OzOne wrote in message ...
He didn't mention having a "well built system", simply a typical 1-2 All
battery selector switch, which does nothing to regulate charge. I would
have
thought that if he had a "well built system" he would have nmentioned it
and
indeed, probably never have asked the question in the first place, as he
would have had no need to. Which reminds me of the fact that I don't have
a
"well built system" on my own boat, possibly a project to tackle this
year.

John Cairns

John, the regulator regulates charge.
When a battery is charged it simply stops charging....what would you
do after all batteries were charged and yet you still needed the
engine....Unplug wires?


Oz1...of the 3 twins.

I welcome you to crackerbox palace,We've been expecting you.

"Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual"

Good section on battery charging, with brief and easy-to-understand
explanations as to how alternators/batteries work in both automotive/marine
applications, the differences between those two very different types of
alternators. In a nutshell, automotive alternators/regulators are designed
to charge batteries that are never typically deeply discharged, marine
alternators/regulators are designed to charge deep cycle batteries that are
typically discharged to half of their capacity. You might note the term
alternator/regulator, we're talking about a typical automotive or marine
alternator that has an integrated regulator, not a seperate regulator like
those made by Heart or Ample Charge as part of a proper charging system on a
sailboat. Suggest you buy the book, hours of reading on
mechanical/electrical systems on boats, with an emphasis on sailboats, at
least that's my impression, though it could simply be bias.

John Cairns