Battery Switch Use
- Thread starter gardea23
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dont' leave it on both all the time, if you run down the batteries while on the hook you'll be dead in the water.
ideally, run on one battery one way, switch to the second one when you get there and run back on the same battery. this will insure both are charged and even if you run a battery down while anchored, you still have one fully charged.
if you switch while the engine is running, make sure you don't switch to off by mistake, that woudl damage the altgernator. many will tell you not to switch while the engine is runing, but that shudl be ok since battery switches always go to both between 1 and 2 so the batteries are always connected.
you could run on both to charge, but if one battery has a problem or is a little weaker, it's going to affect the other one. so unless you need to recharge both together, avoid runing on both
ideally, run on one battery one way, switch to the second one when you get there and run back on the same battery. this will insure both are charged and even if you run a battery down while anchored, you still have one fully charged.
if you switch while the engine is running, make sure you don't switch to off by mistake, that woudl damage the altgernator. many will tell you not to switch while the engine is runing, but that shudl be ok since battery switches always go to both between 1 and 2 so the batteries are always connected.
you could run on both to charge, but if one battery has a problem or is a little weaker, it's going to affect the other one. so unless you need to recharge both together, avoid runing on both
what kind of boat, and when you are done with the boat for the day where/how is it stored?
If you have a runabout style boat and the second battery is just for backup purposes then alternating batteries is a good approach.
If you have a cabin cruiser and need to run off a battery while you are anchored for the weekend then the issue becomes how you get the discharged battery charged back up. Ideally you would have the switch on BOTH while you were cruising so that both batteries charge. When you drop anchor you switch to just one battery. In the morning when it is time to go you switch to the fresh battery for starting, then switch back to BOTH to charge on the way home.
Unless you have a long cruise it is unlikely that you will fully recharge the battery you used for the cabin during your trip home. When you get back to the dock, or get the boat & trailer parked back in the driveway you may need to hook up the battery charger to get the batteries fully charged and ready for your next trip. If your battery charger has only a single output then you should have the switch set to BOTH for charging.
CAUTION: Do NOT ever move the switch to the OFF position while the engine is running!
Rod
If you have a runabout style boat and the second battery is just for backup purposes then alternating batteries is a good approach.
If you have a cabin cruiser and need to run off a battery while you are anchored for the weekend then the issue becomes how you get the discharged battery charged back up. Ideally you would have the switch on BOTH while you were cruising so that both batteries charge. When you drop anchor you switch to just one battery. In the morning when it is time to go you switch to the fresh battery for starting, then switch back to BOTH to charge on the way home.
Unless you have a long cruise it is unlikely that you will fully recharge the battery you used for the cabin during your trip home. When you get back to the dock, or get the boat & trailer parked back in the driveway you may need to hook up the battery charger to get the batteries fully charged and ready for your next trip. If your battery charger has only a single output then you should have the switch set to BOTH for charging.
CAUTION: Do NOT ever move the switch to the OFF position while the engine is running!
Rod
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This is not a stupid question. When switched to #1, only the #1 battery will be used, or charged while running. Same goes for the #2 batterry. If switched to both, both will be used and or charged, but like Pascal said, if one is weaker, it will affect how they are both charged and the low battery will draw from the good battery.
Not necessarialy.
If the battery charger has multiple outputs then multiple banks of batteries can be charged.
There are a lot of boats that are built with an integrated "converter/charger", fuse block and power distribution center. These setups typically are very poor battery chargers to start with and only single output.
Rod