My current setup for my 1989 3 cabin Mk I is a group 27 start battery (remote upgrade?) located in the bottom of the port lazarette and 2 4Ds located under the port berth. They are charged by the stock 80A Hitachi alternator and the stock pro-mariner 30/50 and wired thru the stock battery selector switch with start as #1 and house #2. We have no battery monitor except for the stock voltage meters. The system worked OK, but we had a couple of inadvertent deep discharges which involved both battery banks and accelerated the demise of all batteries.
From all my research on this forum, I have come up with the following plan for MissAdventure #123's upgrades. I have tempered my plans with our sailing goals of modest excursions within the confines of the Chesapeake Bay, and like Colin on Mandalay, also ascribe to the KISS philosophy.
1. I have removed the stock alternator and am having it checked out/rebuilt by a local shop to ensure performance to specs.
2. We have removed the old batteries and purchased Trojan T125's for the house and a grp 27 as a start.
3. I plan to move the start battery to the engine compartment and place it on a shelf between the engine and water heater as recommended. This will allow easier access for maintenence checks.
4. I intend to isolate the start from the house and dedicate it to the engine. I will continue to charge it from the pro-mariner while on shore power and use a combiner to feed current from the alternator after the house batteries have had their fill.
5. I would use the stock Perko battery switch for the house banks with #1 being the forward bank and #2 being the aft, but would keep it in ALL to spread out the discharge over both banks.
6. I will get a Xantrex battery monitor to follow the performance of the charger/alternator and the house batteries. The start will remain on the stock voltage meter.
My questions are as follows:
1. First of all, any seriously flawed thinking in the above?
2. As a back-up jumper to a failed start battery has anyone used the remote switching capability of the WestMarine Combiner 150 to parallel the house and start for emergency starting?
3. I grasp the concept of the Perko switch paralleling the house battery banks for discharge and can see the advantage of being able to isolate one house bank from the other in case of terminal cell failure, etc., but obviously by what follows, I am no electrical engineer. Does this complicate the wiring of the alternator/charger/battery monitor?
4. How to wire the charger? The pro-mariner 30/50 is capable of supporting 3 battery banks. I assume I provide a + lead to each of the 3 banks (start, house forward and house aft).
5. How to wire the alternator output? Can I simply split the + side to both house banks? Anything fancy or something obvious I am missing?
6. How to wire the combiner? Can I just connect one of the house banks to the start battery? I assume that if I can parallel the output of the alternator to both house banks, their voltage rise should be similar.
7. How to wire the Xantrex battery monitor. I want the house batteries to behave as one large bank, but don't mind the capability of splitting them if the need arises. The link 10 can only see one battery bank. The shunt is to be place close to the batteries. Can I parallel the house banks into the shunt? Am I over thinking this?
Thanks to all of you for your help in advance. I am learning a lot!
Scott
MissAdventure #123
From all my research on this forum, I have come up with the following plan for MissAdventure #123's upgrades. I have tempered my plans with our sailing goals of modest excursions within the confines of the Chesapeake Bay, and like Colin on Mandalay, also ascribe to the KISS philosophy.
1. I have removed the stock alternator and am having it checked out/rebuilt by a local shop to ensure performance to specs.
2. We have removed the old batteries and purchased Trojan T125's for the house and a grp 27 as a start.
3. I plan to move the start battery to the engine compartment and place it on a shelf between the engine and water heater as recommended. This will allow easier access for maintenence checks.
4. I intend to isolate the start from the house and dedicate it to the engine. I will continue to charge it from the pro-mariner while on shore power and use a combiner to feed current from the alternator after the house batteries have had their fill.
5. I would use the stock Perko battery switch for the house banks with #1 being the forward bank and #2 being the aft, but would keep it in ALL to spread out the discharge over both banks.
6. I will get a Xantrex battery monitor to follow the performance of the charger/alternator and the house batteries. The start will remain on the stock voltage meter.
My questions are as follows:
1. First of all, any seriously flawed thinking in the above?
2. As a back-up jumper to a failed start battery has anyone used the remote switching capability of the WestMarine Combiner 150 to parallel the house and start for emergency starting?
3. I grasp the concept of the Perko switch paralleling the house battery banks for discharge and can see the advantage of being able to isolate one house bank from the other in case of terminal cell failure, etc., but obviously by what follows, I am no electrical engineer. Does this complicate the wiring of the alternator/charger/battery monitor?
4. How to wire the charger? The pro-mariner 30/50 is capable of supporting 3 battery banks. I assume I provide a + lead to each of the 3 banks (start, house forward and house aft).
5. How to wire the alternator output? Can I simply split the + side to both house banks? Anything fancy or something obvious I am missing?
6. How to wire the combiner? Can I just connect one of the house banks to the start battery? I assume that if I can parallel the output of the alternator to both house banks, their voltage rise should be similar.
7. How to wire the Xantrex battery monitor. I want the house batteries to behave as one large bank, but don't mind the capability of splitting them if the need arises. The link 10 can only see one battery bank. The shunt is to be place close to the batteries. Can I parallel the house banks into the shunt? Am I over thinking this?
Thanks to all of you for your help in advance. I am learning a lot!
Scott
MissAdventure #123
