Alternator / Battery wiring question

[Sir Nibble]

Tony <-- not the one Snib was referring to

 

 

We keep a spare.

[WotEver]

Nick's suggestion automates the system of course but does require new equipment.

 

What you absolutely do not want is a diode split charge system which achieves nothing worthwhile and reduces charge efficiency in many installations.

 

Tony

[Graham.m]

Not rocket science. I can never understand the urge to over complicate these things.

Humans don't think it is proper unless it is complicated, they don't think they have got their moneys worth.

[Tony Brooks]

I think I would wire the start battery/bank to both starters. Wire one alternator to the engine bank, the other to the doemstic bank and use a non-bi-directional Voltage Sensitive Relay sensing form the engine bank to combine both banks.

 

That way if ever the engine bank got flat enough to depress the charging voltage sufficiently the full 70 amps of that alternator would only charge the engine bank. As soon as the engine bank batteries were charge enough to elevate the charging voltage sufficiently both alternators would be combined.

 

A slight advantage is that when one engine starts with low start batteries it could be left running/charging for a while before starting the other engine.

 

The disadvantage is that the relay would be subject to a higher current flow under certain conditions but as long a sit is a quality one I doubt it would be a problem. Remember the OP indicates we are only talking about a small domestic bank.

 

Sorry SirN, no diagram for this or any other non-mainstream set up - especially involving 1,2 both, off switches, I hate the things.

[chunkyj]

 

Sorry SirN, no diagram for this or any other non-mainstream set up - especially involving 1,2 both, off switches, I hate the things.

 

Me too, that's why I would like to do away with them and have a fully automate system