Blue sea add-a-battery question

[TOGA]

i plan on calling tech services tomorrow, but want to check with any of you that have installed the system.

I followed the wiring diagram. Installed diode to isolate start switches. Everything is just the way is is drawn up...but the LED will not light up showing status of system. nothing. I've rechecked all wiring multiple times.

Any suggestions or experiences?

 

[jetboater4life]

I installed this system and believe it is working based on my battery voltage measurements after many a day on the lake. However I have not installed the light yet, so I will report back when I get around to doing this. *disclaimer* I thought I would get to doing this last year and it didn't happen so there is a chance I might not get to it this year either, but I'm hoping I will.

 

[RightStuff]

I can check mine this weekend when I'm in the boat, I hooked up the LED, but never really checked it to see if it's working.

 

[jetboater4life]

I am going to wire mine to the dash, otherwise it's not that useful.

 

[Gym]

i plan on calling tech services tomorrow, but want to check with any of you that have installed the system.

I followed the wiring diagram. Installed diode to isolate start switches. Everything is just the way is is drawn up...but the LED will not light up showing status of system. nothing. I've rechecked all wiring multiple times.

Any suggestions or experiences?

@TOGA I don't have this system but I know diodes are polarity sensitive (positive and negative). Did you install it polarity correct?

 

[txav8r]

Look at the green light on the ACR itself when the batteries are combined. If that light lights, they are combined and that is what the LED you extend to the dash or wherever you want it comes from. If the added LED isn't lighting up when the one on the ACR is, then you haven't wired it according to Blue Sea. In my opinion, an additional LED in our boats just isn't needed. The great thing about this system in regard to our boats, is that the small, easy to turn over engines don't need isolation (maybe with the newer Connext system it is a factor), and it is a set and forget system, so knowing they are combined is easy...if you have sufficient charging to either battery, then the ACR combines and allows that charge to get to both batteries (it will charge the weaker of the two batteries first) If you place the ACR between the load sides of the switch, then the ACR will only close and combine the batteries with the switch on. That allows dual bank charging on shore power without ACR influence. @TOGA , on your '06 boat, there is not any need for the isolation, we don't have big v-8 engines that will corrupt our limited electronics. And...it is just as simple as I stated above...if your making charging current, the ACR relay is closed and combining the batteries, with or without another light.

 

[tdonoughue]

I will note that on mine I had to stick my head down near the battery to see the light the first time. It is inset a little, so if you don't know exactly where to look it can be hard to see.

 

[TOGA]

To clarify for some, I was refereing to the LED on the ACR itself, not a remote LED.

Sam in tech services was very helpful in explaining in better detail the system and the voltage required to close the acr switch.

The ACR will not close and combine the charge on the batteries until one battery reaches 13 volts.

I had my multimeter handy and checked all connections with him on the phone and the voltage of both batteries. ACR has power, but neither battery was at 13 volts. Both were between 12.55 and 12.7. At that voltage, the ACR will not close to combine the batteries for charging and thus, turn the LED indicator on showing that they are combined.

I have placed the batteries on a charger / maintainer in an attempt to get them to a 13 volt level to see what happens.

The reason I wanted this system was to make sure I could isolate the sound system and run it off the housebattery and then get it charged. Based on a better understanding of the system now, it may have been a waste if the Start battery won't charge to 13 volts to then combine the charge through the ACR. The work around is to combine the batteries on the switch manually when running.

Still welcome feedback, but now the comments I read aboutour boats not having alternators and using stators and requiring little to start is making more sense on why I didn't see the LED stating the batteries were combined for charging.

 

[tdonoughue]

Are those the voltages you are seeing with the engine running or not? Hopefully you say not. The idea is that it combines when the engines run and the voltage is then higher on the system.

Otherwise, you may have a stator or connection problem.

 

[txav8r]

Your charging system will more than supply the 13 volts required to close the relay. Our charging system is small compared to a cars alternator, but that is amps, not volts. And your shore charger should put out more than 13 volts as well. If you have a battery issue, then all bets are off. But two good batteries and a charging system will supply over 13 volts to close the relay. Did you wire it like Blue Sea showed or like many of our diagrams here show?

 

[TOGA]

Are those the voltages you are seeing with the engine running or not? Hopefully you say not. The idea is that it combines when the engines run and the voltage is then higher on the system.

Otherwise, you may have a stator or connection problem.

Volt readings were similar with no charge source and the engines running. I only had the engines running for a short period as i was checking it in the driveway with not water source.

