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E32-200 Schematic - Battery hookup

mjn

Member I
So we are swapping in an Norco Genius GEN2 and I was looking for a full schematic of electrical system. Everything I've found only shows a singe battery and no the battery selector switch.

I haven't rung it out but am thinking the ALL position puts the batteries in parallel. Seems switching it to off might be the best position for charging at the dock.
I'm thinking each channel out of the GEN2 manages each battery charging so leaving it in both position means charge is distributed and may be less than optimal when two batteries of different age (3 years apart) are being charged.

Anyone have any experience and thoughts around the best way to hook this up and ongoing use?
 

Frank Langer

1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
While the charger may be connected directly to the batteries, my marine electrician, who seems very competent and careful, connected our charger to the one, two, off battery switch and it plugs into an outlet in the 120 volt AC system. The charger is a 'smart' charger which automatically disperses the charge to the lesser charged battery.
The electrician recommended that I leave the battery switch on All for normal charging, and the DC panel switch on Both.
I turn off the battery charger when I disconnect shore power, start the engine on All, and when I turn off the engine to sail, I switch to 2, house batteries, for electronics, stereo, etc. to protect the start battery for restarting. But I normally then restart the engine with the switch on All so the Alternator recharges the house batteries as well.
I'm not an electrical expert, but this setup seems to work well.
Frank
 
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mjn

Member I

Thanks for this it's the most comprehensive explanation I've found.

The reality of our day sailing usage is that the batteries get charged by the charger at the dock and the batteries are not drained much by other things on the boat. The amount of time we run the motor to get in and out of the slip wouldn't charge the battery much.

The idea that any naive person could ruin the alternator by switching the selector switch to 'Off' while the engine is running is a major concern so connecting it directly to the primary battery instead of the switch common seems best for me.

What looks like the direction for us is hooking each charger channel to each battery with the switch set to '1' as the primary battery and rarely using the 'All' position unless either battery alone will not start the motor.
 
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Tom Metzger

Sustaining Partner
What looks like the direction for us is hooking each charger channel to each battery with the switch set to '1' as the primary battery and rarely using the 'All' position unless either battery alone will not start the motor.

Why would you want to combine a good battery with a dead one? The only time the battery switch should be in the 'both' position is when you want to charge the batteries with the alternator, IMHO.

I think this is one of those times that Maine Sail agrees with me.
 

mjn

Member I
Why would you want to combine a good battery with a dead one? The only time the battery switch should be in the 'both' position is when you want to charge the batteries with the alternator, IMHO.

I think this is one of those times that Maine Sail agrees with me.

Yes if one is completely dead 'All' will not help. However if you have two batteries that are not "dead" but both have less charge than is required to start the engine, putting the switch in the 'All' position will combine their remaining capacity and may give you enough power to start the engine.
 
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