Proper way to hook up 3 batteries with twin motors?
05-13-2006, 02:27 PM
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Proper way to hook up 3 batteries with twin motors?
I have twin 496 ho engines, each with a single battery and no switches. What would be the proper way to install one more battery between the two so both alternators would be charging all three batteries equally? Is this where an isolator comes in? Thanks
Last edited by Harper220; 05-13-2006 at 02:32 PM.
05-13-2006, 04:28 PM
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Re: Proper way to hook up 3 batteries with twin motors?
I've seen some good diagrams at West Marine- I think that the West Advisor is also online. I think that there have been some recent innovations in the area of battery charge management. Good luck - Jeff
05-13-2006, 04:52 PM
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Re: Proper way to hook up 3 batteries with twin motors?
my opinion is that you really really don't want to do that... at least as you describe...
first... alternators don't like to charge multiple batteries at once... they will do it with the proper electronics as in what ford and other use on their trucks w/ two bats but if one battery gets soft it will beat hell out of the alt trying to keep up.
second.. on multi engines you will have a situation potentially where the elengines can now talk to each other electrically... which, if they are electronically fuel injected, will confuse hell out of the sensor array if one engine is running slightly higher or lower voltages... EFI wants completely isolated systems such that one set of electronics can not possibly be linked to the other except in war emergency situations... which is why you have bat switches....
there are marine systems ive seen for multi bats... and on single motor systems im sure they are fine... but any system that could fail and as such, link the alts or the elctronics of the two motors , i think is a really bad idea.
on mine i run two bats to two master switches that feed two completely isolated electrical sytems. there is a third master switch that would link the two pos terminals as a jumper in a war emergency situation. if i real;ly wanted a third battery as a spare i would would get a multi bat switch and hook it up to ONE engine only... that way if it failed there could not be a link bewteen the two motors.
my feeling is that if i am going to have an electrical disaster, i would like it to leave me with half an electrical system to get home on.
first... alternators don't like to charge multiple batteries at once... they will do it with the proper electronics as in what ford and other use on their trucks w/ two bats but if one battery gets soft it will beat hell out of the alt trying to keep up.
second.. on multi engines you will have a situation potentially where the elengines can now talk to each other electrically... which, if they are electronically fuel injected, will confuse hell out of the sensor array if one engine is running slightly higher or lower voltages... EFI wants completely isolated systems such that one set of electronics can not possibly be linked to the other except in war emergency situations... which is why you have bat switches....
there are marine systems ive seen for multi bats... and on single motor systems im sure they are fine... but any system that could fail and as such, link the alts or the elctronics of the two motors , i think is a really bad idea.
on mine i run two bats to two master switches that feed two completely isolated electrical sytems. there is a third master switch that would link the two pos terminals as a jumper in a war emergency situation. if i real;ly wanted a third battery as a spare i would would get a multi bat switch and hook it up to ONE engine only... that way if it failed there could not be a link bewteen the two motors.
my feeling is that if i am going to have an electrical disaster, i would like it to leave me with half an electrical system to get home on.
05-13-2006, 05:14 PM
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Re: Proper way to hook up 3 batteries with twin motors?
You need a battery isolator. This will take a charge from two sources and divide it between three batteries. It also proevent flow between the three batteries. I just happen to have a spare if you are interested in it.
Leaving for work, I will post a pic when I have time.
Leaving for work, I will post a pic when I have time.
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