Gordon J
Guru
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2015
- Messages
- 1,081
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Didi Mau
- Vessel Make
- Currently looking for next boat
The current situation:
I Close tomorrow on my (new to me) 2003 Ocean Alexander 456. I need new batteries. All of them are bad. It has 2 8d gel cell batteries for the house bank, one each 8D lead acid battery for each engine, a 4D battery for the 12 KW generator and a Group 31 for the 6KW generator. All batteries but the house bank are normal lead acid and the house bank is gel. The engines each have a 115 amp alternator. The alternator, I believe, is regulated for a lead acid batteries.
I am having batteries delivered to the boat on Tuesday and need to tell the shop on Monday what type of batteries to bring. I hope to take the boat from Pompano Beach Florida on Friday to Norfolk Virginia.
My thought is to continue with the current configuration of the gels for the house bank and lead acid batteries for everything else. The house bank has his own charger which is programmable for jail cells. The 12 KW generator and two engine batteries are all tied to A 30 amp charger. The 6KW generator is tied to a trickle charger.
My thought is that I can parallel the engine batteries in the house bank while the engines are running, which will provide a total of 230 A of power to the 4HD batteries. Gels take a higher voltage the lead acid and should not be harmed by the lower charge voltage put out by the engine alternators. I will top the batteries off periodically wall I sure power or while running the generators. I understand that when running the charger I will have to open, that is to say, shut off the parallel connection between the house bank and the engine batteries.
Does this configuration and my plan for battery power management makes sense to those of you who were experience with trawlers?
Gordon
I Close tomorrow on my (new to me) 2003 Ocean Alexander 456. I need new batteries. All of them are bad. It has 2 8d gel cell batteries for the house bank, one each 8D lead acid battery for each engine, a 4D battery for the 12 KW generator and a Group 31 for the 6KW generator. All batteries but the house bank are normal lead acid and the house bank is gel. The engines each have a 115 amp alternator. The alternator, I believe, is regulated for a lead acid batteries.
I am having batteries delivered to the boat on Tuesday and need to tell the shop on Monday what type of batteries to bring. I hope to take the boat from Pompano Beach Florida on Friday to Norfolk Virginia.
My thought is to continue with the current configuration of the gels for the house bank and lead acid batteries for everything else. The house bank has his own charger which is programmable for jail cells. The 12 KW generator and two engine batteries are all tied to A 30 amp charger. The 6KW generator is tied to a trickle charger.
My thought is that I can parallel the engine batteries in the house bank while the engines are running, which will provide a total of 230 A of power to the 4HD batteries. Gels take a higher voltage the lead acid and should not be harmed by the lower charge voltage put out by the engine alternators. I will top the batteries off periodically wall I sure power or while running the generators. I understand that when running the charger I will have to open, that is to say, shut off the parallel connection between the house bank and the engine batteries.
Does this configuration and my plan for battery power management makes sense to those of you who were experience with trawlers?
Gordon