Tap onto 6V batteries in parallel

[diver dave]

ABYC is a good thing. . but I have to join and pay for it.

My beef with ABYC is, if everyone wants to quote ABYC all day and do everything by their standard, make the standard available to everyone. .

In my experience, the US govt is about the only entity I get free specs from. Yesterday, I bought over $500 of specs from IEC. UL, ANSI, NFPA, IEEE, ... they all charge for specs. They have overhead to support, working committees etc.

 

[john61ct]

A different funding model, so the valuable information produced could be freely available, would be great.

What taxes are for in my mind, promoting public safety, but that's an unpopular POV these days.

 

[dhays]

I look at it this way. The standards are strong suggestions, many of which are adopted by lenders and insurers.

Much like going into your PCP for a checkup. She may give you suggestions as to the best ways to help ensure your long term good health. You don't have to choose to follow those, but you may find some life insurance companies also choose not to cover you. You may also implement some of the suggestions because they seemed like good idea.

I'm that way with the ABYC standards. Some make sense to me for my long term boating safety and I will try to implement them.

 

[angus99]

ABYC is not law, however it’s always my goal to leave any part of a boat that I touch at or above ABYC standard. Some old boats just can’t be brought up to the standard.

You can be with in the letter of the standard but cheat the spirit, this does not make you safe. You can follow the spirit of the standard but be outside the letter of the standard, this does not make you unsafe.

Great post. This is my goal as well, understanding that it’s just not always possible in an older boat.

At the recommendation of an ABYC systems designer, I used Blue Seas remote battery switches within inches of the main positive takeoffs on both banks. In the event of an electrical fire, I can isolate the banks via the main panel in the saloon without entering a smoky engine room. Won’t put a fire out, but reduces the likelihood that an ER fire would put me out . . . or that a short would continue to feed a fire.

 

[dhays]

Great post. This is my goal as well, understanding that it’s just not always possible in an older boat.

At the recommendation of an ABYC systems designer, I used Blue Seas remote battery switches within inches of the main positive takeoffs on both banks. In the event of an electrical fire, I can isolate the banks via the main panel in the saloon without entering a smoky engine room. Won’t put a fire out, but reduces the likelihood that an ER fire would put me out . . . or that a short would continue to feed a fire.

I have solenoids as well for the engine start, thruster/windlass, house, and genset batteries. Great system but... in my case the only manual override I have is for the genset start. So if for some reason the solenoids (powered off the house bank) are not operational there is a problem. Upgrading to something like the Blue Sea remote switch would provide that manual control as well as the ability to lock it off.

 

[john61ct]

Yes you want to look at the "relay logic" at each point to foresee what the state of each "failure mode" is.

Cheap contactors can weld shut.

Some relays require power to stay open or closed.

Others stay in the current state whichever it is when power is removed.

BTW none of these are "solenoids" bit of a misnomer that.

 

[dhays]

Yes you want to look at the "relay logic" at each point to foresee what the state of each "failure mode" is.

Cheap contactors can weld shut.

Some relays require power to stay open or closed.

Others stay in the current state whichever it is when power is removed.

BTW none of these are "solenoids" bit of a misnomer that.

All good points, and I really have no idea exactly how those switches of mine actually work. All I know is that when they are powered by the switched voltage, the relay closes. Lose power to the relay and it opens. Hence the manual switch for the genset. If the house bank is completely dead so it can't close the relay between the genset and the genset start battery, I can manually connect them, starting the genset and then hopefully charging the batteries. Of course if I ever drained my house bank that low, I'd have drastically shortened its useful life.