Newbie with battery question

M

Mcole1170

Member
Jul 24, 2017
128
Long island
Boat Info
2006 sundancer 280
Engines
4.3 alpha
hi all. New 280da owner and trying to figure out how the battery switches work and best way to use them. I have 3 batts and 2 switches. Left is 1/2/both/off right is on/off. Do i turn left switch to both and right to on whenevr out on boat? Does the right battery control the 3rd battery?

Lastly i see one set of batteries tied together assuming so would it matter which one is used for stereo amplifier

Thanks
 
with just that bit of info the on-off is for the port motor starting only, the 1-both-2 is for the stbd starting and house power.

2 batteries tied together is usually the house battery and starting battery for the stbd motor but with that configuration the "both" position needs to be verified.
Personally you should dedicate the house system and have dedicated engine starting batteries.
To verify what you have , disconnect all pos connection, reconnect 1 and see what works and what dosent. remove that cable and connect another battery cable and retest again.etc
 
Thanks for the info-disconnecting was my next thng to do.
Ive been told many different things as to alternate between 1 and 2, never run both etc. thanks again
 
Mcole1170 said:
Thanks for the info-disconnecting was my next thng to do.
Ive been told many different things as to alternate between 1 and 2, never run both etc. thanks again
Click to expand...


Once you figure out the selector switch. I usually ran both when the engines were running so both get charged..... and then when on the hook, especially for an extended period of time, I would choose 1 or 2 and then since I had 2 of the same kind of batteries I would alternate between the 2 when I was on the hook.
 
The On/Off switch needs to be in the on position and should do nothing except start the motor it's connected to.
The On/Off/1/2/Both switch starts the other motor and powers all 12 volt stuff. What I usually did when I had a boat with that set up was to always run the boat with that switch in the "Both" position. Once I got to where I was going I switched to either the "1" or "2" position alternating on each trip. That way if I ran the battery down to low while on the hook I always had a fully charged one to get that motor started.
Also, you should have an emergency start button for added insurance. If you have a dead battery on one motor you can press that switch and it acts like a "jump start" for you.
 
Mcole1170 said:
Thanks for the info-disconnecting was my next thng to do.
Ive been told many different things as to alternate between 1 and 2, never run both etc. thanks again
Click to expand...
Never run both when the engine isn't running, always run both when engine is running.
The engine that only has one battery is easy enough to ID by just following the cable from the switch to the starter.
Identifying which battery is 1 and which is 2 on the other switch can be done by disconnecting one of them and seeing which position (1 or 2) still provides power to a 12 volt accessory. Stereo or cockpit lights are both fast and easy ways to tell.
Once you identify which battery corresponds to which switch and position, labels them so you will always know.
 
Never, ever switch while engines are running; That is one of the best ways to take out alternators and expensive engine electronics.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,114
Messages
1,426,308
Members
61,027
Latest member
NeilS
Back
Top