Begging advice from the battery Guru's

C

cemiii

New member
Joined
Feb 25, 2008
Messages
419
Reaction score
0
C Dory Year
1987
C Dory Model
22 Angler
Vessel Name
The Last One........ III
I understand that you should not run twins off the same battery, and why.
But, is it ok to run an electric start kicker and the main both off the common switched output post since they would never normally be running together? Or am I asking for alternator problems if I do this?

Second, I have a pair of parallel optimas in the cabin that run my inverter. They are currently not connected to the main or house batteries(which have a switch and combiner between them for charging). The optimas are connected to the 3 bank automatic charger and topped up as needed at home. I am thinking about hooking the optimas in parallel to the house battery for charging with heavy duty 2ga. wires. My question is, if I do this, should I add another switch and combiner between the house and optimas? (The house is a deep cycle lead acid) Just add the combiner, or just treat the house and optimas as one big parallel battery (with no switch or combiner)?

Just looking for advice, liability for final choice, entirely on me.

Thanks, Chris
 
Here are a couple of good pages to read- 1 and 2
 
Thanks C-Hawk, what that seems to tell me, if reading correctly, is (first question) that 2 engines off the common are ok.

and, what I now have is D/G. (with 2 engines and a 3rd totally unconnected double battery)

Where I'd like to go ideally is F/G

But my combiner (isolator/same thing?) only has 2 outputs, i think. So the question becomes do I buy a new 3 way isolator or can I daisy chain another double from the house to the optima batteries. And would this get me significant bang for the buck over just parallel switching the optimas into the house and when the optima bank gets low, opening the switch.

The other thing that is confusing me is that the diagrams almost seem to show a completely separate link from the alternator back to the isolator whereas I am trying to deal with the wiring with just the two oem wires now connected to the engines.

Does that make sense, or just cause you to get a headache too?

Thanks, Chris
 
Back
Top