Batterries
 

Just finished a ride on the snow trails and recieved a message from my Marina saying they dropped one of my new triton batteries (the boat came with two triton deep cells, which I just replaced) and they have replaced it with a mercruiser starting battery. They say I should have one starting battery and one deap cell. Any thoughts, are they correct, and why have I had no problems running two deep cells. 1999 Z222 7.4L................thanx

I wouldn't think it'd be necessary to have a starting and a deep cycle battery, almost every boat I've seen with dual batteries have dual deep cycles. As long as your cold cranking amps on the starting battery are equivalent (or greater than) your deep cycle, you should be set. Just don't rely on your starting battery if you're going to be anchoring and listening to your radio or something that could potentially drain it. Deep cycles are meant for multiple charges and drains, starting's aren't. Just remember to flip that battery switch!

damm.....Willy's good! :wink_thumbup:

You got that right Mike, I thought batteries were batteries. Used to start the boat, run the radio and lights and thats it. Didnt imagine they could drain in just a day of running my Village People Cd's :yes_grin:

WOW. Wasn't expecting that kind of a reply. Thanx Wetwilly. I wasn't very comfortable with the Marina replacing one of my deep cycles with a starting battery(not installed yet-in storage), but I feel a lot better after reading your in depth response. Do you think they will have to reconfigure any of the original wiring..............thanx again

Yeah, that "Super Moderator" title wasn't just handed to WetWilly, was it?!?! Great info!

However, I think the necessary change in wiring and/or manual switching isn't worth it. I'm pretty sure all boat manufacturers provide one (or two) deep cycle batteries, approved by MerCruiser/Volvo, to start the engines. If the manufacturers think its okay, I'm staying that route. I have two batteries on a switch, and just leave it in the "both" position. I've had issues with low voltage, mostly due to late nights rocking out and never fully charging them again, but I think two deep cycle batteries are more than adequate for starting and giving me peace of mind knowing there's enough power to return home (and if not, oh darn - another night under the stars!!!).

I'm guilty too! I didn't realize the complicated part of how the switch worked until earlier this year. I had no idea when the switch was on Battery 1 with motor running, it was only charging battery 1. I don't have an Automatic Charge Relay unit, but might add one this year just to be on the safe side! Either that, or keep a jump box onboard!

I also found out that the built in 110v Battery Charger was only connected to one battery, and is only rated for one bank, so I'll probably be upgrading that as well.

Hey guys, i guess i'll chime in here on the batteries and a good setup to ensure no deads out on the lake. Both my dad and i are of the opinion that everything on a boat should be simple, easy to use, reliable, and when possible, redundant for safety.

When we got our boat it had 1 battery with simple on/off switch. Well it was very easy to end up w/ an almost dead battery when we'd go to fire her up at the launch ramp. So we replaced the batteries, re-examined the way the electrical components in the boat were wired, and came up with a system that that meets all of our criteria.

We essentially have divided the boat's electrical systems into 2 categories; house and starting. Mariah included two fuse buses under the helm. 1 was full, the other had maybe 2 items hooked up to it and both wires feeding each bus ran to the battery. First step is i figured out the components we wanted on the house circuit, which in our case only being a bow rider, was the stereo and interior lighting. So everything else was put on 1 fuse bus, the stereo and interior lights on their own. The bus with the majority of the items on it, which were all the power leads for gauges, ignition switch, etc. became the starting circuit, and the other bus became the house circuit, or the circuit for accessories. So now, no matter what items we add to the boat, we have two separate circuits depending on the type of item.

Now, to the engine compartment. Here we added this switch panel. These switches act as an interrupter for the two circuits we set up. We hooked up a Optima Blue Top deep cycle/starting battery to the starting switch and a normal deep cycle to the house switch. The two leads we discussed earlier coming from the helm then attached to their appropriate switch. The bilge was connected straight to the deep cycle battery so no matter what it gets power, the starter connected to the starting switch and the engine wires to the starting switch as well. So now the two circuits are independent of each other and no matter what, if i run the stereo all day and completely kill the battery, engine will start just fine off the starting battery.

To charge the batteries, we installed an ACR to connect the batteries when the engine is running and alternator is charging and disconnect when the engine is off so that the two banks are isolated.

As you can see, this is a very reliable system and its easy to understand. You don't have to think "oh, wait, is 1 the house or is 2 the house or should i just put it on both...." You can just flip the switch you need. Usually we just flip both on and use the boat all day. But if i go out in the evening to relax and just listen to the stereo at the dock, probably just flip on the house circuit.

Now with that switch panel we got, it has an interconnect switch so lets say the starting battery goes bad or something and i want to start the engine off the house deep cycle. Well, flip the switch, both banks are joined, and the boat starts right up, simple as that.

It's a good system and i think is the best way to wire your boat. I will eventually do a long detailed writeup on the process, but not tonight...

I'm going to assume that our our dual battery set ups were "not" originaly equiped with ACR's and it sounds like a must upgrade. If anyone knows were to find a schematic or has some pics they can post would be great. The Toronto boat show is next week, I'll be full of questions.

ACR's were NOT equipped on Mariah boats. All the wiring diagrams I've seen do not show any sign of them, and it was not listed under the options available for any year. I'm not sure when the ACR circuit was developed, it could have been after Mariah closed the plant. Either way, I know I'll be adding one this year!

