Please help really frustrated

[toosicky]

I'm having charging issues with my boat here is my setup I have three batteries one to start and run boat electronics and two to run the stereo equipment all three batteries are marine deep cycles. I recently had all three batteries checked and they are ok. The battery to start the boat is working good no problems but the other two die about three hours of use. My alternator wire runs to the front battery which is the starting battery I then have a battery isolator then its linked to the back battery's all grounds are grounded at the motor. I recently had my high output alternator rebuilt and the volt meter is reading 14 volts why aren't the other battery's charging any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Chexi]

Do you also have a combiner relay in the mix? If your alternator is running to your starting battery and your audio batteries are isolated from your starting battery, then the audio batteries would never be charged because they are isolated from the alternator. You either need a manual combiner switch (like a Perko) to combine all the batteries, which will allow charging but may have some drawbacks, or a combiner relay (like a Blue Seas) that will automatically combine your battery banks when the starting battery has a certain charge (or rather is operating within a certain charge range). Personally, I prefer the Blue Seas system to a Perko, but it is more expensive.

I will give you a free word of advice. Use more punctuation. It really helps when one is describing a system of components.

[toosicky]

Thanks for the advice it does sound like a run on sentence. I'm not aware of a combiner relay in the system what does it look like? Will the battery isolator not allow the extra current flow thru it to the stereo battery's once the first battery is charged?

[Chexi]

The thing on top is an isolator (and if you a Perko it will look kind of like that... a big red manual switch), and can act as a manual combiner by turning the switch.

The thing on the bottom is the automatic combiner relay. Note Yandina makes one that looks different.

As for your question, the answer is no. If you have an isolator, it will not allow the extra charging current to charge the batteries that are isolated from the alternator unless you manually combine the batteries by turning the switch to "ALL" or "1 & 2" or something like that. If you add a combiner relay, it will automatically close the circuit when charging conditions are right and charge the otherwise isolated batteries.

The problem with just going the manual route is that if you have a completely (or significantly) discharged starting battery and manually turn the switch, the audio batteries will drain to charge the starting battery. Similarly, the opposite could happen. If you have completely drained audio batteries and manually combine them, the starting battery could drain to charge the audio batteries (more likely what might happen in your specific case). The beauty of the automatic system is that it prevents this from happening because it will not close the circuit unless the charging conditions are right so that this bad scenario will not happen.

[wake_fun]

I use a Perko switch. Very easy. It's always on "Both". If I'm going to stay parked to listen to music and swim I will switch it over to "2". When we are done I just switch it over to "Both" and go on my way. I rarely do this though because we don't sit for hours at a time. It's mostly on "Both" and I never touch the thing. You can see pictures HERE

[Chexi]

Wake_fun, it sounds like you have never had the problem, but if you did stay too long cranking tunes and really drained the audio battery, switching to All could suck the juice right out of your starting battery and result in a state where you did not have enough CCA's to start. The more audio batteries you have, the more likely you could have this very bad result. If you drain 2 audio batteries significantly, they will suck the life out of your starting battery more than 1 drained audio battery.

[TX-Foilhead]

Scott, I have the Blue Seas switch and it's different from the Perko. Unless you turn it to all it keeps the batteries separated. The combiner hooks them together when the starting battery has a charge. I went a little overboard with mine and added second switch that works like the Perko and seperates the stereo batteries when the boat is in the slip. I also used an extra push button breaker that kills the ground to the separator because it will drain the starting battery looking for the stereo batteries. Most won't need this, but I have to be able to open the electric hatch to access the switches. Moving everything to the front would have required a lot of large gauge wire and would have made it easier for someone to figure out where things are hidden.

[wake_fun]

So let me get this straight. Let's say I put my Perko on #2 and play my music until the battery is dead. If I switch over to #1 it should be fully charged still and I could start my boat, right?

[Chexi]

Wake_fun, you are correct. If you switch back to "1" you are fine. If you switch to "All" you could drain your staring battery into your drained audio battery.

[Chexi]

Don, I had the Blue Seas system on my 99 Air. I have not installed one yet on my 2000 SAN, but I have the parts to do so... just have not gotten around to it yet. I never had a problem with the starter battery draining on my 99 Air. But yes, you are certainly correct that the Blue Seas switch is different from the Perko. The Blue Seas do not have 1, 2, All settings like the Perko. The Blue seas just has Off, On (1), and manual Combine. I have a thread on here somewhere with my install pics.

Edit, I guess I don't have a thread, just some pics and my wiring diagram in my profile album.

[TX-Foilhead]

Just trying to help someone one understand how the Blue Seas works, it confused me until I figured out the switch is different.

My draining issue was caused with the second switch, when I turned off the stereo batteries the relay would 'look' for them (lite flashing) until the battery was drained. It took a few days of sitting, but it would eventually drain the battery to the point it would be hard to start the boat. If I had an onboard charger I wouldn't need that extra switch, it's taking about an hour of listening at the dock for the relay to separate the banks so listening a little isn't drawing things down near as fast as I though it would and the charger got put on the back burner for now.

[toosicky]

So what system would you guys recommend? And do I need to get rid of the battery isolator?

[Chexi]

What exactly do you have (i.e., what isolator do you have)?

[toosicky]

Im going to try and download some pictures to make it easier to advise me.

[toosicky]

Here is a picture I drew of my wiring diagram its not the best but I think it will work.