Installing dual batteries on a boat
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2017
- In this video I add a second battery to my boat The Green Machine. Having dual batteries that are selected with a switch will allow me to make sure I can always start the boat, even if one battery is run flat by the lights and fish finder.
Battery switch: www.marineengine.com/products/...
Video about voltage drop • Measuring voltage drop...
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I like how the beer bottles are adding up as the video gets longer. Well done.
Beautifully explained and demonstrated....well done Stu!!! Best boat videos on RUclips!!!
Another clear concise video with a nice bit of very dry humour. Well done again. I love your videos. THANK YOU.
I love your chalk board. It just clarifies it so well!
Dangar!.....THANK YOU....I'm a new boat owner of a Macgregor 26X in Connecticut, USA. Great video. Understandable for a novice like me! Pilot by career and Sailor for love of the water......I love your videos...You made another knowledgable sailor!!
Thanks for another great vid, Stu. And don't ever give up on the chalk board. Very helpful! Have a safe bike trip.
Thanks mate. Don't worry, I'll keep inflicting my chalkboard on people. ;)
Hard to believe this is the third time in 3 days you’ve come to my rescue mate 😂…rectifier then steering now battery setup.. you are some fella
Thanks again Stu
Welcome!
Yes! I've been waiting for this one. Plan to do this to our boat this coming Spring.
Nice one Peter, good luck with the job! :)
Your diagrams and thought process is more important in many respects than your execution. We all don’t have your boat so will have different execution. The theory and thought, however, will be much more aligned. Keep right on with the pictures and process. Thanks again for all the videos!
Thanks mate. I have always felt that teaching the theory is more important than giving a quick explanation that people can copy. As you say, everyone's situation is different and understanding helps people adjust for that.
Like always,another great and useful video from Stu,and I thank u👏😀🥃👍
I'm so stoked you made this video. I was wanting to do this. Now I can. Thanks bro!
You're welcome Michael. :)
"If you squint you can imagine that's heat shrink" Love the sense of humor!
I wondered how this would work - thanks I've had the switch for about a year sitting around... I'm gonna go hook this up :-)
Good one Stu, Enjoy your bike trip. A pause for the cause is always a good thing for perspective. I'm like you only have my one battery hooked up even though my boat came with the battery switch and 2 batteries. I do take 2 batteries with me fully charged. now that I have this video as reference will hook the both up to use the switch like it was intended when I go out in the lake. After my one heavy viewed video it has inspired me to get more serious and make a video log and ideas for more youtube clips. probably never as good as yours but just for fun anyway. Thanks
Thanks Tim. Sounds well worth hooking those batteries up if you have all the bits. Glad you're enjoying making your vids, I really liked the one on fixing the chainsaw and weed eater.
Excellent information = how to. I learn something every time I watch this channel. Thanks Bud !!.
Thanks Angelo! Got your pics safety too so I'll put one in next week's video. :)
Really like they detailed demo’s. Like the pros and cons. Thanks!
Love the chalkboard mate, your vids really help👌🏻👌🏻
Stu, if you want the alternator to allways charge both, place an electric battery switch between both positives, there are type that will auto click on 13.6 (orwhatever volts) so no mater what battery you have selected, if your motors on you will charge both - just my 2c.
That certainly sounds like a good way to go. A few people have mentioned using voltage sensitive relays etc so I'll definitely look into tweaking things down the track and maybe doing a follow-up video.
www.projecta.com.au/dual-battery-systems-accessories-1/12v-100a-voltage-sensitive-relay
i have some thing like this on the car, while charging you charge both, while off they are seperate...so one runs the camping acc while camping, so it can go flat and you still start of the other one....or if your in a situation you can do the over ride to run both to start the car....similar to your manual one, however you cant select only the second battery, like you can............but there no reason why you cant run your setup, with something like this just to activate duel charge.....best of luck and keep up the videos!
I think I'll grab one of these and have an experiment with it. It certainly looks like it will save a lot of hassle with switching batteries all the time.
Love your channel and your accent, I like to fuse or use a circuit breaker at the positive post of each battery to protect cable, dual batt. Switch and main fuse block from battery short , high amp draw and smoking hot wires.
Great job Stu! Have fun on you're trip!!
