Solar panel and battery disconnect

[t.gordon]

I've got a 2016 Limited S E Series. It has the solar panels.

When I leave my boat, I usually turn the battery disconnects off. Will the solar panels charge batteries with disconnect off?

I do this so bilge does not run. My boat is trailered in my garage.

Thanks,
TG

 

[jdonalds]

It depends on how the solar panels are wired to the batteries. They could be on either side of the battery switch.

 

[Julian]

I don't know the answer to this....I would hope with the batteries disconnects off, everything would be disconnected. But if your boat is in your garage...unless you have some big skylights, the solar panels will be out of the sun anyway...right?

 

[Coheeba]

I found this in the manual but have not confirmed it.

 

[t.gordon]

I don't know the answer to this....I would hope with the batteries disconnects off, everything would be disconnected. But if your boat is in your garage...unless you have some big skylights, the solar panels will be out of the sun anyway...right?

I don't know the answer to this....I would hope with the batteries disconnects off, everything would be disconnected. But if your boat is in your garage...unless you have some big skylights, the solar panels will be out of the sun anyway...right?

I have four skylights on the roof of my building.

 

[t.gordon]

I found this in the manual but have not confirmed it.

View attachment 56311

Thank you.

 

[Nauticajetter]

Well crap. I have the same boat and always thought that I was trickle charging with my disconnects off. It makes sense that it kills all power turning the switch but where I park the boat is under a tree and gets just enough light. Do We have to keep house and start on?

 

[t.gordon]

Well crap. I have the same boat and always thought that I was trickle charging with my disconnects off. It makes sense that it kills all power turning the switch but where I park the boat is under a tree and gets just enough light. Do We have to keep house and start on?

I think I will turn my start off and charge my house with the panels.

 

[Coheeba]

Someone could test by putting a meter on the house battery and turn house battery on and off. If solar panel is hooked through the switch it will show a jump in the voltage (as long as you are outside during the day ). I will do it but it will be next week before I can get to the boat.

 

[Nauticajetter]

@t.gordon do you think it will work leaving one on and the other off? I love the trickle charging but not a fan of my blog always running. I guess I can turn the bilge off... but that scares me that I might forget to turn it back on when on the water...

 

[Nauticajetter]

Well I decided to leave both battery switches on and turn the auto bilge off. Heading to moab tomorrow. I might have to get a volt reader to figure this out when I get back cause I can see me forgetting to turn the auto bilge back on already...

 

[Nauticajetter]

Alright. I suck at electronics, maybe a guru like @Mainah , @Bruce , @swatski , @KXCam22 could help us find a way to determine which positions the battery switches can be in and still get trickle charging. Sorry to call out so many people but I am starting boating season and I store the boat on the trailer and don't want dead batteries or a bilge runnning for no reason ha ha. Free beer if any of you all stop by Utah!

 

[Bruce]

to determine which positions the battery switches can be in and still get trickle charging.

The charger should be connected directly to the batteries so the position of the switch(s) should not matter.

 

[Nauticajetter]

That's fantastic. Is there a way I can check to verify? The manual states that the switches must be on for the solar to charge. I hate that because I do not want my bilge cycling or me turning it off and forgetting to turn it back on when I hit the water. Thank you for the quick reply @Bruce , I keep hearing I can have the switches off but just like to know for sure.

 

[0627Devildog]

Alright. I suck at electronics, maybe a guru like @Mainah , @Bruce , @swatski , @KXCam22 could help us find a way to determine which positions the battery switches can be in and still get trickle charging. Sorry to call out so many people but I am starting boating season and I store the boat on the trailer and don't want dead batteries or a bilge runnning for no reason ha ha. Free beer if any of you all stop by Utah!

Don't leave out @David Analog. . . .

Find the lead for the panels and wire them directly to the battery. It's the whole reason most of us have solar panels. . . . To charge the batteries and keep them topped off while not in use. For those of you reading this who DON'T have panels from the factory, it's not that hard to do.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/solar-panel-mounting-project.6933/

 

[Bruce]

That's fantastic. Is there a way I can check to verify? The manual states that the switches must be on for the solar to charge. I hate that because I do not want my bilge cycling or me turning it off and forgetting to turn it back on when I hit the water. Thank you for the quick reply @Bruce , I keep hearing I can have the switches off but just like to know for sure.

@Julian, I bet you know

 

[Julian]

I was told by Yamaha that the switches had to be on for the panels to charge the batteries.

I assume if you turn of either switch, that battery would be prevented from charging.

 

[Nauticajetter]

I was worried about that. So I would need to leave on my house and start batteries and always have my bilge cycle to get trickle charging? I can turn my
Bilge off so it doesn't cycle but I worry i might forget to turn back into auto when I am on the water.

 

[Coheeba]

According to the service manual the solar panels are wired to the start battery and I ass-u-me that the DVSR takes over and controls the charging. So, it would charge the start battery until it reaches the 13.4 threshold and then joins the two banks. The switches would have to be on for it to charge. I am looking in to wiring (solar panels) directly to the batteries and bypass the switch. I also am going to hardwire an additional bilge pump with a float switch.

 

[swatski]

You may need to cut the DVSR loop or it is acting like a single bank (the charger will continue charging all your batteries as long as any needs a charge; consequently, the capacity may be diminished due to overcharging).

@Mainah was working on a solution for the solar charger. The other boats are okay AFTER DVSR loop and voltage display fixes.

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