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06-05-2023, 03:31 PM
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#1
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Guru
City: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Vessel Name: Old School
Vessel Model: 38' Trawler custom built by Hike Metal Products
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,034
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Best Battery Switch?
Greetings all, haven't been here for a while. I'm looking for opinions on battery switches, the 1,2,1+2 kind. My red one has died Perko I think. All ideas appreciated, thanks.
Mike
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06-05-2023, 04:45 PM
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#2
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Guru
City: Cape May, NJ
Vessel Name: Irish Lady
Vessel Model: Monk 36
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,827
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Good news is you can buy identical battery switch. The Perko will have a model number. It might also be a substandard Perko knockoff. But before you buy anything, check the nuts on the back to see if they are loose.
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06-05-2023, 05:05 PM
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#3
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Veteran Member
City: Mallets Bay, Vermont
Vessel Name: Fish Camp
Vessel Model: Eagle 32
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 43
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I just installed a Blue Seas ‘Dual Circuit Plus’ which adds an element of mistake proofing to these complex machines. I have AGM on one circuit and liths on the other. It seems like a simple decision but there are many different considerations and you might want to give it some thought. Rod Collins has a detailed write up on just topic, sorry, no idea how to link it.
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06-05-2023, 05:17 PM
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#4
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Guru
City: Coupeville Wa.
Vessel Name: Pelorus
Vessel Model: Californian 42 LRC
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,183
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blues
Rod Collins has a detailed write up on just topic, sorry, no idea how to link it.
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1/2/BOTH Battery Switch Considerations Is this the Collins article you are thinking of?
__________________
Some things are worth doing simply because they are worth doing.
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06-05-2023, 05:57 PM
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#5
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Veteran Member
City: Mallets Bay, Vermont
Vessel Name: Fish Camp
Vessel Model: Eagle 32
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Portage_Bay
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Yeh, thanks. And be sure to tip generously, this guy is well worth it.
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06-06-2023, 03:45 PM
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#6
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Guru
City: Southwest MI
Vessel Name: Sobelle
Vessel Model: C-Dory 22 Cruiser
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,216
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I'd like a 1-2-both battery switch that had a feature that allowed remote indicators of the battery switch position. My battery switch is in a compartment at the aft of the boat. Having lights on the helm that showed which battery was on would be handy.
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06-06-2023, 04:41 PM
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#7
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Veteran Member
City: Mallets Bay, Vermont
Vessel Name: Fish Camp
Vessel Model: Eagle 32
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ssobol
I'd like a 1-2-both battery switch that had a feature that allowed remote indicators of the battery switch position. My battery switch is in a compartment at the aft of the boat. Having lights on the helm that showed which battery was on would be handy.
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Blue Sea has lots of options, I spent several hours on this decision, depend on what you’ve got, what you’re trying to do, and how you think your system might evolve. I did a complete electric make over, probably went through a dozen design iterations, not done yet but so far works as hoped.
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06-06-2023, 08:47 PM
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#8
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Moderator Emeritus
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 20,205
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If the Blue Seas will fit they would be a good choice. I have bought tons of electrical equipment from them and never had a bad experience.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
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06-06-2023, 08:59 PM
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#9
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Member
City: West Vancouver, BC
Vessel Name: Unicorn V
Vessel Model: 1981 Grand Banks 36CL
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 13
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Are you sure it has died? Our 42 year old Perko (1,2, both and off) was not connecting to one bank. I was going to replace but spoke first to my electrician. Apparently with not a lot of switching, and I hadn’t been, the contacts can get corroded (if that’s the term) and just need to get shiny. Turn off all charging and rotate the switch a bunch of times. Worked for me, but my system is simple.
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06-07-2023, 12:50 PM
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#10
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Guru
City: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Vessel Name: Old School
Vessel Model: 38' Trawler custom built by Hike Metal Products
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,034
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I ended up buying the Blue Seas 3002 HD four position (off,1,2,1+2). This one is a bit bigger and heavier than the Blue Seas red one I have now. Problem was when you turned it off it wasn't off and it had become hard to turn. I had an electrician take a look at it, plus other electrical issues, and he said the switch had welded? 2 positions together and also showed the problem by being hard to turn. The 3002 HD costs more at $76+2 day shipping but there's a big difference in quality. Only thing I don't like is that it didn't come with the bottom standoff legs like the red one.
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06-08-2023, 05:40 AM
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#11
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Guru
City: South Florida
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,058
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JMcJ
Are you sure it has died? Our 42 year old Perko (1,2, both and off) was not connecting to one bank. I was going to replace but spoke first to my electrician. Apparently with not a lot of switching, and I hadn’t been, the contacts can get corroded (if that’s the term) and just need to get shiny. Turn off all charging and rotate the switch a bunch of times. Worked for me, but my system is simple.
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 This is a fairly common issue on old switches, and certainly easy enough to try
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06-09-2023, 08:05 AM
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#12
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Guru
City: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Vessel Name: Old School
Vessel Model: 38' Trawler custom built by Hike Metal Products
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,034
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Ill take it apart and see what the inside looks like after I replace it with the new one.
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06-09-2023, 11:26 AM
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#13
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Moderator Emeritus
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 20,205
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gulf Comanche
Ill take it apart and see what the inside looks like after I replace it with the new one.
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Be interesting to see what the inside looks like.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
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06-10-2023, 01:32 PM
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#14
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TF Site Team
City: PNW, headed down to Mexico
Vessel Name: Muirgen
Vessel Model: 50' Beebe Passagemaker
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,986
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If it just needs a little cleaning up, do so, and put it into "spares".
__________________
Vessel Name: Muirgen
Vessel Model: 50' Beebe Passagemaker
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06-12-2023, 01:00 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
City: West Newbury.
Vessel Name: Morning Light
Vessel Model: Webbers Cove 42 Trawler
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 343
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I, too, have a problem with Perko switch failures, so I now use only Blue Seas. And, yes, I know that the first thing to do is operate the switch multiple times. Switching DC is difficult and polishing the contacts sometimes helps.
Jim
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06-12-2023, 02:32 PM
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#16
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Moderator Emeritus
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 20,205
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On a previous boat we had a Perko battery switch that wasn’t working. I pulled out the screws holding it to the bulkhead and it started working. I ordered another one of the same model. Put it in and it didn’t work. Unscrewed it and it worked. Every time I would tighten it up it would not work. Must be a design or manufacturing flaw.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
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