Second battery.

[MikeyL]

An ACR/VSR causing a dual bank charger to send a bulk charge to a fully charged battery and create an over-charge scenario may be just a bit extreme .... But it is a shame to turn a smart charger into a blunt charger with not much more of a fine touch than an alternator/stator. It's virtually impossible to devise a perfect charging system when one alternator/stator is often connected to two battery banks, whether in a boat, car or RV.
With a large audio system combined with a large battery A/H capacity combined with deep cycling at rest combined with a lite boat charging system (Yamaha), combined with an ACR/VSR, you have greatly increased your dependency on shore charging since there are going to be times when the ACR/VSR is not going to close out on the water. And, there may be times that the stereo bank will never see a charge again until it sees the shore charger.
I completely agree that you have got to have a dual bank charger and a scheme to keep the ACR/VSR fixed 'open' while in storage so the charger can profile and service each bank independently. This may not be as critical when the house bank only had to service a fishfinder at rest and the depletion was minimal. But once you cross over into big audio systems and big battery reserves you really need isolated shore charging and the ACR/VSR scheme needs to support this.

Once again, Totally sage advice. Hopefully more and more owners will read this post carefully, David, and learn from it.
It's kinda amusing that people will spend between $30K and $60K on a watercraft, and then make cheap-a** decisions involving important items like this one to save MAYBE $100. And actually in the long-run maybe cause themselves additional problems. Anyways.....Great post - Once again !
Mikey Luleian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

[mraz72]

I have an sx192 with just the single stock battery. I enjoy listening to music while anchored and I am thinking of upgrading the audio.

The first thing I think I need is a better battery solution.

I would like an additional batter and a charger.

My dealer says for $400 they will install the Yamaha kit with a battery. Should I let them do that and then install the charger?

Any advice on battery/charger combo. I see the MinnKota MK220D and it looks awesome.

 

[Island Jay]

I am not sure what the yahama kit is, but I am assuming it is a perko type 1/2/all/off switch + a battery. If this is enough, that will work.
Buying a 2 bank smart charger will keep both batteries topped off and peaked to perform on demand. Alternator charging cannot do that.
I have a guest 2 bank 12 amp charger for $81 shipped. Factory open box, 180 day warranty, if interested.
thanks!
Jason

 

[tdonoughue]

@Michael Rasmussen , we have had members who swore by MinnKota chargers (thinking of @Mikey). I don't have one, but have researched and they seem excellent. Top of the line, one might say. With a price to match, of course. By the same measure, @ChargerGuy offers great prices, has been an active member here and offers refurb/opened chargers with decent brand names.

Biggest comment that I have is if you want to save a few bucks for beer money and learn a good lesson about your boat, this is a very easy project to undertake yourself. And we can offer you lots of support to put together a very good system. Best of all, once you do the work yourself, you will know exactly where to look if something won't start or needs fixing.

Equally, if you just want to pay someone to do it, that is fine, too--we can help there. You will want detail from the dealer on what all is in his Yamaha Kit (probably 3 switches and a DSTR (I think that is the acronym--I have an ACR, so I am not overly familiar with that one). We can let you know how much the part costs, etc. to see if you are getting the deal you want from the dealer. And suggest alternatives.

 

[mraz72]

I would like to do it myself, where do I begin? What parts do I need? I am ok going with the Minnkota charger, nothing against chargerGuy, I just feel more comfortable going with a new, reliable charger.

 

[tdonoughue]

Great!

I would recommend a 2 battery system where one battery is dedicated to the engines (and starting them) and the other battery is the 'house' battery, for stereo, amps, etc. Blue Sea has an Add-A-Battery Kit (http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Syst...918119&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+sea+add+a+battery). It has the switch and the ACR. I put that in my boat and it works wonderfully. Simple to install and even simpler to use. The switch has 2 positions that you use, basically: on and off. Even I can handle that (there is an emergency setting if you can't get it to start, but I bet you never need that).

So, the magic of that system is that in normal operation, it will keep your batteries and systems separated while discharging. When the ACR senses a charge on the system (like from running the motors or from hooking to a charger), then it will hook the batteries together so that both can charge. With our boats, though, the motor running only provides the barest of trickle of charge. But, the ACR will do whatever it can with what it is provided. If you follow the links on the Blue Sea website, you will find the instructions, wiring diagrams, etc. (there is also a fair bit of info on here somewhere, too).

Then you will need a second battery. If you want, you can get another one like the one you have (normal flooded lead/acid). Best price is probably at Costco or Sam's--just make sure you don't get an old battery (dates are printed on them). If you want to step up a notch, AGM's never spill, don't need water, and use charge a bit more efficiently. And are priced accordingly. You will need a battery tray (either just on the bottom or a full box) so you can secure the battery where you put it (batteries bumping about is a bad thing).

Then you are on to the charger. You will want a 2 bank smart charger. Minnkota is an excellent one, but expect to pay for it (oh, and I am pretty sure @ChargerGuy does give a warranty with his chargers, btw, in addition to being about 50% off the new ones--not trying to persuade; just inform). The size you want will depend upon the size of the audio system you are planning on putting in. Basically, the more you pay, the higher the amps, the faster it will charge. I think most would recommend about a 10 amp per bank for normal sized systems (which should let you run for a day, put it away to charge overnight, and allow you to start with full batteries in the morning). You could get away with a 5 amp, but you might need a few more hours on charge to max out the batteries--so some of that depends on your use profile. And of course, you want to make sure your charger supports your battery type (most of the intelligent ones will do all types of batteries, but it pays to check).

