauge wiring as labeled would be recommended?

[chpthril]

I found this when I did a google search. It was on the Moomba Forum. Pretty much the same as what I had written up. Do you feel his gauge wiring as labeled would be recommended?

I had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, and for a minute, I thought I spit it up on my laptop Thats one busy diagram

In short, yes, most of his wire gauge seems to be appropriate, but theres a lot about that diagram that can not be applied to you. In that Moomba, the batteries are located in the port mid-ship locker, close to the amp, but far from the engine if its a v-drive.

You need to do your schematic based off the gear you have, how you want to use it and battery to amp proximity. There is no one size fits all battery bank design.

Id be happy to do one for you, but it would be a couple of days with what ive got on my plate.

[jbar]

SI - not always needed, but it isolates the cranking battery from the house bank during cranking. This would be a switches B+ off the starters solenoid circuit. Just need to confirm that it ONLY has B+ when the key is in the crank position and not with the engine running.

Chpthril - I don't have the "SI" hooked up on my ACR. In our wakeboard-size boat applications I don't see why we would need to wire the "SI." Under what conditions would the ACR circuit be "combined" when you are engaging the starter. The ACR switch should be in the "isolating" position at that point as the engine is off and there is no alternator charge? Am I missing something or would this be more applicable to a dual engine setup?
Thanks in advance.

[shawndoggy]

Here's how my add a battery is wired (although I don't have SI hooked up either as house and starting loads are all on the same battery anyway):

[chpthril]

Chpthril - I don't have the "SI" hooked up on my ACR. In our wakeboard-size boat applications I don't see why we would need to wire the "SI." Under what conditions would the ACR circuit be "combined" when you are engaging the starter. The ACR switch should be in the "isolating" position at that point as the engine is off and there is no alternator charge? Am I missing something or would this be more applicable to a dual engine setup?
Thanks in advance.

The isolation/combining functions are based solely on battery voltage, not the fact that the engine is running and the alt is charging. If both batteries are above the isolate voltage threshold, they will be combined even with the engine off. So, they banks could already be in combine mode when the starter in engaged. If so, the load of the starter may pull down the house bank low enough to cause some electronics to cycle off and reset. This is a condition where wiring up the SI would be needed. As soon as the starter is engaged, the relay isolates the house from the starting bank.

[shawndoggy]

The isolation/combining functions are based solely on battery voltage, not the fact that the engine is running and the alt is charging. If both batteries are above the isolate voltage threshold, they will be combined even with the engine off. So, they banks could already be in combine mode when the starter in engaged. If so, the load of the starter may pull down the house bank low enough to cause some electronics to cycle off and reset. This is a condition where wiring up the SI would be needed. As soon as the starter is engaged, the relay isolates the house from the starting bank.

(a) why is starter isolation necessary at all (remember it's not present in the one battery solution most boats come with)? and

(b) the blue sea acr only combines above 13.3v, so the "you are still combined" issue really only applies with gel cells, right?