Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

[BSAFlash]

G'Day,
Has any one fitted an additional house battery to an Elegante?
I find the CD and DVD players run my single house battery down too quickly leaving me with warm beer when the cockpit fridge turns off!
If I add an additional battery do I need to change my alternator? The main battery charger should be okay for shorepower and generator.

 

[Top Rack]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

Are you sure that the Fridge is not draining the battery? I believe the fridge is 12volt or atleast here in the states. Solar trickle charge panel would help on sunny days.

 

[captain zac]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

http://www.cmsquick.com/tech_03_batsys.html

check out D that should fix your problem

Harry

 

[BSAFlash]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

Thanks Captain Zac, that looks like a good fix.

Top Rack, It's 37 Deg C here today, I think the low for the week is expected to be 31C. As a result of such fine weather (note my absence for the last 5 days) I tend to go boating for days at a time, the Elegante has 2 fridges which combined with the constant desire for music, puts quite a load on the single house battery. I do find it a little strange that such a well setup vessel has 4!!! batteries for machinery and only one for house use.

 

[Top Rack]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

Thanks Captain Zac, that looks like a good fix.

Top Rack, It's 37 Deg C here today, I think the low for the week is expected to be 31C. As a result of such fine weather (note my absence for the last 5 days) I tend to go boating for days at a time, the Elegante has 2 fridges which combined with the constant desire for music, puts quite a load on the single house battery. I do find it a little strange that such a well setup vessel has 4!!! batteries for machinery and only one for house use.

I dream for that weather here. I will mention to Doral Production about this issue. When you say four batteries, I assume you are talking about the house, engines, and generator batteries?

 

[BSAFlash]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

I dream for that weather here. I will mention to Doral Production about this issue. When you say four batteries, I assume you are talking about the house, engines, and generator batteries?

Hi Top Rack,

I have one each per engine (including generator) equals 3 plus house, I was told I was to get another dedicated to the bow thruster but I'm not sure about that one. When I bought this boat new I contracted a company to organise all services, maintenance and cleaning, the cleaning part was a good idea but after 4 years I have discovered too many oversights by mechanics to recommend this as a method of ensuring a reliable boat, better to oversee mechanical work yourself and be sure.

 

[Halifax Shipfaced]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

Check your set up again as Doral would set dedicate only one House batt on your Elegante.
1 batt for the std starter and bilge pump, 1 battery for the generator, 2 for the house and port engine starter.
The Port engine has a boost bypass button on the dash to draw power from the starboard designated battery to turn it over.

I seen some guys include the generator battery into the house group but should you run out of power at anchor you will now need to start the starboard engine then either port engine or generator depending on the wiring.

I suggest based on your comment "leaving me with warm beer when the cockpit fridge turns off" your batteries are no longer keeping their charge or have capacity. (continually letting them run completely out kills them for good)
read this http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm

And then get a load tester, check the charger / isolator, check the port alternator output, and check all the connections.
If your shopping for new batteries go as big as will fit and buy the most expensive your willing to afford, as you'll read, the differences are significant.

 

[BSAFlash]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

Check your set up again as Doral would set dedicate only one House batt on your Elegante.
1 batt for the std starter and bilge pump, 1 battery for the generator, 2 for the house and port engine starter.
The Port engine has a boost bypass button on the dash to draw power from the starboard designated battery to turn it over.

I seen some guys include the generator battery into the house group but should you run out of power at anchor you will now need to start the starboard engine then either port engine or generator depending on the wiring.

I suggest based on your comment "leaving me with warm beer when the cockpit fridge turns off" your batteries are no longer keeping their charge or have capacity. (continually letting them run completely out kills them for good)
read this http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm

And then get a load tester, check the charger / isolator, check the port alternator output, and check all the connections.
If your shopping for new batteries go as big as will fit and buy the most expensive your willing to afford, as you'll read, the differences are significant.

G'Day Halifax Shipfaced,

Fantastic link, I will be investigating some of the options from it.
I will have a look but I suspect the house battery is actually a marine battery not a true deep cycle, given the Doral systems shut down (fridges and CD) before the batteries get below 11.5v. (I assume by design at Doral although mine has had some changes done post manufacture as a result of an electrical survey), this may not be a huge issue but it is worth investigating.
The cockpit fridge shuts down at just above 12v as shown on the electrical panel.
My problem is spending days at anchor, we often leave the dock on Friday after work and come back in early Monday morning with 2 fridges and the anchor light running from dusk 'til dawn, by the time I start recharging in the morning I am down to 11.36v with both fridges automatically shut down.

