Newbee to the board needs help with battery wiring

[butchstivers]

Hello, Board. I hope someone can answer a question from an electrically challenged fisherman.
I have a 23 ft centerconsole fishmaster with a 24 V trolling motor. Presently I have 3 12v batteries (all new). One battery is wired for starting the motor and also powers the house accessories (radio, gps, lights etc), the other 2 12V batteries are wired in parallel to give me the 24 v I need for the trolling motor.
I just added a bait tank with 2 pumps and don't want to put them on the 12V starting battery for fear of draining the battery and not being able to get home from a day of fishing. Actually I would prefer to just have the 12 V battery connected to the motor and nothing else.

Oh and there is no room to add any more batteries. Can someone please send me to a place I can get an idiot proof wiring diagram for what I want to do.
Rgds

 

[TonyNoriega]

Re: Newbee to the board needs help with battery wiring

Butch:

This link takes you to both a description and a diagram of a 3-battery wiring scheme. I used it to wire my batteries and it works great.

http://www.mbcboats.com/fusionbb/sh...post/217614/hl/2+battery/fromsearch/1/#217614


If you decide to wire your new bait pump to the main starting battery, if it does run low you can just switch your battery selector to the backup battery (which is one of the trolling batteries) and you're good to go.

Peace of mind....

 

[butchstivers]

Re: Newbee to the board needs help with battery wiring

Tony, You are DA Man. Thank you so much. You have no idea how long I have struggled with this problem.
Butch

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Newbee to the board needs help with battery wiring

That system will work but I see two issues. #1 -- run down the trolling batteries and neither one will start the engine. #2 -- running all of the accessories, livewell and baitwell pumps etc from the start battery is a big load for that as well. I would carry a jump start box if I were you.

 

[azlakes]

Re: Newbee to the board needs help with battery wiring

the other 2 12V batteries are wired in parallel to give me the 24 v I need for the trolling motor. Rgds

hi butch... double check that. parallel will get you same voltage. series will double it. so for that 24v trolling motor you'll hafta get them in series. Silvertip?

 

[butchstivers]

Re: Newbee to the board needs help with battery wiring

My, Bad , Silvertip, They are wired in series. I said I was electrically challenged. I have just completed the wiring per the drawing tony sent me. Every thing seems to work just fine with a couple of exceptions.
1. I noticed when the radio is on and I turn on one of my pumps, the radio goes off--that's not right--- and
2. I am running a suzuki 225 and I can not find the wire coming from the alternator that will charge the batteries?? There was one 14 ga orange and white wire with a fuse holder connected to the pos terminal on the starting battery that I can not find what it is connected to so for now it is loose. There was only one large red and one large black from the motor to the starting battery??????? and
3. I noticed that my 110v 3 bank battery charger which is connected to each of the batteries is only charging one battery.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Newbee to the board needs help with battery wiring

You are giving us lots of information but all of it is confusing unless you specifically identify which batteries you are talking about at any given time. The batteries in series are your troller batteries. The one for the engine is the start/house battery. Refer to them that way. You said you have a three bank charger but only one battery is being charged. Which one and how do you know the other two are not being charged -- did you check the output voltage with a meter? It may be the indicator light is burned out on the charger. As for the wire from the engine that charges the battery (the START battery) that would be the large battery cable from the engine that is connected to the POSITIVE terminal on the battery. The other end of that cable connects to the starter solenoid on the engine. If you check that, you will see a smaller wire on the same terminal. That wire comes from the regulator and charges the battery through the battery cable. I have no idea what the 14 gauge wire is with the fuse holder but there is a pretty good possibility something on your boat doesn't work and that's what that wire is for since its disconnected. Is there a chance that this wire is from the battery charger?? The reason the radio cut off when you activated the live well pump is the system voltage probably dropped below the low voltage protection circuit for the radio and it automatically shut down. Does your boat have a voltmeter on the console. If it does, what does it read with the key on-engine off, and with the engine running? Are you sure you have a "good" start battery?

 

[butchstivers]

Re: Newbee to the board needs help with battery wiring

http://www.mbcboats.com/fusionbb/sh...post/217614/hl/2+battery/fromsearch/1/#217614
Thanks for your patience, see if this helps.
originally when I got the boat (used) it was wired with 2 12v batteries in series for the trolling motor. Everything else was connected to the start/house battery. I didn't like that arrangement and wanted to re-wire through a battery switch so I would have some confidence in getting home after a day of fishing.

All 3 batteries are new - the trolling motor batteries are deep cycle and the start/house battery I am not sure if it is deep cycle or not. I do not have a voltmeter on the boat.

I used the diagram that was sent to me (see link) and rewired accordingly.
Before I started, however, I marked all the wires that came off the start/house battery.
1. Large red on pos terminal from motor large black on neg terminal from motor.
2. a red wire on pos that went to the main fuse box and a black from the neg terminal that went to round.
3. the mysterious orange white wire with a fuse holder was connected to the pos terminal.
4. The 3 bank battery charger has 3 distinct (black and red) wires coming from it.

So here is what I did:
1. I took the red from the motor and went to the common on the battery switch. I also took a new wire from the common on the switch and connected it to a new fuse box (this is what I installed to carry the new pumps) as well as going to the main fuse box.
2. I left the black wire from the motor connected to the starting/house battery as well as running another ground from the starting/house battery to a ground buss bar. From the buss bar I ran a wire to the neg post of trolling motor battery 2. The ground from the main fuse box and a ground from the new fuse box also went to the ground buss bar.
3. Lastly I connected the pos and neg leads from the 3 bank battery charger to each of the batteries (battery one leads to battery one and batttery 2 leads to battery 2 etc)..

I did not check the output voltage but I will do that. And I will try and find out where the mystery wire goes.

The battery switch is currently in the off position. Can you tell me if what I have done so far sounds correct.
Thanks