Battery Switch Amp Install Help

[Wrecked Rooster]

@Wrecked Rooster IMHO, FWIW, I would personally change that setup. Our engines do not draw like a typical outboard or inboard. They gave me the same spiel, and I talked to them multiple times, as well and I ran it by some Marine Electrical Guys, whom are quite familiar with our Yamaha boats and they preferred the breakers as close to the battery as possible so it would take the batteries out of the loop in case of high draw. When they do have multiple breakers for whatever reason in other boats where they draw more on engine start they will increase the breaker size but still have each battery with its own breaker as close to the battery as they can get them. We can start our boats with mini motorcycle batteries. If starting them is popping 100 amp breakers you probably shouldn't be running the boat at all till that is figured out.

If you short a wire you want them breakers to pop and take the batterie(s) offline. There is most certainly a good reason to add them to prevent fire or system damage, so I cannot agree with them on that either. It appears that the way you have it set up as well as the picture, if there is a short or other electrical problem there is nothing stopping a draw from the batteries till either components fry or wires catch on fire as long as that switch is on. It may never come to that, but a fire while you are off shore or wires melting and you cant run the boat, is a pretty bad spot to be in.

At the very least, keep it the way you have and put two more breakers in between the battery and the switch for safety. You could move the 100 amp ones down to the Batter to Switch cables and buy a couple of smaller ones for the ACR.

One more thing is that our stators don't put out as much as other types of engines alternators, etc. So having fuses inline with the ACR is somewhat pointless since charging will never come close to anything but minimal amps.

Of course you should do what you feel comfortable in doing.

I appreciate the reply. I’m totally out of my element when it comes to this stuff and won’t even pretend I know what I’m fully doing. I actually have some 60A breakers (same style as the pic) on hand if that would be better. I know you have your breakers between the battery and the switch and the ACR going to the same post as the batteries on the switch.

I still have the 3 factory fuses installed (bilge, stereo and everything else). I guess my question is, the factory setup doesn’t have a fuse for the motors. Wouldn’t adding a breaker/fuse from the battery to the switch do just that?

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Wrecked Rooster , no worries, that is what we are all here for is to help. Without this forum I would have had a lot more frustration and issues.

Yes it would exactly do that if you add breakers from the battery to the switch, it also will make sure everything else is cut off from power at the earliest point possible from the hole system. I only have my onboard charger going to each battery and one battery cable (Positive) going from the each battery to each of the two posts. Nothing else is on my battery, EXCEPT, my bilge. I used to have it on the Switch post on the other side of the breaker but felt that I should wire the bilge directly down on the battery, especially when I keep the boat in the water over night for a few nights. Always want the bilge to run.

It isn't tough once you wrap your head around it, it is pretty logical, you will get the hang of it. Weather you put the ACR right on the batteries or on the same posts or different posts on the switch it all works the same. Although actually I moved my ACR to the Load Side of the switch that way I get total Battery Isolation from the ACR when I am charging on my 4 bank charger with the switch off, Blue Seas mentioned to do that when we spoke and I verified it. Others just pop their breakers if they want before charging. I switched those two cables late in the season, didn't post a picture of it.

Simplest thing to do and what I would suggest is, put the 60 amps on the lines to the ACR where you have the 100's now and then put the 100's between the batteries and the switch. And you would be good to go. You could really eliminate the ones on the ACR if you like, but it doesn't hurt anything having them there.