Thanks Jim!
Subscribed. Love the videos man! Keep them coming! Thank you for your expertise.
Thanks Dustin, glad you've been enjoying the vids. :)
Excellent, thank you from Canada!
you are the best sir , even a universty teacher dont explain electricity like you do , thank you verry verry much mister dangar
Thanks mate, glad to hear the videos have been helping you. :)
This is very good. (Love the beers going!!)
Thanks Stu, used this video to help do my dual battery setup.
Great video! Nice simple explanation and Love the humor as well
Thanks mate. :)
"I'm sure that'll fade as a memory." That statement rings so true with me as well! HAHAHA
Your video was a fabulous reaffirmation & education on how to perfect my battery switch. Currently, Battery 2 is used strictly for the housekeeping components of my boat & is located under my dashboard. Battery 1 is close to my motor. I'd prefer to move Battery 1 back under the dash, primarily because its 45 pounds makes for an inferior weight distribution. Thanks!
Hey Rich, weight distribution is an important parts of laying out a small boat, but make sure you have thick enough cables if the run does become longer.
Like the projects in my shed. They start with a solid plan, which is modified shortly after beginning. Then I start finding what I'm missing that I was sure was in a box somewhere here ... hen there is a trip to Bunnings/BCF/Jaycar... then I find something that makes the job easier, so I try and incorporate that.
So when I'm finished it bares little resemblance to what I started making, or has been thrown in a dark corner of the shed and I'll finish it one day when its on the critical list again.
I see you are in possession of the greatest tool whenever one is working on a boat:
Beer.
Well done.
No toolkit should be without six!
Nice video. I added a similar switch to mine also. The switch I chose also has the Off-Bat1-Both-Bat2 positions, allowing either to be selected or both in parallel. Answering another post, you *can* change between batteries with the engine running, *provided* you go through the 'Both' position. It had a very strong warning not to totally disconnect the batteries ('Off' position) with the motor running to avoid damage to the charging system.
Thanks mate. Yes, avoiding the off position is all you really need to do in with a motor "make before break" battery switch.
Yet another fantastic vid keep on truckn good buddy , Cheers
Thanks, will do!
Excellent video, a little bit soon for the boat I'm working on but this video will definitely be helpful in a few weeks from now, thanks : )
You're welcome Adrien. :)
i did my dual battery setup 2 weeks ago lol but stilled watched the vid anyways always good for a chuckle :) good stuff stu
Thanks mate! ;)
Laurie Haynes very well explained Stu well done
Thanks for this video...it has been a great help and I loved the humor!!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for this amazing youtube channel :)
Hi Stu. I mounted my battery switch at the helm. I start and run out to sea on battery one and then switch over to battery 2 to run accessories while fishing. I also start and run back home on battery two. This routine keeps both batteries healthy and having the switch at the helm encourages good routine.
Cheers.
Yep, if you don't have to run the cables too far then having the switch at the helm can be a great way to go.
I prefer to switch the grounds. My battery switch and all my accessories are switched to ground. Love the videos 👍
I wrench blue collar why
thanks for the information, I'll be trying it this weekend. looked like a 3 stubbie job.
Just bought another boat (a project, lol) so this was handy info mate. Thank you. Nice Series One door being restored in the background too.
Series 1 is almost finished now!
Dangar Marine, I’m a Landie Tragic too. Been driving the buggers since 1971, I’ve got it bad. Lol.
You must be psychic! I have all the bits for a second battery install ready to go, but will watch this first before I add mine.
Good luck Ronnie!
Thx Stu, the boat I bought has a dual battery setup but I wasn't sure how it all worked but know I do😀 cheers
You're welcome, glad the vid helped you. :)
I could tell you were starting to gradually catch a buzz as you were making the video with them random beers thanks for the video
You're welcome mate. ;)
Dangar more Outboard repair vids please!
Thanks mate! Excellent info as always!
Thanks you!
Thanks! Just installed it in my RV
I should really add a second battery to my boat. I do always carry a thumper battery and jumper cables (just in case). But a second battery makes more sense. Great video Stu.
A booster battery is a good option too. I'm hoping the two battery setup will be more wife friendly though. I'm always getting the call, "The bloody boat won't start again!"
