2nd battery perko switch question

[ereed969]

I added a 2nd battery today with a perko switch. My radio works no matter what I have it switched to battery 1 or battery2. Battery two has all the accesories on in it. Thats why Im concerned that it is not runing just off that battery. Is this the way it is supposed to work. Thanks.

[Bruizza]

Did you relocate the radio power wire to the accessory battery? Do your amps work on both batteries?

[shawndoggy]

If your stereo stuff is wired directly to the battery (or is all on the battery 2 post of the perko), then of course it will still work... until you kill battery 2.

With a perko you want ALL loads on the common post of the perko. If you have stuff wired directly to the batteries (and wiring to a battery post on the perko is the same thing) then you are bypassing the switch so that you are running those loads off of that battery regardless of how you have the switch turned.

[ereed969]

That makes alot more since. Thanks. I dont know what I was thinking.

[chpthril]

With a perko you want ALL loads on the common post of the perko

This is true with a dual-battery switch, UNLESS one is running an ACR/VSR. In that case, the house loads do terminate directly to the house battery.

Im more concerned with the stereo not sharing the same battery reference, rather then pulling straight off the a battery, thus bypassing the switch. In E's case, yes, the stereo will still draw a load with the switch off, but, the battery will still receive a charge when the engine is running and the switch is in 2 or BOTH.

I would locate ALL loads to the "C" post of the switch, except the bilge B+, thus insuring that the entire stereo system is running off the same battery. Now, the system will draw from which ever battery the switch is pointing to and said battery will receive a charge from the alt.