Adding a House Battery
Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 4:02 am
Hello--As the start to my short boating season slowly rises from the polluere depths of the coal bleak Chinese winter, I have started to think about my summer boat project. Last year, I spent a few days wet sanding, compounding, and waxing the hull. I detailed that experience here.
This year, I would like to add a house battery to power the current accessories that are installed on my 1989 MONTAUK 17, and any future accessories that I will add. I am slowly building up the electronics on the boat and currently have an audio system that I would like to power when the boat is not running. Next season, I will purchase and install a GPS and depth sounder unit, and a fixed-mount VHF radio.
Adding a House Battery:
I would like to move my current dual purpose battery to the console and add a deep cycle AGM battery. Perhaps I should replace the current dual purpose battery with an AGM starting battery, but I will look into that at a later date.
I currently have a BLUE SEA SYSTEMS ST Blade Fuse Box with Negative Bus. Electrical power is provided to this box via the dual purpose battery.
To add a battery, battery switch, and automatic charging relay (ACR) I would like to use the BLUE SEAS Add-a-battery kit 120A.
I observed in this recent thread that Divin'Ivan installed this kit. Perhaps he has some insights and/or tips to share about the installation.
The instructions that BLUE SEA SYSTEMS provides (placed inline below) shows the negative connection to a negative bus bar. Am I correct in assuming that I should use this negative bus bar in addition to the negative bus bar located in the BLUE SEA SYSTEMS ST Blade Fuse Box? If so, could someone provide a short explanation as to why?
The instructions also show a positive lead from the starting battery to the battery switch, and then from the battery switch to the engine. There is an additional positive lead that is shown running from the engine to the key start switch. May I assume that my boat's current setup has a positive lead going from the engine to the key start switch via the bundle of wires and cables that currently connect the engine to the remote control box? If so, would there be a reason to modify this specific connection?
The instructions also indicate that one could add an optional switch from the negative bus bar to the ACR to prevent current draw when in storage. If one were to want to install a switch for this purpose, what type of switch should one use?
The instructions indicate that one should connect the ACR directly to the battery positive terminals using appropriately sized fuses. The chart on the instructions correlates fuse size to charging amps. I am unsure where I can find the charging amps for the batteries that I will use. I do see the maximum charging voltage for the AGM battery that I want to purchase, but I do not see maximum charging amps. Where can I find this information?
That brings me to my final question for this post: I will need to replace the wires running from the starting battery to the battery switch, and from the battery switch to the engine. I have read enough on this site to know that I need to select and use a wire gauge large enough to provide the necessary amps to start the engine and that resistance increases with the length of a wire. I am nearly 7000 miles from my boat, so I am not able to measure the run of wire that will be required for this application. I can, however, complete this measurement when I return home in 62 days (who's counting!) My SUZUKI DF70 requires 512 cold crank amps. If my run of wire is 12' or less, can I use 4-AWG for this connection? Do I need to provide additional information for this calculation to be completed? Would any classic Montauk 17 owners know the length of wire that is required to complete this connection?
Although I learned a good deal about electrical wiring last season when I rewired the navigation lights, and installed a JBL marine amp and Bluetooth receiver, I still have a good amount to learn. As always, I appreciate the insight, knowledge, and guidance that is provided through this forum.
This year, I would like to add a house battery to power the current accessories that are installed on my 1989 MONTAUK 17, and any future accessories that I will add. I am slowly building up the electronics on the boat and currently have an audio system that I would like to power when the boat is not running. Next season, I will purchase and install a GPS and depth sounder unit, and a fixed-mount VHF radio.
Adding a House Battery:
I would like to move my current dual purpose battery to the console and add a deep cycle AGM battery. Perhaps I should replace the current dual purpose battery with an AGM starting battery, but I will look into that at a later date.
I currently have a BLUE SEA SYSTEMS ST Blade Fuse Box with Negative Bus. Electrical power is provided to this box via the dual purpose battery.
To add a battery, battery switch, and automatic charging relay (ACR) I would like to use the BLUE SEAS Add-a-battery kit 120A.
I observed in this recent thread that Divin'Ivan installed this kit. Perhaps he has some insights and/or tips to share about the installation.
The instructions that BLUE SEA SYSTEMS provides (placed inline below) shows the negative connection to a negative bus bar. Am I correct in assuming that I should use this negative bus bar in addition to the negative bus bar located in the BLUE SEA SYSTEMS ST Blade Fuse Box? If so, could someone provide a short explanation as to why?
The instructions also show a positive lead from the starting battery to the battery switch, and then from the battery switch to the engine. There is an additional positive lead that is shown running from the engine to the key start switch. May I assume that my boat's current setup has a positive lead going from the engine to the key start switch via the bundle of wires and cables that currently connect the engine to the remote control box? If so, would there be a reason to modify this specific connection?
The instructions also indicate that one could add an optional switch from the negative bus bar to the ACR to prevent current draw when in storage. If one were to want to install a switch for this purpose, what type of switch should one use?
The instructions indicate that one should connect the ACR directly to the battery positive terminals using appropriately sized fuses. The chart on the instructions correlates fuse size to charging amps. I am unsure where I can find the charging amps for the batteries that I will use. I do see the maximum charging voltage for the AGM battery that I want to purchase, but I do not see maximum charging amps. Where can I find this information?
That brings me to my final question for this post: I will need to replace the wires running from the starting battery to the battery switch, and from the battery switch to the engine. I have read enough on this site to know that I need to select and use a wire gauge large enough to provide the necessary amps to start the engine and that resistance increases with the length of a wire. I am nearly 7000 miles from my boat, so I am not able to measure the run of wire that will be required for this application. I can, however, complete this measurement when I return home in 62 days (who's counting!) My SUZUKI DF70 requires 512 cold crank amps. If my run of wire is 12' or less, can I use 4-AWG for this connection? Do I need to provide additional information for this calculation to be completed? Would any classic Montauk 17 owners know the length of wire that is required to complete this connection?
Although I learned a good deal about electrical wiring last season when I rewired the navigation lights, and installed a JBL marine amp and Bluetooth receiver, I still have a good amount to learn. As always, I appreciate the insight, knowledge, and guidance that is provided through this forum.