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I questioned him on connecting the ACR to the load side and he started talking about voltage drop to the batteries from added wire and connections. I asked him if there was anything significant resistance inside the switch (I would hope not) and he said no and conceded that it should work fine as long as all the connections were solid.
You are correct in your thinking. While the BlueSeas person is technically correct about voltage drop on the load side, in the real world that amount is negligible. Especially if you wire the ACR close to the main switch with good solid connections. I think for most of us, the ACR is going to be very close to the main switch - either on the supply side or the load side - virtually no voltage difference between the two.
In my boat, it is literally an inch difference in distance of wiring an ACR between the load side vs the supply side. Even wiring the ACR directly between the two batteries uses more wiring than just a couple of short cables between these two posts that are less than 3 inches apart.
@jetboater4life You had almost the same conversation with the Blue Sea tech department that I had 4 years ago, and nothing has changed. They build great products, but they build them for ALL varieties of boats. In our particular setup, we can absolutely get away without starter isolation, and we can use the switch/ACR to our advantage. Their diagrams and literature is generic and printed for literally thousands of boat manufacturers and models. I am glad you had a chance to bend his ear! Because they make quality products and have excellent support and help...just a phone call away!
Whose bus bars did you use @Rigger? Looks very much line my 230 setup and what I will do on the 240. Bus bars make it simple and then housing have to mess with the switch or batteries!
I also don't see your battery supply to each side of the switch @Rigger , I am sure I am seeing it incorrectly, but just not sure. I see the load of the amps on house batt bank directly, and I see the engines and all ACC on the ACC bus directly and on the start batt bank indirectly. Where is your batt supply to the switch?
Whose bus bars did you use @Rigger? Looks very much line my 230 setup and what I will do on the 240. Bus bars make it simple and then housing have to mess with the switch or batteries!
I first saw them at West Marine but got e'm from Amazon. Blue Sea Systems Cover ----> http://www.westmarine.com/low-amper...er-for-models-13176391-and-13176409--13176425 I figured this compartment is going to be full of stuff so I wanted to cover the bus bars as much as possible. I will also have a 400lb Wakemaker ballast bag in there.
I also don't see your battery supply to each side of the switch @Rigger , I am sure I am seeing it incorrectly, but just not sure. I see the load of the amps on house batt bank directly, and I see the engines and all ACC on the ACC bus directly and on the start batt bank indirectly. Where is your batt supply to the switch?
Alright, lets see. Let me start from the 3 O'clock position going clockwise on the switch. The red 4ga you see is from the start battery. Next the orange 1/0 gauge Knukoncepts wire at the six O'clock is from the house battery fuse, then at the nine O'clock is the same type wire running from the switch to the front of the helm into my fuse block, a SCOSCHE-EFX SBLOCK Digital 4-way 0/1 gauge DISTRIBUTION BLOCK with Digital amp read out.
Yea I sure did. I made my own battery tray and put them as far forward as possible to make room for the ballast bag. Heck the batteries and tray make 190lbs worth of ballast alone.
@Rigger How much "list" do you have with 3 batteries on one side Mike? I had my two group 24's on that side but as far back as possible. I too was considering a tray this time, but with AGM's you never have to move them much...unless your doing another unrelated mod! I think I moved them twice, once for LED installation, 2 years later when I did my RGB LED improvement, and I moved them when I did the stereo install and had to install that transom speaker back there. I know a few guys have put batteries on both sides of the boat. I am a little reluctant to increase the resistance that much by moving them apart. I certainly don't think you can use an ACR with that much separation. And if I did move one to the other side, then I would certainly have to use fuses on both ends of the cable just in case.
The covers on your busses threw me off. I had the same Blue sea 1/4"x20, 4 post bars, but the covers didn't have the yellow ends on them.
@txav8r Mel, It's a top and bottom piece. The cover that is. Comes with a tray with the 4 yellow hooks that the bus sets into before you mount it and then the clear cover that clips on top.
@txav8r Mel, It's a top and bottom piece. The cover that is. Comes with a tray with the 4 yellow hooks that the bus sets into before you mount it and then the clear cover that clips on top.