I hooked up a charger yesterday and will check the voltage tonight and check voltage when running on the water this weekend.

I have never had a problem starting or with a battery until a couple weeks ago after installing the new battery with a new sound system. Amp started cutting out and the house battery had gone down to 8 volts. It was early in the morning and there hadn't been a load on it at all. That fact is what led me to believe that the ACR had not been charging the house battery over the previous two weekends.

When I took the volt reading on the battery yesterday the batteries were both between 12.5 and 12.7 and neither had been on shore power or charge source since being on the lake lake weekend.

 

[TOGA]

Your charging system will more than supply the 13 volts required to close the relay. Our charging system is small compared to a cars alternator, but that is amps, not volts. And your shore charger should put out more than 13 volts as well. If you have a battery issue, then all bets are off. But two good batteries and a charging system will supply over 13 volts to close the relay. Did you wire it like Blue Sea showed or like many of our diagrams here show?

The acr is wired as Blue Sea directed and diagramed.

 

[tdonoughue]

Why did you install a new battery?

I think you probably have a problem with your charging system, rather than with your battery or the ACR. If your charging system is only providing <12.5 volts, it isn't charging. So your battery is just running down. I would test each stator separately and check your connections.

 

[txav8r]

You can test the ACR by hooking it to trout car with engine on, or just hook the shore charger up and see if it closes. It should do so pretty quick once the interlocks are satisfied. I would verify te batteries are good. Now let me say this, at idle, these engines do buyout out enough voltage to close the relay. But at cruise power it certainly will if your charging system is working. Check all connections. I have simple wiring diagrams and they are all over the forum. But I don't have them on my phone. Any of you guys have one of my diagrams? I am guessing he has it hooked up wrong. Did you install the 10ga ground wire for the ACR? Only positive wires connect to your switch and ACR except for that one.

 

[TOGA]

Why did you install a new battery?

I think you probably have a problem with your charging system, rather than with your battery or the ACR. If your charging system is only providing <12.5 volts, it isn't charging. So your battery is just running down. I would test each stator separately and check your connections.

I installed a new battery as the second battery. I only had one battery to begin with.

 

[TOGA]

You can test the ACR by hooking it to trout car with engine on, or just hook the shore charger up and see if it closes. It should do so pretty quick once the interlocks are satisfied. I would verify te batteries are good. Now let me say this, at idle, these engines do buyout out enough voltage to close the relay. But at cruise power it certainly will if your charging system is working. Check all connections. I have simple wiring diagrams and they are all over the forum. But I don't have them on my phone. Any of you guys have one of my diagrams? I am guessing he has it hooked up wrong. Did you install the 10ga ground wire for the ACR? Only positive wires connect to your switch and ACR except for that one.

The switch is installed properly and wired properly per the blue sea diagram. I verified all that with Sam at blue seas tech services as we were trouble shooting. I had my stereo guy do it and run proper gauge wires and fuse it. We verified acr is getting power and is grounded. Only positive wires to A and B poles.

 

[TOGA]

Why did you install a new battery?

I think you probably have a problem with your charging system, rather than with your battery or the ACR. If your charging system is only providing <12.5 volts, it isn't charging. So your battery is just running down. I would test each stator separately and check your connections.

How do I test stators. That is something new to me and don't know where to start except to ask and follow your guidance.

 

[txav8r]

Simple, just put a multimeter on the battery while running. It will read what the charging system is putting out. It should be at 13.3v or greater. Our regulators don't limit at 14.4v like a car or big block boat. Be sure your at cruise, it won't make voltage at idle.

 

[YamahaForMe]

Are you sure you hooked the starter cut-out correctly? Mine was miswired and the ACR never closed. I recommend disconnecting this wire until your other issues are worked out. It is currently not connected on my boat, and I have not noticed any electronics cutting out during engine starts.

On mine, if the battery gets depleted enough, the charging system voltage is too low to close the ACR. It catches up eventually. I have to admit though, that I'm basing this off of the partially broken battery voltage LED displays that were added by the PO. I don't have the remote LED wired in to monitor ACR status.

Steve

 

[TOGA]

Simple, just put a multimeter on the battery while running. It will read what the charging system is putting out. It should be at 13.3v or greater. Our regulators don't limit at 14.4v like a car or big block boat. Be sure your at cruise, it won't make voltage at idle.

simple enough. will be on the water this weekend with the wife at the helm and will get some readings. thanks.