Dual Battery Setup

[Jim_R]

Looks like I found my solution on the Yamaha Accessories page....

http://www.yamaha-mo...1/0/detail.aspx

Now to see if I am smart enough to install it once the boat comes in in a couple weeks.

Adding a second battery and creating separate banks is not difficult. Essentially, you mount the second battery where convenient, add a ground wire, move all connections from existing battery (except for the large cables running to the motor) to the new 'House' battery, then add wiring for an automatic charging relay and optionally a switch. As I've expressed elsewhere, I like the Blue Sea Systems products alot, but feel the Yandina more than adequate for most outboard motor based applications. I expect to post my install in the next two to three weeks.

 

[Chateau Vinne']

Perhaps the labor is lower up here ,but everything else is higher . Gas always at least 25-30 cents a gallon higher . Groceries are higher. the closest mall ( wife likes to shop still ) is two hours away . Even a Little Caesars Hot & Ready is a dollar more ( I don't eat them anyway )

Yeah, but it is a lot cheaper for you to head up to one of the Peninsula's and grab a nice glass of wine, then it is for me....

 

[Jack M]

I

Yeah, but it is a lot cheaper for you to head up to one of the Peninsula's and grab a nice glass of wine, then it is for me....

If you are referring to Traverse City ,I am not that close .

I am an hour and 45 minutes to the city limits then another 45 to wine country .

I am only 35 miles from the bridge .

Before we moved from Sterling Heights it took 3 hours and 40 minutes door to door .

Actually it is just a Petoskey mailing address ,we live in Springvale Twp .

 

[Jim_R]

Heres mine. I ordered it with the dual setup and my dealer installed the charger for $ 240.00 (included charger). Very happy. Gerry

Gerry, I suggest you invest in some terminal boots, for both positive and negative. Around here one would get a ticket running like that. The requirements call for a battery box, or terminal boots no matter where the batteries are mounted. Sorry for the nit picking, but safety first!

 

[gerry]

Gerry, I suggest you invest in some terminal boots, for both positive and negative. Around here one would get a ticket running like that. The requirements call for a battery box, or terminal boots no matter where the batteries are mounted. Sorry for the nit picking, but safety first!

Right Jim. Not nitpicking. This pic was taken right after the install. Covers were installed about a day later. Thanks Gerry

 

[DJMbrooks]

I'm late into this but I did just have the Yamaha switch put in my Benny. So far so good. Simple operation and I love the automatic isolation aspect. If I'm enjoying a long day with the fridge running, tunes playing and beers flowing, I don't have to remember to switch batteries, or crank the engine from time to time. It automatically isolates the cranking battery to preserve it if the voltage starts to drop. At least in theory. Not sure how I would know if the switch stops working, without running a meter from time to time to check on it. A nice side benefit is it also allows the trickle charger to charge both batteries without switching. I get nervous with all things electrical so I had a dealer install it. Good luck with your install!

 

[kaydano]

With the Blue Sea relay, you can run a wire to an indicator light (LED) that tells you whether it's working or not.

I can also hear it click when the relay operates, but you have to be very close to it to hear it.

 

[Rockie69]

How "close" do you need to be? Holding hands close or tongue in cheek close? Sorry couldn't help it... Lol

 

[kaydano]

Ha ha ha.

You have to bend over and have your head right down there.

 

[Jim_R]

Yandina must have anticipated how awkward that would be - the C100 has an LED mounted on the unit that indicates if the banks are combined (green) or if the unit has shut itself off for a time due to temperature overload (red).

 

[kaydano]

I forgot earlier, but the Blue Sea has an LED on the unit too. Since my unit is buried under the lounger, it isn't easy to see. It also has an external terminal so you can run a remote LED where ever you want (dash, for example). You have to provide the LED though.

They also have another terminal that you can run a wire to your starter switch, so when you start the boat, it ensures the house electronics are isolated so your electronics don't see voltage spikes during starting. The Yandina is probably similar.

 

[Remediation]

FYI for dual battery setups. I had our dealer install a 2 battery setup on the boat last year using the Penko manual switch. We had it winterized at the dealer and then we stored it on our property in KY. It is actually shown on Google earth for Link to see. Saturday morning I bring the boat over and get it ready for launching. I switch to all on the switch and have absolutely no batteries. We have the I/O and I can not raise the hatch which has a electric actuator to get at the batteries. There is a o'crap cable on the actuator for this situation but never had to use it I can not find where it is. I unplugged the wiring harness for the actuator switch and using a battery jump box and paper clips get power to the actuator and raise the engine hatch. For the I/O owners, jump the black/blue and blue/black wires. One way is up, the other down. I am going to get the section of harness that goes from the plug to the switch and leave it on the boat for this situation.

