Amplifier install Questions
#11
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Location: Tampa, FL USA
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Clarification: The amp power goes directly to the battery thru a fuse or breaker. The radio gets power from cabin radio switch that is getting power from the perko switched side. When the battery switch is turned off, even it the radio is left on, the amps will draw absolutely no current. The radio must have power for it to turn on the amps and because the radio is powered thru the perko switch you can never have a dead battery due to having left the radio on.
One other suggestion, I always suggest a Guest built in battery charger with dual outputs. The Guest is waterproof and stays mounted in the boat. It automatically tops off battery so that you get to the island fully charged. Many boaters leave the dock with 50% charge due to lack of use and find premature discharge at the island. Also remember that each time you discharge a battery, it never charges to its fullest capacity. A battery that is left to go dead is forever crippled.
One other suggestion, I always suggest a Guest built in battery charger with dual outputs. The Guest is waterproof and stays mounted in the boat. It automatically tops off battery so that you get to the island fully charged. Many boaters leave the dock with 50% charge due to lack of use and find premature discharge at the island. Also remember that each time you discharge a battery, it never charges to its fullest capacity. A battery that is left to go dead is forever crippled.
#12
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I will chime in here. Power to the amplifiers needs to be run directly to the battery and the ground to the engine block. Grounding at the battery is not a good ground as the battery's ground is always fluctuating. As Audiofn said make sure you use the correct guage power wire and fuse 6 inches from the connection to the battery. If you do not know what guage wire to run you can call the amp manufacturer and they can tell you. Also, most amps today require 4 guage wire for your power cables for a minimum. I always run individual power wire and grounds to each amp so they are fused seperately. Zanie there is only one way to do this correctly. How Audiofn and Andy Buzz suggested is the correct way. If you do not run the correct guage wire the amps will not allow the amps to produce the power that they should and will not sound like they should. The only upside to this is that they will not make as much heat, so you will not have as much chance of the amps shutting down. Unless there is a problem with your amps or they are wired incorrectly the amp should not draw power when the head unit is off. Also as Andy said when you put your boat up for the night recharge your batteries with a trickle charger because the 1/2 hour trip back to the dock will not recharge your batteries. Forrest