Thank you sooooo much for the chalkboard schematic. 👌👌👌
Most welcome 😊
Hi, in Sweden we have a releyswitch, it controls the charging, as soon as battery 1 is charged it switches to battery 2. That means you always have full charged batteries.
great sense of humor dude
nice installation Stu!
Thanks Will!
I had to summon my inner Dangar Marine this week out on the water. My boat kept briefly losing power which kills my EFI engine dead in the water and threw all my electronics out of sorts . Long story short I found that my battery switch had gone bad and I had to bypass it. In their infinite wisdom the manufacturer put the switch up under the gunnels under the aft starboard seat which was fun to get at with 95*F sun on your back hanging upside down with a rusty adjustable spanner and a Leatherman. However, it worked and we got back to boating. Ordered a new switch today that can be mounted in a better place. I ordered a very similar switch to the one in the video, just one for a single battery.
I think this will be my first project this spring. Thanks for idea the wife will get a charge outa it. Can't be more than 40 bucks.Peace and be safe out there.
Well worth doing this I reckon.
Chris asked if you can safely change over batteries when the engines running. I didn't think you could due to arcing. More importantly, that beer on the bench wasn't going down very quick so you may need a stubby holder or get used to warm beer. Great video - thanks.
Hi Michael, modern battery switches are pretty safe swapping between batteries. I might have to make some Dangar Marine stubby holders one day! ;)
I use two batteries. One for starting only and one for all other lights and accessories. I put a continuous duty three terminal solenoid between the two batteries. This connects the two only when the ignition is on, as when running the motor. This way I can camp overnight with my navigation lights on and use my interior lights and water pump etc and still have a full battery for starting in the morning. Both get charged when the motor is running.
Useful information. Thanks.
You're welcome Louis.
I always have 2 battery’s on my boat. However I found a 1300 amp emergency power pack to bring with me and you can even change your phone or MP3 player as well. That gave me a extra battery for my other boat, yeah you can never have to many boats.
3 solutions to that problem. You can also carry a Jumper battery like "NOCO Genius GB40 Boost+ Jump Starter" As a back up to a single or Dual battery system. Great simple explanation and wiring diagram.
Gr8, informative and down to basics, with a real world approach and no BS.
I was wondering if you could offer some advice as to what gauge wire I should use? I’m rewiring my 5.4 meter glass boat from scratch as I baught it as a project boat with no motor or wiring. I’ve studied a lot on the net to gain knowledge and plan what I’m going to do. But the tables to work out wire gauge seem to be dependant on insulation temp. ratings. ( confusing!) Basically I’m installing a dual battery set up with a dedicated house battery and start battery controlled with the BEP 3 switch assembly ( 2 battery switches, an emergency parallel switch and a DVSR ) What gauge wire would you recommend for my power distribution / battery paralleling.
Loads would be typical for a 5ish meter fishing boat . Bludge, live well, deckwash pumps. Nav/ Anchor LEDs. Flood lights LED. Sounder/ plotter
VHF radio. Anchor winch .
I anticipate putting a brand new motor on it. Besides the motor control/ instrument wiring, are the starter cables from the motor also the alternator output wires to charge the battery?
Connect the positives of any house battery connections to the "Charge" or "Engine" terminal of the switch in order to turn OFF ALL systems when the switch is in the OFF position
like the vid keep up the good work young man..
Thanks Guy!
gday mate excellent video i never realized it was so easy to put dual batteries in may have done it otherwise me and electrickery dont mix , at least your batteries are in boxes some i have seen are shockers no tie down no box disaster waiting to happen . At one point you connected the positive and negative to the positive terminal ill have to watch again maybe i got it wrong anyway great video on how tooo.
Yes, having dual batteries isn't too hard at all. Having them strapped down or otherwise restrained is a must though in boats!
Cool video. Thanks for posting. i know its been up for a while, but i hope you see this to answer my question.
Since you have your electronics connected to Battery 1 will they cease to function if you switch over to battery 2 ?
I have my radio and fish finder on my single battery, but I would like to add a second battery. Thought is run out to my spot on battery one, kick it over to battery 2 whilst out fishing etc and then probably run back home on both.
But if my devices are still connected to Battery 1, would this work ?
