Question/ie. batteries <dual batteries>

[smg1]

Hi. Could you all explain more about having two batteries on your boats. I have a 212SS and battery went dead while I was out on the lake. Thanks in advance. SMG1

 

[Dean P]

With a 2 battery setup, you'll have a starting battery and a house battery. Starting is for starting and the house (typically a deep cell battery) is for music while hanging out. You'll also have a battery switch to switch between the 2 or jointly for more power and for charging purposes.

I installed 2 AGM deep cell batteries on mine along with a dedicated on-board charger. Check sig for specs. I highly recommend a charger when the boat is not in use.

 

[Julian]

Dual battery set ups come in 2 primary configurations:

1. Main & House
   • In the config, you have one battery dedicated to starting the engines and one for all other power needs. There are typically 3 switches in this setup. One fir each battery and one to combine them.
2. Main & reserve
   • In this config, you have one primary battery and a reserve battery. There is typically one switch in this setup, with a 1, 2, combine and OFF setting. This allows you to either have everything running off battery 1 or 2, or to combine both batteries or turn them all off.

I prefer option 1 as it allows you to use both batteries all the time, and allows you to have a deep cycle battery for house loads and a cranking battery for engine starting.

Adding an ACR or automatic charging relay to either option allows the engine stators to charge both batteries.

Adding an onboard shore power charger with 2 banks allows you to charge both batteries from a dock or house power cord. This is faster and more reliable than hoping the stators can charge 2 batteries.