bkhitchens
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2011
- Messages
- 40
I have read the manual on this, searched the forum and still don't know how this works.
I have twin 302 fords in the boat, thus dual batteries and dual alternators. I don't understand what is being charged and by what.
I run the boat with the battery selector switch in the "on" position. There are two more settings on the rotary switch, but the next setting over does not say "both" as the manual suggests. It just has a line connecting the next two settings and the last setting says "emergency start only" or something to that effect. The manual suggests that in the "on" position the #1 battery is charged by the motors and this is the battery that the motors start off of. My belief is that the other battery charges the house systems. The manual suggests that in the "both" position the #2 battery is charged. I may not be quoting the right, but what I was trying to find out was how to charge both or each batteries with the alternators.
The reason I ask this is due to not having 12v power on two recent occasions. The first was after I thought that I had charged the batteries with shore power. I had blown a GFCI outlet which the charger is fed from and was unaware that the charger wasn't working. We went back out for a while and came back in the dark. The house system battery ran out of juice and I lost my gauge lighting, nav and anchor lights, and everything else. Was there a way to have had the motors powering the house system at that time?
The other night we stayed on the water. It was no time at all until my house system ran out of juice. This sounds like a bad battery to me. If not, what am I doing wrong? What type of battery is recommended for the house. I have read that one type of battery may be more appropriate for the house over the type for starting the motors.
I have twin 302 fords in the boat, thus dual batteries and dual alternators. I don't understand what is being charged and by what.
I run the boat with the battery selector switch in the "on" position. There are two more settings on the rotary switch, but the next setting over does not say "both" as the manual suggests. It just has a line connecting the next two settings and the last setting says "emergency start only" or something to that effect. The manual suggests that in the "on" position the #1 battery is charged by the motors and this is the battery that the motors start off of. My belief is that the other battery charges the house systems. The manual suggests that in the "both" position the #2 battery is charged. I may not be quoting the right, but what I was trying to find out was how to charge both or each batteries with the alternators.
The reason I ask this is due to not having 12v power on two recent occasions. The first was after I thought that I had charged the batteries with shore power. I had blown a GFCI outlet which the charger is fed from and was unaware that the charger wasn't working. We went back out for a while and came back in the dark. The house system battery ran out of juice and I lost my gauge lighting, nav and anchor lights, and everything else. Was there a way to have had the motors powering the house system at that time?
The other night we stayed on the water. It was no time at all until my house system ran out of juice. This sounds like a bad battery to me. If not, what am I doing wrong? What type of battery is recommended for the house. I have read that one type of battery may be more appropriate for the house over the type for starting the motors.