Battery Switches - How do I Set Them Correctly

S

Sarge

New member
My boat used to be moored and I had access to shore power and my on-board battery charger to keep my batteries charged. Now I am in dry storage and I'm learning the habit of turning the batteries switches on/off. I'm just not sure I'm doing it correctly. :crook

I have 2 batteries and I have two battery switches. One switch is simply ON/OFF and the other switch has the following selections: OFF/1/ALL/2

Whoever rigged the boat left dyno tape on the access door stating, "Switch to 1 or 2 or ALL to start, then switch to 1 to run"

My usual routine is to switch the ON/OFF switch to ON
Switch the OFF/1/ALL/2 switch to 1
Start the motor and go about my business.

My question is...will this charge both my batteries when I'm using the motor?

When I put the boat in the rack I turn both switches to OFF .

I'd appreciate any insight or thoughts on this matter.

thanks,
 
I discovered that my Tomcat was wired wrong at the batteries and at the AC charger. (The mechanic said he took pictures before he fixed it and sent them to the factory). If you are only using two batteries you should only have one switch wired. My dealer may install a 4th battery so the system makes logical (usable) sense). 1 for start, 2 for house, and both for all to apply to both switches.

The only way to check what you have now is to test power supply and charging. Use a multimeter to test the voltage of your batteries without any charging by AC or engine to determine a baseline.

Then set your switch to position 1 and start your engine. Use a multimeter on the batteries to determine which battery supplied the power and is thus being charged. Shut your engine off, switch over to position 2, start the engine, then retest with the multimeter. Shut your engine off, switch to both, restart, etc.

Two switches for 2 and 3 batteries is nonsense. If you can, disconnect all the wires and reconnect using just one switch. Others with more C-Dory and electrical knowledge will no doubt chime in here but a multimeter is the only way to find out what is going on now.
 
Sarge":3sbu975l said:
I have 2 batteries and I have two battery switches. One switch is simply ON/OFF and the other switch has the following selections: OFF/1/ALL/2
Click to expand...

My guess. Off - Battery one is Off. 1 - Battery one is ON.. All - Both batteries going through, similar to emergency start, house and starter both going to engine. 2 - bypass Battery one, use Battery two only.

Tom
 
tom&shan":2pym3xbr said:
Sarge":2pym3xbr said:
I have 2 batteries and I have two battery switches. One switch is simply ON/OFF and the other switch has the following selections: OFF/1/ALL/2
Click to expand...

My guess. Off - Battery one is Off. 1 - Battery one is ON.. All - Both batteries going through, similar to emergency start, house and starter both going to engine. 2 - bypass Battery one, use Battery two only.

Tom
Click to expand...

Off-1-Both-2.............OK!

So what do you think the other switch is for? (On-OFF) ???
 
Joe,

Off-1-Both-2.............OK!

So what do you think the other switch is for? (On-OFF) ???
Click to expand...

That's been bugging me. I left it on "OFF" and switched the multi-switch to 1 and I was able to use the accessories on the boat. I thought it might be a master ON/OFF switch, but obviously that isn't what it does.

Now I'm guessing that it might be a master ON/OFF switch for the second battery...I need to leave it "OFF" and switch the multi switch to 2 and see if I get power on the boat. :roll:

If I only had one switch - the multi switch - would it need to be on ALL to charge both batteries when the boat motor is running?
 
Sarge":ff8aqhkx said:
Joe,

I left it on "OFF" and switched the multi-switch to 1 and I was able to use the accessories on the boat. I thought it might be a master ON/OFF switch, but obviously that isn't what it does.

Now I'm guessing that it might be a master ON/OFF switch for the second battery...I need to leave it "OFF" and switch the multi switch to 2 and see if I get power on the boat. :roll:

If I only had one switch - the multi switch - would it need to be on ALL to charge both batteries when the boat motor is running?
Click to expand...

So then Battery 1 is your House Battery and Battery 2 is your starter Battery. I would think that ALL is only for emergency starting, that normal operation has multi switch set to 1 and the other switch set to ON. What were they at all summer when you used the boat? I saw you at Lopez last year so I know it must be working. Of course I dont really have a clue ... maybe you should try and get Pat Anderson to pipe in with some advice?

Tom
 
Sarge":2yl72z4w said:
If I only had one switch - the multi switch - would it need to be on ALL to charge both batteries when the boat motor is running?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the way most boats are wired. (Unless they have some automatic switching relay in the charging circuit.)

We really need someone who can trace wiring circuits to look at exactly how these switches are hooked up!

Joe. :thup :teeth
 
Sarge, is this the C-dory or your new boat? From the discussion, I would think that this is different from what C-dory would install, and one should either contact whoever made the boat, or trace the connection wires.

Boris
 
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