Voltage Sensitive Relay

[74green]

Anyone used one of these with their stereo systems running dual batteries. They seem pretty practical and cost about the same as a dual battery PERKO switch (about $60).

When the engine is started and the start battery reaches 13.7 volts, the VSR engages, allowing two battery banks (start and house) to be charged simultaneously. When the voltage drops below 12.8 volts (eg the engine is stopped), the VSR disengages, separating the batteries.

http://www.bepmarine.com/Voltage-Sen...elays-166.html

[EarmarkMarine]

74green,

I'm not familiar with that particular brand. Some of these are notorious for problems.

We use the SurePower version which has been perfect.

With a VSR you're more likely to put your boat into storage with a discharged stereo battery... But... it will serve to protect your alternator. So, especially with a VSR, its important to have a quality (smart multi-stage) dual-bank battery charger. And, you need a way to automatically or manually isolate the two batteries during AC charging. We often supplement the VSR with a single dual battery Perko switch that provides an emergency bypass, VSR isolation and normal mode operation (three functions from one switch).

David
Earmark Marine
info@earmarkcaraudio.com

[inboardsonly]

74 Green,
BEP is a great product.
Blue Sea Systems 7650 is also a great product....
The benefit to either system is, there is no battery switch to fiddle with, until you (rarely, if ever) experience a dead battery.
Then all you do is switch to "emergency parallel' and you're off and running.
There is no voltage drop with a VSR, unlike the diode type of SurePower systems, and both of these units come from companies that make marine products.
If I had to make the choice, i would go with the BSS 7650, its more compact, simple to use and install, and you can throw away that crummy Perko switch.
And if you have to have a Perko Style switch, get a Blue Seas switch. Much better switch for the same price.

[74green]

Thanks for the responses. I just recently got my Nautique and it is already equipped with a Perko switch with dual batteries and three amps. I thought it would be sweet to have a relay isolate the starting battery and the other battery for the stereo amps. And not have to worry about checking the position of the Perko or ever getting stranded in the middle of the lake with two dead batteries.

Appreciate the recommendations Ill be sure to check them out.

[EarmarkMarine]

inboardsonly,

The SurePower 1314 models are not diode isolators and have no voltage drop. You must be confusing these with an entirely different product line as SurePower has a broad array of products. Check out their website for clarification.

74green,

We do several hundred marine audio installations every year so we get to see first hand the results when products are put to task in a wide variety of real applications. And oftentimes it takes a period of time before certain behaviors and problems are revealed.

A VSR is a great addition in that it is super convenient, protects your alternator and ensures that your starting battery is always in reserve. But its definitely not as simple as a plug and play device.

First, you're going to have to reconfigure your stereo wiring so that the source electronics are removed from the factory harness and power is obtained from the same stereo battery as the amplifiers.

Secondly, boat owners with VSRs can and often do deplete their stereo battery at rest and due to low voltage, low RPMs (resulting in low voltage) or a short drive back to the trailer keep their VSR from re-combining the batteires. As a result the stereo battery may never see a charge until the following weekend which is detrimental to the life of the battery and limits the performance the following weekend. The starting battery is always protected but depending on your habits the stereo battery may be toast.

So when using a VSR, an AC charger is probably more of an essential component than normal and a series/parallel configured dual battery switch (the one you currently have in place) will extend the effectiveness of both the VSR and AC charger.

If you need more detail or explanation, contact me at info@earmarkcaraudio.com

Happy to help.

David
Earmark Marine

[inboardsonly]

The Blue Sea product is a marine rated, IP67 Waterproof, ignition protected product.
Ignition Protected, meaning it is safe for installation aboard gasoline powered vessels, and installed in an enclosed area. I looked at the SurePower unit, and could not find information on it that showed it was a marine rated product. It looks to be more of an automotive or RV type of product. I could be wrong, maybe David can tell us if it is.
The Blue Sea unit is dual sensing, so if either battery is getting a charge, then it will combine... so if you have a solar charger or a battery charger or the alternator putting out the correct voltage, you're good to go.
http://bluesea.com/productspecs/7610
You will want to wire the boat so that the starting battery is just for that, and the house battery is for everything else.

http://bluesea.com/products/5511e
Note the difference on this switch... Simple, easy to use, no guessing.
Battery Charger- Great idea, make sure it is a decent one. I can recommend some good ones if you need help choosing.