Battery Switches

[Quetzalsailor]

Mr Clippers-in-hand here again.

I am approaching the electrical nerve center of Quetzal with the anchor winch cables in hand. I have fished from forward to alongside the engine. The battery switches are at the aft end of the engine and about three feet above it.

So! Here's the question. There are two, identical battery switches of the 'Off, One, Both, Two' variety. The lower one is wired with the leads from the two banks. Its common post is tagged with several leads, presumably feeding the starter solenoid and a couple busses. There are various minor leads taking power for convenience. I can't see any reason for nor understand the function of the upper battery switch. I'd like to simply remove it and tag the connections onto the switch below. Then, I intend to put the anchor winch breaker in place of the upper. Why would anybody have rigged the engine panel power off of a separate battery-style switch?

Here they are:

The engine electrical panel is immediately adjacent.

Overall view with the breaker panel folded down in the foreground:

Looking down past the lower switch:

Looking up at the same place; there's another connection post and distribution:

This is looking aft over the engine and under the countertop and the folded down breaker panel. Those busses are 12v+ and 12v ground and are original to the boat. When you drop a screw, presuming you can even get a screwdriver on it, it drops about 6' into the hollow keel.

Just to port of the previous picture, this is part of the Balmar-related charging and anti-noise system.

And this is as far as the winch wires had made it by time for a G&T had arrived a few moments ago:

See the winch placement post for the installation forward.

[Rachel]

Good to know G & T arrived right on schedule :D

I'm going to watch this with interest. I feel like the 1/2/both/all switches are out of date and clumsy, but... I'm not really expert enough to advise you properly.

Luckily plenty of people here are.

Rachel

[mitiempo]

There are many ways to wire battery a switch or switches. I don't think there is a need for 2 though. And there is nothing wrong with a 1/2/both/off switch. But the charging output from the alternator (or any other charge source) should not go through the switch. The best way to wire charging output is direct to the house bank with an ACR, Echo Charge or similar device to take care of the start battery. Then the single 1/2/both switch is for use only and both banks are charged automatically without your input being required.

I like to keep wires on main switches and batteries to a minimum. Using buses or powerposts can make for a neater solution.

[Quetzalsailor]

We're on the same page.

The charging system feeds both banks separately. The piece I don't understand at all is how (or if) the banks are isolated from each other. I've got a 100 amp Balmar alternator and their fancy regulator but that's upstream from the doubled mass of wire that feeds the batts. Since all that stuff seems to be behaving, I've left it alone.

The anchor winch will have its own wiring and breaker tagged directly to the house bank and separate from the rest of the boat.

[Figment]

I can see how some bit of pretzel logic could lead one to that configuration.

What if, maybe, one wanted to source "house" duties and "running" duties from different batteries, or both from one, all switched and independently selectable? That's how you'd do it. A catastrophic problem with either system would not interfere at all with the other.

I'm not saying it makes sense. Nor am I suggesting that one should use the multiposition switch posts as a distribution bus.

[Quetzalsailor]

I've spent a couple hours trying to understand what was going on. I failed, but this is what I found: The upper switch was powered on the 'common' pole by a heavy wire tagged to the hot side of the ignition switch. The '2' pole was powered by an inline fuse/breaker/??. The '1' pole had the ground side of the hourmeter and an unknown wire leading into never-never-land. I changed something around that battery switch last year and one result was that I had to find a new ground for the hourmeter. There is an interlock to require the engine to be running or to have shore power before the 12v refrigerator will run; perhaps that unknown wire is associated with the interlock.

I can never remember which bank (1 or 2) is the house bank; gonna' trace it and write it down - what an idea!

Bottom line is that I've stripped the upper switch out and will put the anchor breaker there.

I had to find a breaker for the new washdown pump. I had a spare on the panel but it was tied to the 110v buss that supplies all 110v breakers. I cut the buss and powered the spare off of the 12v side. Now all I have to do to finish the washdown pump power is to tag its ground to a ground buss bar in never-never-land - the very one where dropping the screw will mean it's forever gone (along with the roll of electrical tape I dropped this morning.

Prior to buying the anchor winch, with its need for real estate somewhere handy, I had planned to arrange the two battery switches as you suggested so that I could have a few select circuits hot while the majority were off.

[Quetzalsailor]

Should'a proofed before submitting. That '2' pole was powered from the same connection on the ignition switch that the 'common' pole was. Means that if the selector was set to 2 nothing whatever happened.

Something to be said for clipping everything out and starting over.

[Tom Young]

I read this several times, and I sure don't get it Doug. Especially the separate switch. I'm assuming you have 2 batteries one or both of which supply your engine starter.

Just thinking from scratch, I'd want the battery switch to be just that, ON/OFF for 1,2 or both. I'd want any charging from alternator(s) to connect at the alternator/starter/engine panel/+side of distribution buss bar, with correct fusing of all wires, none of those at the battery switch.

One reason being the danger of the high amps capable at the battery cables/switch. You can protect those (if you want) with correct breakers/fuses. But those wires coming off are not protected, and only after an inline fuse. Better to get power quickly to the distribution panels and protect each wire gauge downstream from there.

The power to energize the alternator, should come off the engine panel when you turn the key ON.

I just can't see any good reason anything should come off the battery switch except the battery cables themselves. Everything looks clean and well done in the photos around the panel. I think I'd just clean it up and simplify things.

I'd remove that extra battery switch, or use it as an ON OFF switch for a separate starting battery, which could also energize your windlass.

[Quetzalsailor]

I eliminated the 'extra' battery switch. The winch breaker is in its place. All the winch wiring is done save for mounting the hard-wired control switch and the teeny 5amp breaker for the control circuit. The winch runs in the correct direction from the foot switch, the control switch and the wireless remote. Time for a gin and tonic, except that it's about 55 deg here and blowing about 25kts. Brrrr! Pics tomorrow.