www.iFourWinns.com

Do I have to leave the battery switch on 'both' to charge the batteries when the boat is connected to shore power? Or will the batteries be charged regardless of the position of the switch?

Thanks,

they can be in the off position, the charger is connected to the battery side of the switch.

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republicans, working hard so you dont have to.

I leave my battery in the on position, just in case the marina loses power...then the stuff in the refig will stay cold.

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2004 268 Vista "Satisfy My Sol"

Related question....

Do most people leave their battery charges running when they are away from the boat? For whatever reason I'm paranoid of a fire or something and turn off pretty much everything but the fridge.

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-Tom
2003 298 Vista

Mine is slipped on the trailer behind the house, yep it's always on a battery charger. The way the "smart" chargers work is that they bring the batteries up to about 14.1 volts then drop down to a float charge.

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Brett DiMichele

My charger is always on when the boat is slipped. April till October. been doing it for 5 years, never a problem. Like Brett says it won't overcharge.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Look at it this way, if it's wet-slipped which is the bigger risk. Not charging and having the bilge pumps run down the batteries (and have the boat sink) or have the charger run amok and set it on fire. I recall reading the staggering majority of insurance claims on boats was due to sinking in their own slip, no doubt influenced by dead batteries. Few were fires due to electrical defects. I'll take those odds.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Fair point Bill, and I echo your comment regarding boats sinking in their slip. I forget the exact figures but it's a very high percentage of insurance claims.


EDIT: I found the info, sinkings are the #2 claim only behind striking a submerged object.

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-Tom
2003 298 Vista

This is desert steve back with a follow-up question.

I leave the shore power connected and the charger switch 'on' when I am away from the boat but turn the battery switch to 'off'. Battery 1 is still very low when I return - it does not have enough charge to turn over the motor. I turned the switch to battery 2 and started the motor. I left the switch on battery 2 when running the motor. After some time running the motor with the switch in the battery 2 position, I turned off the motor and turned the switch to position 1 and the battery did not have sufficient charge to turn the motor so I turned the switch to position 2 and started the motor.

The black wire from the charger (a Guest brand) goes directly to the terminal on the battery, and the two batteries are connected by a jumper wire. However, the red wires appear to go the terminals on the battery switch. It seems to me that the batteries will not be charged if the battery switch is in the 'off' position. However, I confess to not being a genius when it comes to 12 volt electricity.

In any case, I left the shore power on, the charger on and the battery switch in the 'both' position and we will see what the battery is like next weekend.

Cheers,

Steve

To charge it with the motor (alternator) you need to have that battery switch on the battery you want to charge. In other words if you want both batteries to charge with the alternator you need to have the switch set on both. This is different from using the onboard smart charger.

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Walter

2003 248 Vista - VP 5.0 GXi
2009 Toyota Tundra SR5 5.7L 4x4

Ok, two things come to mind. The alternator charging the batteries is different than the AC charger. I believe the battery switch only affects how the alternator charges the batteries. I believe the AC charger is separate and is not affected by the switch. I could be wrong.

It's typical to have the negative side of the batteries wired together. This is usually the black colored wire. The red wires (positive) are not.

It's also possible for a battery to be bad. Either through defect, normal wear or improper charging. If the batteries have it, pop open the lids and check their water levels. If they get too low they won't work. They can get too low from over charging them.

It's possible for a charger to be defective too, the first one in my 348 cooked all three batteries but that was before I took delivery of it. I believe it was a Guest unit and they replaced it with a Charles. Not saying one brand is any better or worse though. Just that it's possible for one to be bad.

And it's also possible for the wiring to be bad. Usually due to corroded or loose terminals. Sometimes it's possible for a wire itself to be bad due to corrosion getting into it. Start by removing the wires from the battery terminals (using great care to avoid shorting anything), clean up the contacts and reattach them. Check that all the wires are clean and tight, this includes the ones going up to the alternators, starters and charger.

Oh, and some boats (typically two engine ones) come with a cross-over sort of switch that allows combining the batteries for starting. This allows tying both batteries together to get either engine started. It's usually a switch on the helm and it only operates in a push-button momentary fashion (as in, you have to hold it pressed).

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista