When using 12V on a 12/24 system, are both batteries used?

I have a 12/24 volt OMC trolling motor on my boat (14' jon converted to bass) with only the 24v hooked up but after her first shakedown cruise I realized I needed the 12 volt hooked up as well. -speed is nice, but not getting flung out of your boat is better. I've got it wired right but I was wondering when i'm using the 12V setting, is it drawing power from both batteries or just the one that the 12v power lead is connected to? Thanks.<br /><br />fish

Re: When using 12V on a 12/24 system, are both batteries used?

Normally, if you have it wired right, you will only be running with one battery in the 12 Volt position. You would have the 3 wires from the troller going to the batteries. One to grounds, one to one battery and the other wire (Which would provide the 24 Volts) to the other battery. When you flip the switch on the troller to 24 volts, it then draws 12 volts each off both batteries and gives you your 24 volts. This is unless you have the batteries wired in parallel now. Then you would be using both batteries at 12 volts. But that would require a different kind of wiring and another battery switch to get 24 Volts to the troller. How do you have it wired now?

Re: When using 12V on a 12/24 system, are both batteries used?

Hard to explain w/o a diagram but here goes... 24v power to battery 1 pos, ground to battery 2 negative, jumper between negative on 1 and pos on 2, 12v to pos on 2. <br /><br />-don't think I didn't sweat the first time I hooked up the jumper.<br /><br />fish