Adding Another Battery

T

TurboWarp

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Hi All,

Hope you are enjoying the boating season. I am planning on adding a Clarion AMP to my stereo and want to add a deidicated battery for it. Is adding a battery just a matter of connecting the new one to the existing set? I have 4 type 31 batteries: 1 house, 1 p engine, 1 s engine, and 1 generator. I have two batery chargers. 1 for the genset and 1 for the other 3 batteries. Anyone know how to do this safely?

Thanks....
 
There are lots of different ways to do this safely.

Basically, you want to run a red (positive) cable of the correct gauge from the positive terminal of the new battery to a convenient b+ terminal. This can be the same place where all of the other red cables from your batteries join up, or it could at be the nearest heavy-duty battery switch at the unswitched terminal.

It's aways a good idea to have a battery switch on the positive cable.

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The negative (black) cable runs from the negative (minus) terminal of the new battery to ground. You can terminate this cable where all the other negative terminals join or you can connect to the negative terminal of another battery.

Use marine grade battery cable, switches and lugs. Anyone who sells the cable will have a chart to help you pick the correct cable gauge for your installation.

We haven't considered how you want to charge this battery other than the engine's charging system. You can also charge with AC powered chargers or your generator.
 
You mention you only want to run the amplifier off the battery why not add it to your house bank the way Yzer showed and run them both in parallel this will double the size of your house bank.
Bill
 
Agreed. Double the house bank. The single house battery is probably the weak link in your system. Make sure the new battery is of the same size and type as the existing battery so they will charge properly. It's best if the two house batteries are the same age as well.
 
Great point Yzer about type and age. I even like getting them from the same batch if possible.
Bill
 
I was thinking of adding a dedicated charger to this additional battery which would be a stand alone install. It would charge from shore power or from the gen set. I am concerned about changing things on my boat since I am a novice. I feel that all I need to do is tap in the the exixting AC system, which should be very simple as I will be down stream of isolaters etc. Just another ac load. I don't wangt to screw anyting up. I plan to install a small dedicated breaker panel near the stereo equipment as it is easily accessible. It would be very difficult to get to the existing panel which is behind the firewall. Also, I don't know the max the existing panel can support though it does have some extra bus slots. Overkill I guess, but since I don't really know what I am doing, it seems safest and easiest. I guess I could hire a marine elctrician but that probably still costs more.

Thoughts?
 
"Overkill I guess, but since I don't really know what I am doing, it seems safest and easiest. I guess I could hire a marine elctrician but that probably still costs more.

Thoughts?"

Yes, since you admittedly don't know what you're doing, skip the former and do the latter.
 
Well I suggest you look at the BlueSea ACR's. As far as adding a panel make sure all wiring is marine grade. Now the stereo and amplifier pigtails may not be marine grade but I would suggest as Capt. Bill said contact a pro. I still don't understand why you wouldn't double up the house bank. Actually tapping into AC circuits on a boat can be more difficult and potentially more dangerous than DC circuits in my opinion. One quick point if you are going to add a stand alone charger make sure if you have a gas boat it is ignition protected and on it's own AC breaker. I have heavily modified both in my boat but I have an extensive background and became a member of the ABYC so I could understand and have a boat wired to their standards. I just passed a serious top to bottom survey. There are 3 pages specifically about the systems and compliance. Wiring a boat is not that difficult but if you don't know the standards and the proper components you can end up with a worthless boat or an uninsurable vessel.
Bill
 
"but if you don't know the standards and the proper components you can end up with a worthless boat or an uninsurable vessel." -- Billylll

I agree, and would add, "... potentially unsafe."

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It is rather simple to add a battery to the house bank. It is more difficult to add a separate, isolated bank plus charging system. If there were no special reason for wanting the stereo on it's own, separate battery, I would avoid doing so. Having a larger house bank means that you can a) power the amp as planned, and b) if circumstances require it, you can turn off the stereo ( amp ) and use the additional power for other, perhaps more important, uses. Imho.

If your idea is to "use the amp till dead", as a way of limiting use, then your plan makes ( some ) sense to me. Otherwise, that is not how I would do it. ( I also would not "use it till dead"... but different strokes etc. )
 
Thanks all, for all the responses. AC connections will be down stream of all AC control mechanisms including ac breakers. Will check to see if mt existing two chargers are on dedicated ac breakers; that could be a deal breaker as far as doing it myself. AC use will be for battery charger only. The dc amps are very high draw, so will have separate DC wiring and panel and battery. I plan on using Charles marine battery charger, which is what I have now, but will definitely verify that it is ignition protected as I do have a gas boat. Of course will use all marine grade top of the line wiring. Any suggestions as to manufacturer are welcome.

I don't really “plan” on using until dead but want to design for reasonable contingencies given the total environment. I don't have a warm and fuzzy about the local marine electricians/techs that I have available to me.

Bill, why do you think a separate AC breaker is necessary?
 
Most boats have a circuit breaker for every device on the AC side of the panel. You wouldn't want all 3 chargers on the same breaker because if one failed and was tripping the breaker how would you isolate a problem? Also think about this unless you have a dry boat and the bilge pumps don't come on the battery that feeds the pumps would loose it's charge if the charger or chargers on that breaker tripped and depending on how often you go to your boat it could potentially sink. Other than outlets I can say every boat I have seen the boat always had every AC device has a breaker.
Bill
 
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