OK… maybe I don’t get it. I just read the manual and could use some collective
wisdom from the group.
Here goes.. The House battery is #1 (a deep cycle 31) and the starter battery
is #2 (a 27). The manual says I should connect this to the House battery, which
will, when charging, send power to the starter battery.
I have a solar setup, but that never brings the battery to over 13.0 volts
(which is the “ON” point for the echo charger), so the only way to really get
the Echo thing going, and my main way of charging the batteries, is by engine
power.
But I should really only start and run the engine with the starter battery,
right? And the echo doesn’t reverse, right?
So, should I set it up backwards? That way, when I start the engine on #2, the
alternator charges #2 and then the echo will charge the house #1. And, move my
solar charging to #2 also?
Confused…..
All the best,
Edd
Edd M. Schillay
Starship Enterprise
C&C 37+ | Sail No: NCC-1701-B
City Island, NY
Starship Enterprise's Captain's Log
On May 5, 2014, at 3:28 PM, Edd Schillay via CnC-List <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Rich,
>
> I think I get it now. If I have my starter battery as #2, I start the
> engine with #2 only (not ALL). This echo-charger could take the Alternator
> charge going into #2 and also charge #1.
>
> Do I have that right?
>
> If so, I gots me some wiring to do….
>
>
>
> All the best,
>
> Edd
>
>
> Edd M. Schillay
> Starship Enterprise
> C&C 37+ | Sail No: NCC-1701-B
> City Island, NY
> Starship Enterprise's Captain's Log
>
> On May 5, 2014, at 2:52 PM, Rich Knowles <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> In short, an Echo Charge is a simple regulator that derives it's input
>> voltage from a battery connected to a charging source. It's output is
>> connected to a secondary battery such as an engine start or windlass
>> battery. If the input voltage rises above 3.4 volts, as I recall, the
>>
>> Rich
>>
>> On May 5, 2014, at 14:10, Edd Schillay via CnC-List <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Marek,
>>>
>>> Very interesting. What exactly is an echo charger and how would I
>>> connect it?
>>>
>>> The previous owner had two house bank 31s and a starter battery hooked
>>> up parallel to one of them. That starter battery turned out to be dead and
>>> was dragging the other down.
>>>
>>> I replaced all with two new 31s about 4 years ago. Now one of those two
>>> is dead and I don’t feel like dumping $300 on a replacement when I’m not
>>> running on batteries for more than a few hours on any given day.
>>>
>>>
>>> All the best,
>>>
>>> Edd
>>>
>>>
>>> Edd M. Schillay
>>> Starship Enterprise
>>> C&C 37+ | Sail No: NCC-1701-B
>>> City Island, NY
>>> Starship Enterprise's Captain's Log
>>>
>>> On May 5, 2014, at 1:01 PM, Marek Dziedzic <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Edd,
>>>>
>>>> I don’t want to start a discussion on how to charge the batteries (as this
>>>> would be off topic), but starting from the ALL position has some major
>>>> disadvantages. One is that you might be hiding a problem with your
>>>> starting battery; two is that if one battery is weak, you would be
>>>> charging that weak battery from the strong one (you risk that if one is
>>>> nearly dead, the other would not start the engine, either, but instead
>>>> would discharge to equalise the voltage with the weak one).
>>>>
>>>> No question (in my mind), the best way is to start from the starting
>>>> battery (hence the name) and have the echo charger making sure that both
>>>> batteries are charged properly.
>>>>
>>>> Some advocate to have the batteries split into “main” and “spare”. Many
>>>> good marine batteries can be used as dual purpose. If you design your
>>>> system this way, you start on the “main”, it gets charged by the
>>>> alternator and the echo charger maintains the “spare”.
>>>>
>>>> If I remember correctly, you have a solar system, as well. Many charge
>>>> controllers have a dual battery option and they can be setup to charge the
>>>> “main” battery first and then charge the “spare” (mine has a selectable
>>>> 50/50 or 90/10 split).
>>>>
>>>> If you are interested, you can check some of Main Sail’s articles on that
>>>> topic at Sailboat Owners or at his web site
>>>> (http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/).
>>>>
>>>> Marek (in Ottawa)
>>>>
>>>> PS. Would “may the Force (May the 4th) be with you” apply, even if it is a
>>>> day late? I know it is mixing the references...
>>>>
>>>> From: Edd Schillay via CnC-List
>>>> Sent: Monday, May 05, 2014 10:58 AM
>>>> To: [email protected]
>>>> Subject: Re: Stus-List Mixed batteries
>>>>
>>>> Rich,
>>>>
>>>> Please do send around a diagram. I’m planning to do something similar — a
>>>> 27 starting battery (as battery #2) and a 31 house bank (as battery#1).
>>>>
>>>> When I want to start and run the engine, I will do so on ALL. That way the
>>>> alternator will charge both batteries. When sailing and “hanging out”, I
>>>> would switch to 1 only.
>>>>
>>>> I have a solar panel and a dual battery regulator, which would connect to
>>>> both.
>>>>
>>>> Two weeks to launch and still much to do…..
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> All the best,
>>>>
>>>> Edd
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Edd M. Schillay
>>>> Starship Enterprise
>>>> C&C 37+ | Sail No: NCC-1701-B
>>>> City Island, NY
>>>> Starship Enterprise's Captain's Log
>>>>
>>>> On May 5, 2014, at 10:38 AM, Rich Knowles via CnC-List
>>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> The best method I have found and the least problematic from all points of
>>>>> view is to have a dedicated starting battery that does nothing else but
>>>>> start the engine, and a house battery that can be several batteries in
>>>>> parallel. Ideally the house batteries will all be identical. I feed the
>>>>> alternator directly to the house battery and use a device such as a
>>>>> Xantrex EchoCharge, a small regulator, to keep the start battery charged.
>>>>> A simple 1/both/2 off switch feeds the house load from either battery and
>>>>> acts as a combiner switch if needed. I have a diagram I can send you if
>>>>> you wish.
>>>>>
>>>>> I have wired many boats this way with no complaints or incidents.
>>>>>
>>>>> Rich Knowles
>>>>> Indigo. LF38
>>>>> Halifax. NS
>>>>>
>>>>> On May 5, 2014, at 10:47, via CnC-List <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> In a pinch, I recently bought a 'starting' battery (Group 27) per my
>>>>>> earlier post (no marine stores open after 6 on Saturdays)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Then I decided to get a replacement for my dead Lifeline AGM battery.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Of course, Murphy lurking about, I realized that my Zantrex Truecharge
>>>>>> 40 wants all the batteries it charges to be the same since
>>>>>> its charging schemes apply to all three outputs to the batteries.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Before I pull the 'rope-a-dope' of returning the starting battery, I
>>>>>> need some list advice:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A lot of sailors suggest using a 'starting' battery exclusively for
>>>>>> starting and using the house batteries for the house. I am aware that
>>>>>> an AGM can be used for starting as well.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> However, if a 'starting' battery is better for this job (CCA, etc.) and
>>>>>> the AGM is better for its job, how does one use a single charger like
>>>>>> mine
>>>>>> to satisfy different charging schemes?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 2 chargers, a smarter charger that has outputs for different battery
>>>>>> characteristics, or 'forgetaboutit" and charge both batteries as though
>>>>>> the were both AGMs?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Charlie Nelson
>>>>>> Water Phantom
>>>>>> C&C 36 XL/kcb
>>>>>>
>>>>>> [email protected]
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>>>>
>>>>
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