 

[Halifax Shipfaced]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

Hey BSA, the draw for the 2 fridges is significant and so is the recharging time needed to bring the capacity up.
I now shut my 2nd fridge off at night and use it more as a cooler as the setting is on the higher number (not the coldest).
Also for the long trips we bring a 5 day cooler tied to the swim platform.

 

[BSAFlash]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

Hey BSA, the draw for the 2 fridges is significant and so is the recharging time needed to bring the capacity up.
I now shut my 2nd fridge off at night and use it more as a cooler as the setting is on the higher number (not the coldest).
Also for the long trips we bring a 5 day cooler tied to the swim platform.

Thanks Halifax,
I like the cooler idea.
Turning the cockpit fridge off at night and using ice might give me a better nights sleep as well, the fridge sounds like its in the cabin with me some nights!

 

[BSAFlash]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

G'Day TopRack,

I had a good play in the engine bay on the weekend. I have 5 batteries only one of which is a house battery, it can be linked to the Starboard start battery for an emergency start.
I have 1 per engine (including generator, makes 3), 1 house and 1 for my bow thruster

 

[jhawk123]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

Assuming you have the room for an additional house battery, I see no problem adding another house battery. Hook them up parallel and that gives you double the capacity. They should be the same kind and same amperage. If one is weaker it will tend to pull the other one down.

 

[Bill Piegari]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

I changed the 4 battery hookup in my 2001 360SE to get two house batteries. I used four size 31 batteries and connected as follows.

Port outer battery: Port engine & Generator.
Port inner battery: 2nd House
Stbd Inner battery: 1st House
Stbd Outer battery: Stbd engine

The house batteries are wired in parallel. I used AGM batteries. The charger has 3 outputs so I am covered. I also designed and wired a second charging combiner relay so either engine can charge the house batteries in lieu of the factory design of only the stbd engine. Relays are better than Diodes, no voltage drop loss.

 

[BSAFlash]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

Thanks Bill,
I like the sound of your setup. I would rather do that than add the weight of another battery.
I was on the boat yesterday looking at the possibility of sharing the Bowthruster battery with the generator.

 

[Taylor Made]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

I have the Intrigue with the same single house battery set up.

I took out the single 12 volt and replaced it with 2 6volt AGM batterys. About the same foot print as one 12 V, but they are taller and provide twice the amp hour capacity. The 2 6 volt batterys have a 300 amp hour capacity.

What a BIG difference. I can run all my 12 volt appliances without worry now.

I am adding the second charging relay as well to charge the house system using either engine.

 

[WhySoSearious?]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

I'm interested in adding a second house battery to my Elegante too. my current setup is:

Victron Energy 12/50 charger
one port battery, with BEP electronic battery switch
one starboard battery, with BEP electronic battery switch
one house battery
one generator battery

first off, i assume the grey switch in the transom locker disconnects the engine from the batteries only. and the rotary battery switch in the transom locker disconnects the house battery. this means when i'm at anchor, i don't have to touch any switches -- that my 12v usage only impacts the house battery and i'm not at risk of draining my engine batteries. is this assumption correct?

so to add a second house battery, i will purchase two same group 31 deep cycle battery. take out my current battery (make this larger battery my generator battery?). run the two new batteries in parallel. that's it.?

i'm not clear on what charges what, and what/how the boost switch works (is there another switch that connects the two engine batteries?)

thanks

 

[shortonvt]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

I have a 2003 330SE with VP 5.7 GXi and generator. I replaced all of the batteries last year and am VERY pleased with the setup. I went with two 4D (SRM-4D) house batteries in parallel, one 27 (27M-XHD) series battery for each engine and the generator. My boat had only one house battery when I bought it. I went with all Interstate, and never have to worry about draw, especially having slowly replaced many lights with LEDs.

 

[WhySoSearious?]

Re: Additional House Battery for an Elegante?

i did it. removed the one house battery and added two group 31 AGM batteries in parallel. i didn't reroute any cabling so one battery has the boat cabling to the + and -. i added 2 gauge marine cables between the batteries. ideally, i would run the boat + to one battery and the - to the other for more balanced charging/draining. i wanted larger cables just in case but i couldn't find any. the Elegante has plenty of space and the install couldn't be easier. i used the Attwood Power Guard 27 battery box which fits the 31M perfectly (same box as what Doral used). per recommendation of Victron Energy, i didn't change the charger setting to AGM since the engine batteries are lead acid. charge times would be a bit slower on LA mode though.

looks like port engine charges port battery and house batteries.
starboard engine charges only starboard battery.
charger charges both engine batteries and house batteries.
generator battery gets charged by generator only. (is there an alternator?)
boost switch jumps the two engine batteries.
grey switch in transom locker disconnects the engine batteries from everything (i think. charger and engines)

i should be anchoring out this weekend. hopefully the fridges stay cold!