1/20/2024 0 Comments Marine battery isolator 4 bank![]() The big down side with a split diode system is the voltage drop across the diode (in the order of 0.8-1.2V). This is the most common method by far employed round the world and is the standard in the USA, for 3 reasons, safety, safety and safety, by the way did I say safety? However, all is far from perfect. (see later) The system must be suitable for the purpose for which it is installed and this is clearly not.ģ) Split charge diodes: By using a set of diodes on a heat sink, one can ensure no back feed through the diode, thus ensuring that high currents from other battery banks do not flow up the charge lines and cause a fire. If you are lucky you will destroy the relay, if you are not so lucky then you will set fire to the cross over cables, hence the dangerous aspect, A Sterling Currint limiting relay prevents this problem. That means you will draw 150A up the split charge cable and through the 70A relay. Then you load your inverter to 150A, the 150A will not be drawn from the domestic battery because it is flat but can be drawn from the engine battery (which is full). So, you start the engine to charge the domestic batteries, the 70A split charger relay will come online to enable the alternator to charge the domestic battery bank. Say, for example, you have a 70A relay on your system and a 55A alternator, all seems great, but if you fit a 1500W inverter which can draw 150A and one morning the domestic battery is flat. The bad side (and the very dangerous side) is that a relay is prone to over loading. The good side is, that it is easy to fit and requires no alterations to the standard engine system, but, it merely connects the domestic battery bank to the engine battery via a relay, which is energised when the engine starts. This system is both dated and extremely dangerous, unless understood and the correct relay used for the correct job, ie current limiting relays may be required for safety reasons. Simply check the temperature of the switch every so often by touching the back - it should be cold.Ģ) Split charge relay. When these switches fail they tend to melt the plastic case (if you are lucky). ![]() The spring in the switch can over-heat and loses its tension this leads to an exponential break down of the switch that manifests in heat. They also tend to suffer failure if large prolonged current is passed through them. Failure to operate it correctly will result in all batteries being discharged or not being charged correctly and possible damage to the alternator. The bad side is that it needs constant human intervention to ensure it works. The good side of this system is that it is easy to install. ![]() It is recognisable as a large circular switch with four marked positions on the switch. This method is very dated and not very common on boats. There are four various options employed by boat builders, below are the options with a short explanation giving both the positive and negative aspects.ġ) Rotary switch. Having introduced 2-3 battery banks onto your boat, the problem then is how do you charge them from one alternator source (or two alternators which I will discuss later). These tend to be the engine start battery, the domestic battery bank (please note that if you join three or four batteries together in your domestic battery bank it is still one battery), and the bow thruster battery. ![]() All boats have at least two battery banks, some have three. ![]()
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