What is the recommended procedure..
Start with Battery #1 or
Star with Both Batteries switch ON

THanks
JWB

John W. Bienko wrote:
What is the recommended procedure..
Start with Battery #1 or
Star with Both Batteries switch ON


Well, if you can charge the batteries seperately that's
probably the best idea, because unless the batterries have
been connected in parallel, they will be at different
voltages... and as soon as you connect them, the higher one
will start discharging itself into the low one. This will
heat them both up and make charging less efficient no matter
what you've got hooked up to the circuit to charge them.

DSK

In article ,
John W. Bienko wrote:
What is the recommended procedure..
Start with Battery #1 or
Star with Both Batteries switch ON

THanks
JWB

Many people have a dedicated bat for starting and one for cruising. We
start on one and cruise on two. If we have trouble starting, we use
both. The disadvantage of starting on both is that if it doesn't
start, you can run down both and have nothing left.

--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

"Jonathan Ganz" wrote in message
...
In article ,
John W. Bienko wrote:
What is the recommended procedure..
Start with Battery #1 or
Star with Both Batteries switch ON

THanks
JWB

Many people have a dedicated bat for starting and one for cruising. We
start on one and cruise on two. If we have trouble starting, we use
both. The disadvantage of starting on both is that if it doesn't
start, you can run down both and have nothing left.

--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

Or that you forget to switch the batteries after the engine is started, and
don't charge either battery properly, overcharging one battery and
undercharging the other.

John Cairns

John,

I have to agree with you. After years of using single batteries for
starting and running and other for House Battery and a single for
Inverter, I finally learned to start on two and run on both; just like
my truck camper. My Inverter wasn't hooked up to the battery switch so
that did need special attention. I've since done away with the Inverter
battery and paralleled it inverter with the house battery. They all get
the same charge. Works for me and cleaned up the wiring.

http://community.webtv.net/tassail/ThomPage

"Thom Stewart" wrote in message
...
John,

I have to agree with you. After years of using single batteries for
starting and running and other for House Battery and a single for
Inverter, I finally learned to start on two and run on both; just like
my truck camper. My Inverter wasn't hooked up to the battery switch so
that did need special attention. I've since done away with the Inverter
battery and paralleled it inverter with the house battery. They all get
the same charge. Works for me and cleaned up the wiring.

http://community.webtv.net/tassail/ThomPage

What I have found works well is to have a third battery (i.e., a starting
battery optimized for engine cranking as opposed to deep discharge) that is
on its own on/off switch, located as close to the engine as possible for a
short cable run and with significantly sized cable. (I'm using #00.) I only
turn this on for starting and for about the first 15 or 20 minutes of engine
running time (to make sure it gets topped back off after starting the
engine.) Then, I set my two Group 27 house batteries to the "Both" (i.e.,
paralleled) position and switch off the starting battery. (Important to do
it in that order so as not to fry the alternator diodes.) These Group 27's
are identical batteries of the same age and have always been run in parallel
so (hopefully) they have been discharging/charging at more or less the same
rate. Plus, by always running them in parallel I tend not to suck either
battery down too low, as opposed to, for example, seriously depleting
battery #1 and then switching to battery #2.

Regards,
Alan Gomes

"John W. Bienko" wrote in message
...
What is the recommended procedure..
Start with Battery #1 or
Star with Both Batteries switch ON

THanks
JWB

Some battery switches are designed to allow switching between banks while
the engine is running, others are not. I would suggest you contact the
manufacturer and find out about your particular model. If yours is the type
that must be switched to another bank while the engine is off, then I would
say start with your starting bank, charge it up, then turn off the engine
after it is warmed up and switch to "both", restart your engine warm
(easier) and charge both banks. This can be repeated to charge the second
bank alone as well after the "both" sequence.
I would advise you look into battery isolators and a battery condition
monitor. Hope that helps.

Deck Gorilla