battery question (again)

[Akavishon]

I think I read all battery/charger related threads I could find, but still - nothing beats double checking with you experienced guys before making a move:

My E32 battery box (under the quarterberth) currently holds two Group24 batteries, both wet cell, Trojan 'starter' type. One of them died last fall, and instead of just replacing it I thought it would be nice to do a little 'upgrade' project this spring.

The idea is to move the surviving starter battery into the engine room, there's a convenient shelf just to starboard of the transmission which appears big (and sturdy) enough for the job. I'd place the battery into a spill-proof plastic box, tie it down nicely, and wire it to the charger and battery switch as bank 'start'.

For the existing battery box under the quarterberth, I'd get two fresh 12V wet cell deep cycle batteries, parallel them, and wire to charger and battery switch as bank 'house'. I figure all batteries are the same wet cell type, so my charger should be able to handle it alright. Not so sure about the alternator ... the old stock Motorola may be undersized, and possibly become the next project.

Other than that - are there any concerns placing a wet cell battery right next to the engine? Any safety or other issues there?

thank you, Zoran

 

[WhiteNoise]

I don't see an issue

I have almost that exact setup. Works fine with my 55 amp alternator and external regulator. I'm sure an internal regulator would do just fine also.

The only thing I added is an ACR and Dual Circuit Plus batter switch. This allows you to leave the switch on without having to switch to 1, 2, or both for starting, charging, etc. I have it wired so it tops off the starter battery first and then the house bank. The starter battery tops off in under 5 minutes (never timed it) as it's only used for starting and then moves on to the house bank.

Here's a link to the package I bought.
http://bluesea.com/category/1/productline/overview/329

Without knowing its specs I would say the battery charger should not have an issue. If it is undersized (and that would be a very small unit) you can expect longer charge times and heavier wear on the charger itself.

Hope that helps.

 

[u079721]

Sounds like a good plan. Putting a battery inside the engine compartment is not ideal, in that the heat accelerates the self-discharge rate, and shortens the battery life a bit, but it's done all the time. I have pretty much the same set up except that all three of my batteries were in the cabin. At first I bought a battery combiner to be able to charge the engine battery without leaving the battery switch to both house and engine, but after awhile I felt that was overkill as I mostly kept all three topped off with the battery charger, and used the house bank to start the engine. If like me you end up not really using the engine battery except as a back up, do at least monitor its charge level somehow.

 

[Akavishon]

done!

Thought I'd close the thread with a couple of trophy photos. Btw, I got new custom made battery cables from genuinedealz.com, would recommend them for quality work and quick delivery.

Next project will be to install the Victron battery monitor I just ordered :nerd:

 

[rwthomas1]

Very clean, very nice. Should be a good upgrade. RT