"if you squint you can imagine it's heatshrink!" lol
He's funny. I also lolled when he said "and wishing I was a truck driver." Haha.
Stewart.
just me swearing a bit, contorting and wishing I was a truck driver! Ha
@@TonyAnschutz i am a trucker, if he thinks that's hard work, come give it a try, i dare ya
Thanks! Just bought a boat and looking at adding a 2nd for small things like lights, bilge etc. As I'd only be installing a smaller 2nd battery I'd be installing an isolator/ voltage sensitive relay to keep charging my 2nd whenever the engine is running. Do you think would be ok?
Hi Stu...Thoroughly enjoy your tutorials, detailed but yet simplistic for us common folk. I just wanted to make an observation and I apologies if I'm stating the bleeding obvious, but I noticed you said that if you have a dead battery (lights left on), you would start your motor on the #2 battery, then switch back to #1 to be charged.
In this situation you will need to leave it on "both' for a while as the dead battery will not have enough current to excite the alternator. I won't charge.
This is one of the downsides of the manual switch unlike the "smart" system which disconnects the battery and prevents it being drained less than 11 volts, it will still retain enough charge to excite the alternator once the motor is started.
Cess182N (Cessna 182 owner? ) Unless your outboard is based on a car engine (Honda 4 stroke) and has a belt drive alternator, the engine will charge a dead flat battery, or at least dump current into the battery any way. Outboards tend to use permanent magnet alternators with the magnets being part of the fly wheel mass, so no excitation voltage required or used. This is done for both weight and space reasons. The regulation - if any- is done after rectification . The rectifiers may or may not be part of the regulator, but there is always rectifiers if there is a battery charge circuit available. If the alternator has an out put of less than 8amps there is often no regulator, but 'vented' (old style removable cell caps) batteries have to be used. These system will kill maintenance free batteries pretty quickly as once the battery is charged the charge voltage goes up to 16-17 volts, and so the battery gasses a lot. In the manual for my engine the fix for 'over 15volts on voltmeter' is to turn on your navigation lights! If the engine has a regulator it is series regulator. These work by allowing the voltage to get to some where around 13.8 to 14.2 volts and then if the voltage goes up further the regulator starts sending some of the current through a variable load, there by converting the excess power into heat. This alternator/regulator system is not efficient as the alternator produces full power al the time, even when not required, but they are small, simple, reliable and cheap.
G'day Ron.. Can I take it by your opening line that a Honda 4 stroke outboard (or similar) will not charge the battery without some voltage from the battery to excite the alternator.
Unfortunately not wealthy enough to own a C182.. just hire them
My little Honda just has fixed magnets, so as Ron says, no current required to excite the alternator like a car or a yacht. He is also right that some larger V4 outboards do have alternators, but we generally work with outboards under about 50HP which are all just permanent magnet regardless of brand.
+Cess182sn - separate alternator systems don't usually need an excitation voltage to get going if they have been run before. Even though the soft iron cores are all laminated to stop eddy currents and be quick to change magnetic field strength as required by the regulating system , the core does have some residual magnetism, enough to start a weak power generation that will power up the regulator and kick start things. The armature current really isn't all that big, a 60amp alternator may run 5 amps , usually much less, at full load. I have used a AA 1.5V battery across the field to get an aircraft alternator to kick into life after the alternator had been on the shelf for 10 years (right next to a fluorescent light that had been on all the time , slowly degauzing the alternator with stray 50hz/240volt pulses) That was 28v 100A alternator , so the flat battery/no charge thing is pretty much a non issue. UNLESS your engine is like the newer car engine where the ECU controls the alternator, in which case nothing will work if the battery is under 11 volts. I hope they never bring that idea to boats!
JayElle prob would
If i have a maintainer, how do I keep both connected to it?
That music reminds me of Matlock from the 90s puts me to sleep almost every time
With this set up can u safely charge them together? Where do u clamp the charger clamp?
Great stuff Stu .....You are the Man........ Love that Coopers DIY Home Brew .....HaHa Energy Is that a age thing ? I feel the same way.....Have a Great weekend Mate
I (in the UK) have a Coopers kit, but I use it for brewing cider. It's cheap kit, easy to use, and does a great job.