I look at the house battery and there are 3 small wires on the positive terminal. The starting battery was 4 years old and I believe it just decided to die. The house battery was new but the way the dealer wired it it was not totally isolated with the switch off. I called the dealer this morning and talked to the mechanic that did the work. They wired the engine bilge pump, the engine ECM and the radio memory direct to the house battery. After 6 months it took all the power out of the battery. It is my bad for not checking the work but I thought I would get a system that killed everything when I switch to off. Reason for this post - Know what you really have, With the I/O's we can not easily pull the batteries for winter storage. I am going to disconnect the radio memory now and when I winterize the boat have them disconnect the pump and ECM. Bought a new starting battery and charged the house battery overnight. We launched Sunday morning to bright sunshine, 58 degrees and 25 mph winds. Boat ran great and I either got sunburned or windburned. There is some much debris in the lake that our dock is unusable for now. The lake has raised 35' for the first time in 6 years and there is everything floating in the water. Back down next Monday to put the boat in for the kids to use on Memorial Day.

 

[TomS]

I'm currently converting my factory dual battery setup to separate them into a start and house battery, and add a Blue Sea SI-ACR automatic charging relay and "Off/On/Combine" switch. I've done this on other boats and what I've learned is that almost every boat seems to be different, even the same brand from year to year. I really appreciate that Bennington shares the schematics so you can figure this out on your own or share with a competent marine mechanic to do it. Bennington's current "dual battery" setup is a switch "OFF", "1", "2", or "1+2". With that last position, you can parallel 2 in a pinch and charge them when combined as long as they're the same battery type in about the same condition. There are many pro's and cons to that I won't go into.

Another thing I've learned is that each engine package has its own unique requirements. The Verado I have, and any Merc with Digital Throttle and Shift (DTS) and integrated power steering is especially unique because the electronics are very sensitive to voltage level, but it's still quite manageable with the proper information. The key thing is you MUST minimize the number of intermediate connections as they're eventually going to corrode, usually where you can't see the darn thing. Merc specifies several connections that should go directly to the "start" side battery - (1) engine, (2) DTS, (3) power steering pump, and (4) Smartcraft harness. Usually there isn't really a need to switch them "OFF" other than maybe for security, so I don't bother passing that through the switch. Basically, everything related to the engine goes to the "start" side, all else to the "house" side. Some boat manufacturers mix and match these connections in ways that can create problems.

When I checked my rigging it was mostly right, but I'm correcting a couple things as I go. The 2275RCW with 2 port batteries and 55g center fuel tank (ESP) has precious little space under that rear lounge for this setup, using Group 31 batteries, so it takes some creativity. I noticed Gerry's RCW picture was quite a bit different than mine and very clean(!). Mine looks like a rat's nest, and the batteries will take major contortions to remove. Hopefully in another couple weeks I will have worked through it and can improve things a bit. Ultimately, I'll just set it to "ON" during season and let the ACR do the rest for me, then switch it all to "OFF" in the off season or for long idle periods, along with a strong charge of both AGM's as a last step.

A note for those that might decide to DIY. Just like electrical codes for your home, there are special things to know about wiring in boats, especially closed spaces, specified by ABYC. That's what you pay the pro's to know, but if you go on your own, never scrimp on marine grade wire, heat shrink adhesive lined terminals, appropriate wire gauges, etc. I've seen fire in boats several times and it's a terrifying thing. If there's any doubt whatsoever, hire a pro, as some suggested here.

 

[kaydano]

In 6 months a lead-acid battery will die all by itself (even with nothing hooked up to it). The charge will wane, the lead plates will calcify, and once they are coated, it's done. Not reversible. Battery is finished.

Put your batteries on a trickle charger over the winter. Here's the one I have. As long as it is a "smart" charger, any will work. The Battery Tender brand is well known.

http://www.amazon.co...trickle charger

Bilge pumps need to be wired direclty to a battery (and not go through a switch). The reason is so your boat won't sink if it is unattended for long periods of time. This is not at all important with pontoons though. Even with the center storage, the other two pontoons will float the boat.

One last comment, I've mentioned a couple times that I decided to forego the battery switch altogether (for many reasons, but mostly because of the valet service not having to mess with it). What I never said was that I carry an extra battery cable (18 inches long, so more convenient space-wise than jumper cables) and a wrench that fits the batteries so I can jump start one from the other if I ever needed to. Just thought I'd mention this. That's how I got around not having the "1 + 2" on the switch. Note that you just need one cable to jump the positive terminals together. Negatives are already connected to each other.

 

[Remediation]

In 6 months a lead-acid battery will die all by itself (even with nothing hooked up to it). I sold batteries for 28 years. IMO They are not that fragile.

I will get a solar charger for next winter. We have no power where the boat is stored outdoors.

The bilge pump should not have a draw but the radio and ECM will. I am disconnecting the radio and will unhook the ECM and bilge when storing for the winter.

 

[BulldogsCadillac]

I'm currently converting my factory dual battery setup to separate them into a start and house battery, and add a Blue Sea SI-ACR automatic charging relay and "Off/On/Combine" switch. I've done this on other boats and what I've learned is that almost every boat seems to be different, even the same brand from year to year. I really appreciate that Bennington shares the schematics so you can figure this out on your own or share with a competent marine mechanic to do it. Bennington's current "dual battery" setup is a switch "OFF", "1", "2", or "1+2". With that last position, you can parallel 2 in a pinch and charge them when combined as long as they're the same battery type in about the same condition. There are many pro's and cons to that I won't go into.