Replacement Battery isolator
 

Just replaced the Guest battery isolator (model 2404)in the Z260. We were having a problem with the house battery drawing down the starting batteries overnight. There are three batteries on board, two group 27 starting and a large house battery, 8D maybe. A couple times we drained the house and starting batteries down to where I had the Honda 2000 invertor fired up to recharge things. The house battery seems to drain too quickly. I blamed this on Mother Superior's hair dryer and her runnin the fans all night long. My coffee pot probably didnt help.
Also, noticed the two starting batteries were deep cycle type. Might switch them to a Marine batteries this spring, they tested 'fair ' with hydrometer. The house battery tested fine. Havent load tested any yet. I certainly hope the isolator was the problem.
I found there was some continuity between the house and starting terminals on the old isolator. Ck'd with a digital meter with all connections removed. Made me suspect something was amiss.
Anybody have experience with this type of problem?

steve, still freezin' in NY

S.L.P.,
When I first got the z275 the three new batteries kept going dead. I found the frig would turn on even though I had the temp turned all the way down.
I pulled the terminals apart behind it and now don't have that problem. I never really use the frig often, but if I do I just reconnect for a short time. My setup Is two starting and one deep-cell.

battery
 

Z275ST,
Your setup is the same as mine. Are you using two starting, Marine or deep cycle batteries?
I pulled the frig out yesterday to get a look at the connections. We use the frig all the time, so I hesitate to turn it off. Most often, it is set to the lowest cooling setting, unless on shore power. The house battery is dated 2003. It may be time to replace it. I am considering a couple of golfcart batteries as replacements. "This old house"battery is gonna be HEAVY. Two will be more manageable in such a confined location.
steve

S.L.P.,
I have two marine starting and one marine deep-cell. I think you may want to stay with marine batteries because I believe they produce less or no explosive gasses but not sure. Someone here may no if it is hype or not!

Also take the plastic cover off the back of the battery switch to make sure the no terminating wires are touching. I had this problem once when my batteries were running down. There is nothing more difficult or frustrating than diagnosing electrical problems on a boat! A lose or to small of negative wire can cause as much trouble as anything on the positive side!

Here's a reprint of some battery information as provided by I-Boats.com in their latest newsletter:

Question: I went through 2 marine batteries before someone told me there is a difference between a starting battery and deep cycle battery. What is the difference?

Answer
You’ll need one battery to start the engine, and one to operate the electronics, or in other words, one starting battery and one deep cycle battery. Here’s why:

Starting Batteries vs. Deep Cycle
Batteries are constructed of a series of positive and negative plates. In starting batteries the plates are thinner and there are more of them. This allows the batteries to produce high, brief amp bursts and crank your engine starter.
You will also want a deep cycle battery to operate you boat’s electronics. Deep cycles store up energy to gradually power electronic devices. The deep cycle has thicker plates internally, and it can be used for starting in a pinch but they do not like to repeatedly dump the big amps in one quick chunk that a starting battery (with thinner plates) is designed to do.
Battery Types
Wet or flooded batteries cost less and you have the advantage of being able to ‘equalize’ the cells, should you choose to do so, at a higher voltage than is possible with gel or AGM batteries. However, they require routine maintenance (filling with distilled water), are not sealed and can leak, and do not hold up well under strong vibration.
Gel batteries, although slightly more expensive, are maintenance free, non-spillable, and often vibration resistant. When charging one of these, though, care must be taken not to over charge.
The third type of marine battery, AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat), is the most durable against vibration and shock since the plates are surrounded by dense glass mat. AGMs are also quick to recharge and have a long battery life. Similar to gel batteries in many features, AGM batteries also should not be over charged.
Suggestion: Keep both batteries the same type - wet/wet, AGM/AGM or gel/gel. If you use a wet battery for starting, then use wet batteries for the electronics. This makes charging and maintaining a lot easier since they both use the same charging profile. Regardless of your battery type, consider using a 3–stage charger that utilizes a bulk/acceptance/float-charging scheme to maximize your battery’s life.
Common Battery Measurements
There are 4 measurements of battery function that should be considered when choosing a marine battery:
CCA and MCA – Cold Cranking Amperage is the amount of current the battery can deliver for 30 seconds at 0 degrees Fahrenheit without dropping below 7.2 volts. Marine Cranking Amperage is very similar to CCA. The only difference is that it is measured at 32 degreed Fahrenheit. So, if a battery has an MCA rating of 800, it will deliver 800 amperes for 30 seconds before falling to 7.2 volts.
Reserve Minutes – This is how long a load of 25 amps can be sustained at 80 degrees Fahrenheit before dropping to 10.5 volts. So, a battery with 120-minute reserve can power a 25 amp load for 2 hours.
Amp Hours (Ah) – Ah describes how much energy can be delivered at a constant rate for 20 hours before dropping to 10.5 volts.
Cycle Life – This measures how many complete discharges a battery provides until it no longer holds half its rated capacity.

good post mikeyt. I'll be installing my new "marine" starting battery and deep cycle with an ACR this spring. Hope to get in a few more rides on my sled before then.

followed wetwillys advice and had the Marina go with the original battery configuration (2 deep cycles). She goes in the water this Sat. Can hardly wait. Thanks for all the advice. I'll also be installing an ACR, and my new GPS, I'll take a few pics and post.