tomsis
Junior Member
Prospective SO 379 owner. Sails in North Wales, UK.
Posts: 10
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Post by tomsis on Apr 14, 2024 15:52:42 GMT
Hi everyone, we have a brand new (to us) 2017 SO389. The house battery seems to be dead, but we are also wondering if we are not using the switches properly when charging. Does the 389 have a diode such that we don’t need to worry about the isolator switches when the engine is on and we want them to charge, or do they both need to be set to ‘on’ on the battery isolator panel?
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Post by bitsailor on Apr 14, 2024 17:19:35 GMT
Assuming it’s not been modified, the charger should still charge the batteries if the house battery main switch is off, as long as the common negative switch - if you have one - is still on.
However, generally it’s not advisable to switch the house bank off. I believe by default the bilge pump is on the house switch so having the bank off risks not having an active bilge pump.
If the batteries are being charged, even less reason to have it switched off unless you have a specific situation.
Couple of other notes:
If the engine is on - the house and starter switches should always be on and turning them off risks damaging the alternator
It’s relatively easy to test if the battery is charging correctly - just turn the motor on and check the battery voltage
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tomsis
Junior Member
Prospective SO 379 owner. Sails in North Wales, UK.
Posts: 10
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Post by tomsis on Apr 15, 2024 15:22:03 GMT
Assuming it’s not been modified, the charger should still charge the batteries if the house battery main switch is off, as long as the common negative switch - if you have one - is still on. However, generally it’s not advisable to switch the house bank off. I believe by default the bilge pump is on the house switch so having the bank off risks not having an active bilge pump. If the batteries are being charged, even less reason to have it switched off unless you have a specific situation. Couple of other notes: If the engine is on - the house and starter switches should always be on and turning them off risks damaging the alternator It’s relatively easy to test if the battery is charging correctly - just turn the motor on and check the battery voltage Thanks very much indeed. Could I ask, is there any reason not to leave both house and engine batteries on all day as we sail? Or do you tend to just have the engine battery turned on when you are actually running the engine to keep it fully charged? |
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Post by zaphod on Apr 15, 2024 18:51:36 GMT
Assuming it’s not been modified, the charger should still charge the batteries if the house battery main switch is off, as long as the common negative switch - if you have one - is still on. However, generally it’s not advisable to switch the house bank off. I believe by default the bilge pump is on the house switch so having the bank off risks not having an active bilge pump. If the batteries are being charged, even less reason to have it switched off unless you have a specific situation. Couple of other notes: If the engine is on - the house and starter switches should always be on and turning them off risks damaging the alternator It’s relatively easy to test if the battery is charging correctly - just turn the motor on and check the battery voltage Thanks very much indeed. Could I ask, is there any reason not to leave both house and engine batteries on all day as we sail? Or do you tend to just have the engine battery turned on when you are actually running the engine to keep it fully charged? I leave both battery switches on whenever I am using the boat, (and often when I am not to be honest). There is no issues with leaving the engine battery switch on, and it should not discharge if you do. |
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