That is completely different than the one I had then. Bet they are proud of that! I found bars"and covers (old style) for about $5 apiece on ebay! That is about as cheap as it gets. But the cheapest price I found on the "add a battery kit" was $112 with free shipping. That is still a big savings over West Marine.
I have been contemplating the install, using what I know from my first install with this equipment, and what you guys have been doing since I did mine before. It seems separating these batteries adds more than resistance. Using this battery switch, means you have to run cable from the other side, back to the switch, and then on to wherever the load side goes. That doubles the resistance. So I was considering moving the switch to the starboard side, along with the new battery. Then you have to run extension cable over to the switch from the port side start battery and back. Either way, that is just too much resistance IMO. If I did two completely separate battery systems and did not use a dual switch and ACR, then I would have to install two switches. All of that kind of defeats my goal, which is the K.I.S.S. principle. So I am guessing the "listing" will be a part of the equation, unless I can find a 70 pound accessory to install starboard side to offset!
Even wiring the ACR directly between the two batteries uses more wiring than just a couple of short cables between these two posts that are less than 3 inches apart.
@maboat , yes, I get that. And to run from one side to the other...and back, will add a nest of wiring length. Not sure I want to create that much resistance to add 70 pounds (second battery) on the opposite side. Maybe you have some creative ideas on how to accomplish this without excessive resistance and cost? Hit me with it!
I have a question about the wiring coming from the engines and helm. I had four wires connected to my BEP 2post battery switch. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of it before I disconnected. Here are the wires (sorry for the crappy picture I didn't realize it was so bad until I posted. My batteries are disconnected atm.
Do I hook them all up to bottom side of the 1 post of the blue seas switch? Or is one of them the helm wire and that should go to the bottom side of the 2 post? Two are red and the other two are black but I believe they are all positive wires.
I have a question about the wiring coming from the engines and helm. I had four wires connected to my BEP 2post battery switch. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of it before I disconnected. Here are the wires (sorry for the crappy picture I didn't realize it was so bad until I posted. My batteries are disconnected atm. View attachment 7803
Do I hook them all up to bottom side of the 1 post of the blue seas switch? Or is one of them the helm wire and that should go to the bottom side of the 2 post? Two are red and the other two are black but I believe they are all positive wires.
@jetboater4life This thread is about the blue sea add a battery kit. Did you switch, or intend to switch, to the blue sea switch and ACR?
Let me take a stab at your issue however. Your setup will have two red engine positive cables that are 4ga wire., and two that are negative cables of 4ga wire. These are hour engine cables. Then you should have only two other wires. A cluster of wires that are tied together into one ring connector, these are all ground wires to your accessories. And a single wire coming from the harness right by the fuse in the battery compartment. That is your accessory positive connection. All the accessories end at the fuse, and them extend in a single wire, to that ring connector. Mine is also black, but I think it has a red stripe in the wire.
To connect to a blue sea dual battery switch, you have two posts labeled 1, and two posts labeled 2. You want battery positive on one side of the switch, meaning one battery connected to 1, and the positive engine cables on the opposite side if the switch on the other 1. Then the house battery connected to the same side on the #2 post as the start battery is on the #1 post, and the accessory cable positives are on the opposite side of the switch on the #2 post. There are no negatives on the switch.
A diagram makes this easier to follow. I can get you one tomorrow afternoon.
I have the the blue sea switch and the ACR combo. Thanks Mel @txav8r for your description, I'll go take a look and see if I can get it wired correctly and report back.
I hate not being able to see it clearly. Make sure that you place positive on positive and negative in negative. We had a guy this spring blow some fuses!
I'll take some better pictures tonight. It's a tight area with a ton of wires in there. The ballast bags prevent me from moving the batteries. Making the wires for this setup has been fun.
![20140701_145309[1].jpg](https://jetboaters.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/data/attachments/7/7771-ab7aef2d1f2ac569229b6850b86d02cd.jpg?hash=q3rvLR8qxW "20140701_145309[1].jpg")