Another thing I've learned is that each engine package has its own unique requirements. The Verado I have, and any Merc with Digital Throttle and Shift (DTS) and integrated power steering is especially unique because the electronics are very sensitive to voltage level, but it's still quite manageable with the proper information. The key thing is you MUST minimize the number of intermediate connections as they're eventually going to corrode, usually where you can't see the darn thing. Merc specifies several connections that should go directly to the "start" side battery - (1) engine, (2) DTS, (3) power steering pump, and (4) Smartcraft harness. Usually there isn't really a need to switch them "OFF" other than maybe for security, so I don't bother passing that through the switch. Basically, everything related to the engine goes to the "start" side, all else to the "house" side. Some boat manufacturers mix and match these connections in ways that can create problems.

When I checked my rigging it was mostly right, but I'm correcting a couple things as I go. The 2275RCW with 2 port batteries and 55g center fuel tank (ESP) has precious little space under that rear lounge for this setup, using Group 31 batteries, so it takes some creativity. I noticed Gerry's RCW picture was quite a bit different than mine and very clean(!). Mine looks like a rat's nest, and the batteries will take major contortions to remove. Hopefully in another couple weeks I will have worked through it and can improve things a bit. Ultimately, I'll just set it to "ON" during season and let the ACR do the rest for me, then switch it all to "OFF" in the off season or for long idle periods, along with a strong charge of both AGM's as a last step.

A note for those that might decide to DIY. Just like electrical codes for your home, there are special things to know about wiring in boats, especially closed spaces, specified by ABYC. That's what you pay the pro's to know, but if you go on your own, never scrimp on marine grade wire, heat shrink adhesive lined terminals, appropriate wire gauges, etc. I've seen fire in boats several times and it's a terrifying thing. If there's any doubt whatsoever, hire a pro, as some suggested here.

I'm currently converting my factory dual battery setup to separate them into a start and house battery, and add a Blue Sea SI-ACR automatic charging relay and "Off/On/Combine" switch. I've done this on other boats and what I've learned is that almost every boat seems to be different, even the same brand from year to year. I really appreciate that Bennington shares the schematics so you can figure this out on your own or share with a competent marine mechanic to do it. Bennington's current "dual battery" setup is a switch "OFF", "1", "2", or "1+2". With that last position, you can parallel 2 in a pinch and charge them when combined as long as they're the same battery type in about the same condition. There are many pro's and cons to that I won't go into.

Another thing I've learned is that each engine package has its own unique requirements. The Verado I have, and any Merc with Digital Throttle and Shift (DTS) and integrated power steering is especially unique because the electronics are very sensitive to voltage level, but it's still quite manageable with the proper information. The key thing is you MUST minimize the number of intermediate connections as they're eventually going to corrode, usually where you can't see the darn thing. Merc specifies several connections that should go directly to the "start" side battery - (1) engine, (2) DTS, (3) power steering pump, and (4) Smartcraft harness. Usually there isn't really a need to switch them "OFF" other than maybe for security, so I don't bother passing that through the switch. Basically, everything related to the engine goes to the "start" side, all else to the "house" side. Some boat manufacturers mix and match these connections in ways that can create problems.

When I checked my rigging it was mostly right, but I'm correcting a couple things as I go. The 2275RCW with 2 port batteries and 55g center fuel tank (ESP) has precious little space under that rear lounge for this setup, using Group 31 batteries, so it takes some creativity. I noticed Gerry's RCW picture was quite a bit different than mine and very clean(!). Mine looks like a rat's nest, and the batteries will take major contortions to remove. Hopefully in another couple weeks I will have worked through it and can improve things a bit. Ultimately, I'll just set it to "ON" during season and let the ACR do the rest for me, then switch it all to "OFF" in the off season or for long idle periods, along with a strong charge of both AGM's as a last step.

A note for those that might decide to DIY. Just like electrical codes for your home, there are special things to know about wiring in boats, especially closed spaces, specified by ABYC. That's what you pay the pro's to know, but if you go on your own, never scrimp on marine grade wire, heat shrink adhesive lined terminals, appropriate wire gauges, etc. I've seen fire in boats several times and it's a terrifying thing. If there's any doubt whatsoever, hire a pro, as some suggested here.

I'm very interested in what you're using for batteries and your placement, I'm looking at purchasing a couple agm batteries, I was thinking group 27 because of space, I'm looking for chargers as well, I wanted one like Gerry's, but having a heck of a time, no one will ship it to Canada, not sure why, it isn't a dangerous good. I had looked at Exide and Northstar pure lead batteries, crazy expensive though. Shoot me a PM or something on what you have and a pic or something, I don't care if it looks messy. Thanks!

 

[TomS]

I'll send an email with some very messy "before" pictures.

The best AGM's are Odyssey 1500 or 2150's. It just so happens that the Sears Diehard Platinums are the exact same batteries, made by Odyssey for about 40-50% less and a great guarantee, so I bought their group 31's. It is what is recommended for Verado's due to a minimum 800CCA/1000MCA/RC205 AGM only spec on them.