Cool.....it seems Coopers Kits are very world wide....we have them here in New Zealand in the super markets cheaper then in Oz.......just getting back into brewing again myself.....
kermets - mine is a Cooper's kit, but I use it to brew any old cider kit that I can find on the internet. :D
Even used it to make some 20% ABV base spirit. :)
Yes, I appear to have contracted AGE syndrome for sure. Sometimes though I think it's more the beers than the years. ;)
Good video.
Can it be used with 1 battery and 2 outputs that can be turned on and off separately and be bolth turned on at once?
Nice work mate!
What I'm sort of leaning towards these days is a kind of combination of all the options you mentioned.
A lot of boats are wired similarly to your example there; a 'house' supply and the outboard/engine start/charge cable.
I split them and use 2 battery switches. Engine to the common output on switch one, house supply to the common output on switch 2. DC-DC charger (or simple VSR) between the 2 batteries.
In normal operation, 'engine' switch is Batt 1, House is Batt 2. With engine running, it's charging the start battery and through the DC-DC charger (or VSR) it's charging both. As soon as you stop, you've isolated the start battery and running the house off the second battery. Even if batt 2 goes flat, as soon as you hit the key, you're starting off batt 1 and you'll start charging your house batt again.
It also adds the flexibility of turning off just the engine supply, or the house, or both. Also swapping over and starting off the house battery. Or charging the house directly from the engine, or charging both, or starting off both. Very flexible.
It's a slightly more complex solution and most likely overkill on a boat like the green machine, but once you get up into cabin boats with more complex house loads it works really well.
Have a look at a voltage sensitive switch for auto charge/disconnect if that is what you are after.
I like the idea of charging both batteries as well as having the isolation be automatic. You are dead right though that as you step up to live aboard boats power management becomes much more important. I was once staying on my friends boat for a few weeks in Greece and much of our conversation centred around resource management. In port you have plenty of power and water, but sewage tank capacity was critical due to no pump outs, but at sea the opposite was true.
I like the idea of dual batteries and used to take a lead acid jump start battery in case mine went flat. I needed to replace it and found a lithium jump start battery that is fraction of the size and weight. I use it for work to jump start diesel landcrusiers mainly and I can get up to 6 jumps from it. It will probably jump start my 90 hp yamaha 10 times. They are about $200 new, weigh about 1 kg and can fit your tool box. After I found that I didn't bother with the second battery.
Yes, we have a few of those in the workshop, they certainly are a great size.
If you have three batteries two are wired for 24v and one by itself can I run a negative jumper from the 24v set up to the one alone battery and use the second 24v battery also as a 12v battery? can one of the 24v batteries play a dual role? I have a battery switch with two positives coming out and I can't figure out why.
If you select battery one and two will the outboard charge both at the same time ?
Don't take this the wrong way but really laughed when you mentioned aesthetics in relation to the "GREEN MACHINE"
Ha! There are many different types of aesthetics! ;)
How many charging amps do you see when you let one battery go flat and then switch to both? Do you worry about your wire gauge?
great video. Question, how do you connect a trickle charger to the batteries?thanks
Hi Carlos. Trickle chargers are just connected positive to positive, negative to negative on the battery. If you intend to plug your boat into a trickle charger whenever you are not using it I would look into adding the type where you connect a cable to your batteries permanently and then you can just plug the charger into a connector at the other end whenever you park the boat up. The cable with the plug will often come with the trickle charger.
Who makes that switch? I clicked the link but it goes to a different one. Cheers!
Can you tell me how to wire up one of those switches with only one battery. I have about 4 different wires for different things wired to the positive and negative terminals of my battery. Do I just buy a short 6 gauge positive jumper wire and connect to the switch? Or do I have to put more wires on the switch? should there be any other wires wired to the switch. I bought my switch a year ago but no idea how to wire it .
Have two batteries. Need that switch and some cable. It'd be more convenient and a safety improvement over manually switching out batteries on the water.
Mine kit came with a 2nd box. I did not see you use. I just got it installed. But with switch in OFF position. I still have a red light on 2nd box. Stating it is charging battery 2. Why is this , with switch off. Will it drain my 1st battery? Did the shop hook it up wrong?
Coopers beer.. good choice!