So, I have typed a lot. How does all of that sound? Once we have your reaction to all of that, we can get to some actual wiring diagrams, which will let you better plan which types of wires you need, etc. Meanwhile, I expect others will chime in with their opinions, thoughts, etc...

 

[Bill D]

There are SOOOO many posts about adding a battery. I suggest doing a search and reading them. The first thing you'll have to do is figure what kind of set up you'll want. There are a few different ways to set up a dual battery install. Each has its own benefits. (House/start or 1,2,1+2 are the most common)

Just to give you some sort of an answer, my setup is a two bank. I have one battery for my "start" battery, and two more batteries wired in parallel as my "house" bank. This is the switch setup that I have.

My start bank is only connected to the ignition and critical electronics. Everything else runs off the house bank.

I also have a dvsr relay in the system to allow the start battery to reach full charge and then connect the house bank to get some charging. It is included in the setup I linked to on Amazon.

For what it's worth, the ProSport charger from Charger guy has been in my boat for five years and performs flawlessly. I looked at the MinnKota, but couldn't justify the four hundred to replace a working charger. Just make sure you get a charger that matches how many batteries you plan to have.

Good luck and reply with any questions you have. There is a wealth of information on this site.

 

[jeremy0011]

I have the same setup as Bill except I have 2 chargers from charger guy. 1 for the AGM starting battery and 1 for the deep cycle wet cells. Charger guys chargers have worked flawlessly for 3 seasons now. For the price it was worth the risk to try him out.

 

[Island Jay]

I would like to do it myself, where do I begin? What parts do I need? I am ok going with the Minnkota charger, nothing against chargerGuy, I just feel more comfortable going with a new, reliable charger.

None taken. Factory reconditioned is not for everyone. Technically mine are open box tested as you cannot repair a sealed charger. We need to call them reman.

 

[Island Jay]

Just read all the positive responses. I do appreciate it. I do back all my waterproof charger for 180 days.

Regardless of what you get I, and others, are happy to steer you in the right direction. The great thing about a waterproof smart charger is they are complete with AC & DC lines. Mount the charger, hard wire to the battery (never to switches, etc ), plug in, walk away.

If you use an ACR, that is perfectly fine with the charger as well. But a smart charger is what will always keep it topped off and will condition your battery. If $$ is a concern, get the smart charger over the ACR because an ACR cannot charge a battery that is half dead when you come back to shore.

Also, be sure to get the right amount of banks when it comes to waterproof chargers. 2 batteries = a 2 bank charger. 3 batteries = 3 bank charger, even if 2 are in parallel for a house load.

 

[jcyamaharider]

@ChargerGuy I have a dual bank XPS charger and I have 2 batteries hooked up in parallel and then another one using the other lead ( 3 battery system ) and my charger charges them fine. My question is will the charger go bad or they simply do not put enough juice into the batteries? Every time I check them they are 13.2 volts when I leave.

 

[Island Jay]

@ChargerGuy I have a dual bank XPS charger and I have 2 batteries hooked up in parallel and then another one using the other lead ( 3 battery system ) and my charger charges them fine. My question is will the charger go bad or they simply do not put enough juice into the batteries? Every time I check them they are 13.2 volts when I leave.

You would not be the first to tell me this and that it is working. I have had customers do it and have it last years. Others burn out after a few weeks. I have had electrical engineers argue with me that it should work, but they forget about what the charger was designed to do.
It is not ideal and can cause issues.
Basically it is stressing the charger because of the draw, especially if the batteries get low. Its like having a truck that can pull 2000 pounds, but now you have a 3000 pound load to pull. It will do it, but something will likely break soon. Bit of a simple way to look at it.
It also cannot condition the batteries right. In the end it will shorten the lifespan of the charger or batteries.

Could not find an XPS manual, but they are made by Promariner. Here is the prosport manual. Check out page 4, 3rd paragraph that started with NOTE:
http://promariner.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ProSport-Gen-3-Manual.pdf

 

[mraz72]

so what is a good battery and switch. Are there any instructions on how to set this up?

 

[Island Jay]

Check out the Perko switches, like the most common one out there. 1/2/ALL/OFF model. I believe they have wiring instructions. But if you have no idea what you are doing, you may have to have a marine electrician do it.

 

[mraz72]

yeah, I have no idea what I am doing lol

 

[2nazt]

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2nd-battery-quote-tell-me-what-you-think.8454/

@Michael Rasmussen here is a great thread about a member going from having a dealer do it to doing it themselves. Awesome install and thrilled to learn a lot! Tons of great info also.

 

[jeremy0011]

Check out the ACR / Switch add a battery kit on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Syst...79033&sr=8-5&keywords=blue+sea+charging+relay

 

[mraz72]

that looks good, so with that, I would need a battery and a charger for at dock charging correct?

 

[jeremy0011]

That's right along with a few cables. See page 2 of the thread posted above for the best wiring diagram. The last diagram shows the complete setup with a dual bank charger.

 

[mraz72]

any battery recommendations?