Well Said Pete ! and BLA do sell online off there website.
http://bla.com.au/catalogsearch/result/?q=bep
Joe
Last edited by battler1; 27-11-2011 at 03:10 PM. Reason: more info
Thanks for all the advice. I have done the dual battery set up which will come in handy for my camping and other needs. I will now feel more comfortable doing some night fishing as well now that i can run my sounder, anchor light and the smd led lights i installed as well as charge the iPhone without any drain on my cranking battery. I'm also planning on installing a VHF after i do the course in the near future.
Cheers, TT
Yeah i'm with you. Sounds like a good setup.Originally Posted by Scalem
Thing about dual battery systems, is that simply carrying a second battery or jumping source with a reserve is actually a good dual battery system itself... taking it to the next level is so often done for convenience rather than safety and u could argue the more conveninece the less safe.
The advent of bigger charging currents of newer 4sts i reckon has sponsored hooking the 2 batts up so u can charge them both...but realistically its just adding another timebomb of elecitricals that will eventually need replacing, or at the very least checked regulalry..and could just as easily let u down if u need it one day. Also can potentially reduce the life of expensive batteries if not done really well.
Do we really need to connect them up together if charging a house isnt required ? i.e. if no heavy current drawing equipment of a donk that doesnt put out much charge current anyway. Never owned one but recently surprised to find even a yammie 2stk 70hp only choofs out about 6-7A charge current.
As u say u have 3 backup plans. More than most guys and all good...and i'd much rather and happily ride shotgun with you than with the guy that has a 4 yo schmancy dual batt system with now ageing batteries and connections he never checks...which lests face it is the norm.
You dont need to be concerned having to buy 2 new batteries simialr, worry about one draining back to another and adding yet more gizmo, being careful with the hose, replacing corroded stuff, etc etc etc.
Surely the ENTIRE brief of a dual battery system is safety yeah ? Was a time when many would have agreed that LESS electricals is SAFEST.
If he had a 150 4stk, or luvved his led zeppelin at 100DB or ran a fridge or whatever i could see a reason...but surely with a 50hp enclosed waters camping just carryinf that second batt is an even better dual battery system with less risk of failure over time. If u dont require charging the second battery whilst out there why bother sacricing safety by hooking them up together ?
Maybe i should just change my name in here to "old school old fart with outdated opinions"
Agree with Deckie wholeheartedly.
I'm a great believer in the KISS principle,not to mention saving money.
One LED---bloody hell why the hell would you even consider a second battery.
If you are uncomfortable at all with the thought of running a teeny weeny LED off your main battery then just up the size of your start battery a whisker.
I do this for a living and I can absolutely guarantee that you wont have a problem,even if you camped for THREE days you will DEFINATELY still be able to start your motor off the switch.
G'day Guys,
Deckie, I have to agree and disagree with you at the same time.
Everyone is entitled to do whatever they want to their boat for whatever reason... if they are happy with jumping a single light from a spare battery for the occasional overnighter, then go for it.
In this case, Tailortaker had asked about setting up a dual battery system which is permanent in his boat.
He like many, many people has decided that the dual battery setup is best for him.
He has chosen the standard rotary battery switch which will do what he needs it to do, so long as he remembers to turn the switch to the correct position. Simple - yes... easy to forget - yes.
Which leads me back to the BEP battery cluster I mentioned earlier.
This gives completely separate start and house batteries.
Start is just for starting the motor, no electrical accessories are run from the start battery and the battery is kept fully charged just for starting.
The house battery runs all the electrical accessories. This battery can be run completely flat without fear of flattening the start battery.
The chattering of the VSR can happen but is uncommon. It is only if you are right on the 13.7 cut in and you have a very small charge coming into the battery - we normally only see this on small solar panel charging setups and incorrect installations.
Tailortaker's switch has cost him about $40 - the BEP switch with VSR would have set him back about $200 more.
Cabling and everything is the same as the standard rotary battery switch.
You still have to buy a battery even if you sit it in the cabin and use your jump method.
Each to their own, but another $200 (not thousands) would give him what I consider to be the best setup you can have for dual batteries.
There are other brands and styles, none better than BEP for the marine environment.
Sorry Mate, but I can't agree with the safety issue of using a BEP battery cluster. Some don't, but most people do maintain their equipment quite nicely.
In comparison, with safety, we could also talk things like:
Explosion from fuel vapour and sparks from jumper leads;
Spare battery not tied down and falling over spilling acid;
Spare battery not tied down and flying through the boat if you hit a wave;
Fire or melted wires from bypassing the fuse with the jumper;
Spare battery is flat and can't be charged easily;
Spare battery is faulty or flat and when hooked in parallel to the main start battery via jumper leads drags the good start battery down to the point that you don't have any start capability from either battery. This happens more often than you would like to think - more often with a standard rotary battery switch when it is run in the "both" or "1 & 2" position. Boat is going fine on the run out, turn the boat off and cant restart because one crook battery has killed the other good battery.
I think all this discussion is good.
People can read it and make up their own mind as to what suits them best.
Thanks Deckie!
Cheers
Pete
Thanks Joe,
My reference was to calling BLA - wont do you any good!
Yes, you can buy off their website. Only downside is you pay full RRP for the product, no discounts.
Cheers
Pete
im with you grand marlin, id prefer to have the ease of the engine charging both batteries and having no worries in regards to dead batteries.
its just so much easier, and if wired correctly there is no headaches at all, it it is a system that does not have to be played with.
i have 2 in dash volt meters that moniter my battery health and voltages every time in in my boat, it gives me the ease of just flicking a swicth to go and stop without having to carry a charged spare on board and playing with wiring.
ive just upgraded from the keeping a spare charged in the boat to a vsr dual system and i will never ever again carry a spare on the boat. its a extra 3 wires so its not at all any more complicated than a single battery.
most batteries are kept near fuel cells or tanks, and as a safety issue, id also prefer not to be changing batteries near fuel vapours.
my vote is vsr wins hands down, for ease of use and peace of mind
the corossion issue can be very easily avoided with some grease on the lugs and connectors and i believe that the lugs and connectors would outlast the batteries themselves.
i agree with only needing one battery for such a small load but these systems do work and work very well....
secondly one battery will not discharge into the other with a vsr system.the vsr system is just like a automatic switch and it physically cannot allow this to happen.
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