The best. :)
@@DangarMarine brilliant vid on this subject too mate!
I'm going to be doing the same thing on my boat very soon although was thinking of putting the main battery for the engine at the back near the motor and the secondary battery amidship under the passenger seat for all electrics etc. Any issues having a battery so far forward in the boat? 15ft Half cabin fibreglass runabout.
Hi mate, no, I think it is good to have a battery close to where it is going to be used. It can also help to keep the weight distribution in the boat even. A lot of boats will have a winch battery in the front, house battery in the middle and starting battery in the stern.
Man after me own heart. Im always wishing i was a truck driver for some reason-.-
Thanks for a great vid on dual battery setup. I've got the kit but not had time to install it yet. Can you change from batt 1 to 2 while the engine is running?
Good question, I await an answer on this too. Can't see why not. Might be a problem though if you were dealing with huge giant forklift-sized batteries and a charging system that put out hundreds of amps, but then you'd be using much heavier switches anyway. Even so, on the small-scale level we're at with Stu's setup, it makes me wonder how much of a shock (no pun intended) to the electrical system it would be switching on-the-fly, and whether any sensitive devices would suffer from potential surges.
I don't know if it's right or not, but I have had a boat with this battery setup for 12 years and I switch between the two batteries with the engine running and have not experienced any issues.
Yes you can but don’t turn it off while the engine is running or you will likely damage your alternator
Do you need a Inline fuse from battery to switch or just from battery to fuse block
This is one of the most overcomplicated projects people do. Keep it simple! Add a switch that gives you the option of running a single battery, battery 1, battery 2 or both. Here is how that works. Make your start battery, battery 1 and your house or auxiliary battery number 2. When starting the boat always use battery one and when running the boat have the battery switch selected to "both" so both charge. When the motor isn't running select battery number two too power everything you wish to use when the boat isn't running. The important thing is to keep the switch selected to both when the boat is running so both batteries will charge. You can hardwire your bilge pump to either battery with an inline fuse. If you have starting issues due to a low battery 1, select both....
What size wire are you using from battery to switch?
made more sense the way it was explained and demonstrated rather then showing bunch of circuits..have a columbia mark 2 sailboat 34 footer...same setup as yours...so i should put an additional switch for the house batteries?.and protect the engine parts from damage. wouldnt want my keel to fall off so thinking of putting an anode bar near aft and link all negitive leads to it?
Hey Stu, if I was to wire my bilge pump to a switch in the front of my boat, (the lead will be 10 ft), would I be able to use the aluminum boat itself as the ground source? (This boat is strictly in fresh water), or would that cause an electrolysis problems.
Personally I would never use the hull as ground. I've seen it done even in salt water but I wouldn't take a the risk.
cant smell smoke , always good !!!! :-)
Anything short of melted wiring is a complete success!
Hey Stu, if electronics are wired straight to one battery and you say to alternate charging batteries every week or so. Would electronics drain the battery if you were charging the other?
By switching battery charging, are you physically removing battery lugs and installing on the battery that will be charging?
Hey mate
I'm on central coast any chance i could book my boat in for a wire up from you?
Cheers
I’m really late to this video.. but how would I wire a switch where I have 2 12v batteries wired in parallel for trolling motor and other accessories and one 12v battery for starting ?
Hi Stu great vid thank you :) any chance you can add to this with a 6 gang panel switch please along with if needed the additional terminal block and negative bus bar setup etc cheers Paul
Thanks Paul. I'm going to be doing some more wiring on another boat soon so stay tuned!
Will do... looking forward to it!
Now you need two bilge pumps; one from each battery. You could also do the same thing with one bilge pump and two diodes but you'd probably need some heat shrink tubing for that complicated of a device.
A couple of bilge pumps would be good extra peace of mind. The sake of $200 it could save me a lot of time and money down the track, particularly with an old hull than doesn't have a lot of freeboard in storms with large wave height. They generally go down because rain makes them sit low enough in the water for waves to start coming over the transom. It all happens very fast after that.
I'm just thinking that I'd hate to see that thing sink if the bilge pump battery goes flat and the other battery is still full
After crimping the lug in the vise I take a punch and make a dimple in the lug which keeps the wire from pulling out.