FW: Battery Switches
Rick D'Amico
From: Rick D'Amico
[mailto:rickd...@cox.net]
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 8:15 PM
To: 'Guy Ballard'
Subject: RE: Battery Switches
Just to clear up my battery situation on my 323.
The boat was commissioned in ’06 by Southwestern Yachts, San Diego. The battery in front of the engine, behind the companion way is the starting battery. The battery under the rear birth is the house battery which is wired in parallel to two other batteries located in the lazzarette or cockpit locker.
The battery on/off switches are, looking to the rear, are labeled, and located under the rear birth, from right to left, starting battery, house battery, then the negative switch, (which I really don’t understand).
I was told to keep the starting battery in the off position, and only use it if my house battery system can’t start the boat.
While I haven’t had any major problems with this system, I have noticed that sometimes, after a long sail, when I start up the motor, my radar fails, and I have to re-boot the whole Raymarine system, chartplotter, radar, auto pilot, wind instrument /depth sounder etc.
I also have Xantrex battery monitor at the nav station and it drops from 100% charge to about 97.5 % charge during a long sail.
Rick D’Amico
“Airtime”
B-323
San Diego/Phoenix
From: Guy Ballard
[mailto:bal...@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 6:39 PM
To: DM9...@aol.com
Cc: 323sa...@beneteau323owners.net
Subject: Re: Battery Switches
Wow, this is a little
scary. I am going to try a little test this weekend at the dock. I
am going to switch off the starter battery which I am assuming is #1 and then
run down my house battery with lights, overnight.
I will then switch on #1 and try to start the engine. If this works I
will be very much relieved as this is the way I thought it was supposed to
work.
On Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 6:50 PM, <DM9...@aol.com> wrote:
The battery switches in my boat are not labeled , I figured out awhile ago that the house battery was the one in the engine compartment and the starting battery was under the aft bunk. Ironically, my autopilot power is wired to the starting battery,and that circuit also feeds my depth, my knot meter, and my wind instruments via seatalk. because I think the dealer was of the opinion that the house battery was the one under the bunk ( in the house).
I did a little experimenting this weekend with switching batteries on and off. With either battery shut off I can still start the engine. It also appears that I have instrument power with either battery. This leads me to believe that if I was careless with my power use,in a worst case scenario. I could kill both batteries. Thus no instruments, no autopilot,no nav lights, and no way to start the engine.
Gotta figure out a way to make sure that there is enough reserve on one battery to at least start the engine no matter what.
Doug Meyer
In a message dated 6/15/2009 10:12:28 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, scottb...@yahoo.com writes:
My engine battery is on switch #1. House battery is on switch #2. They were not labeled by the factory.
A clue to look for on your boat to tell which battery is which is the presence of a fuse on the positive battery cable right at the terminal lug. My boat had one on the house battery but not the engine battery.
From: RONALD PENCE <rep...@msn.com>
To: 323 OWNERS net <323sa...@beneteau323owners.net>
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 8:22:38 AM
Subject: Re: Battery Switchesaren't your switches factory-labeled as "engine" and "house"? Mine are, but maybe that's a more recent B idea. Ron
----- Original Message -----
From: Guy Ballard
To: Scott Beaudin
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 8:21 AM
Subject: Re: Battery Switches
On Jun 14, 2009, at 5:17 PM, Scott Beaudin <scottb...@yahoo.com> wrote:In my 2007 323 (hull #174), the battery under the aft bunk is the starting battery and the one under the stairs is the house battery.
From: Theodore Weitz <tmw...@optonline.net>
To: "DM9...@aol.com" <DM9...@aol.com>
Cc: "323sa...@beneteau323owners.net" <323sa...@beneteau323owners.net>
Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 9:55:41 AM
Subject: Re: Battery SwitchesI have the same setup and always wondered the same thing.
Ted Weitz
gossamer wings
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 13, 2009, at 9:22 AM, DM9...@aol.com wrote:I have a question for everyone:
How do you normally set your battery switches? Both always on? Or one on and one off?
I notice that no matter which of the switches is on, or if both are on, the battery voltage on the 12 volt panel always reads the same.
When you look at the way the wiring is set up under the bunk, there is a short heavy gauge jumper that connects the tops of both positive switches. I have always kept both switches in the "on" position, and because I haven't tried it, I am unsure which battery is really the exclusive house battery and which is the starting battery, or whether they are interchangeable.
I always assumed the battery in the engine compartment was the starting battery only, and that the battery under the rear bunk was house only, and now I'm not so sure.
Because I run an autopilot and instruments, I want to be sure I don't kill my starting power if I run a battery down. Likewise, If the starting battery is down, do I have the capability to use the house battery as the starting battery?
I don't have a third battery in the system as I know some of you do so that's another issue for me.
Doug Meyer
B323 "That's Nice..."
Michael Elliott
batbanks
Rick D'Amico
Mike,
Thank you for your explanation of what was happening when I started up the engine after a long sail. Since your email, I have changed the way I operate my batteries, and things are a little better, but I am planning on changing over to the battery combiner this fall.
Thank you for advice.
Rick D’Amico
B-323
“Airtime”
San Diego/Phoenix