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posted to rec.boats.electronics
Larry
 
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Default Battery switches, alternators and regulators?

Al Thomason wrote in
news
I think that would not be a problem. On my House Bank, I have a
master isolation switch. The LN alternator is connected to the
'downward' side of this switch. So, opening the Master switch causes
all to be disconnected from the house battery, including the LN
alternator. (All except the bilge pumps, they are wired directly to
the House Battery with separate wiring)


Even moving the master switch, inadvertently or not, will guarantee the
running alternator will blow every piece of electronics running on the now-
open-circuited alternator(s) permanently connected to them. Even a little
terminal corrosion on the switch will make it happen, bigtime....

Why don't people connect the alternator through a suitable fuse, directly
to the battery, and switch only the field or external regulator power with
the engine switch, like it's supposed to be, so this doesn't happen and
cause some very expensive service???.... If the alternator shorts a diode,
it blows the alternator fuse...no harm done.

How many of you connected to the master switch like this have an alternator
fused at 50% over its generating capacity?....Fess up!