A/B Switch
I am putting in a 2nd battery on my boat and will need an A/B switch.
Is the field disconnect one (such as this one http://tinyurl.com/pa9hn ) always the way to go, or is the one that is $10 cheaper (but lacking field disconnect) a better option? I do not switch to the other battery while under power.....never have and do not plan to now. The switch will also not be out in the open for anyone to fool with. So save the $10 bucks or get the higher priced one? |
A/B Switch
$10?
You are trying to save $10? Are you sure you want to own a boat? -- Dennis Gibbons dkgibbons at optonline dot net " JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote in message . .. I am putting in a 2nd battery on my boat and will need an A/B switch. Is the field disconnect one (such as this one http://tinyurl.com/pa9hn ) always the way to go, or is the one that is $10 cheaper (but lacking field disconnect) a better option? I do not switch to the other battery while under power.....never have and do not plan to now. The switch will also not be out in the open for anyone to fool with. So save the $10 bucks or get the higher priced one? |
A/B Switch
"Dennis Gibbons" wrote in message ... $10? You are trying to save $10? Are you sure you want to own a boat? It is because I want to save the $10 that I am able to enjoy owning a boat and my cars free and clear with the help from the bank. If there is no clear advantage to spending the extra $10 then I wonder why bother spening it. Please address the question. Thanks |
A/B Switch
JimH wrote:
"Dennis Gibbons" wrote in message ... $10? You are trying to save $10? Are you sure you want to own a boat? It is because I want to save the $10 that I am able to enjoy owning a boat and my cars free and clear with the help from the bank. If there is no clear advantage to spending the extra $10 then I wonder why bother spening it. Please address the question. Thanks The purpose of the field disconnect is allow you to start the engine with a starting battery and then switch to "both" to charge. If you had a dead house bank, it would compromise the ability to start in "both," but without the field disconnect you don't want to switch over. The best solution is to start, and warm up the engine on one battery, then stop it, switch to both, and restart. I'd pay 10 bucks to avoid that. If, however, you are the sort of person who never makes a mistake, and would never have a dead battery, then you don't need a switch or even a second battery. As I've said before, a battery combiner ($55+) or an EchoCharge ($120+) type device is a vastly superior solution. The "Big Red Switch" is archaic. |
A/B Switch
" JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote in message . .. "Dennis Gibbons" wrote in message ... $10? You are trying to save $10? Are you sure you want to own a boat? It is because I want to save the $10 that I am able to enjoy owning a boat and my cars free and clear without the help from the bank. If there is no clear advantage to spending the extra $10 then I wonder why bother spening it. Please address the question. Thanks edit....*without* the help.... |
A/B Switch
Most new switches are "make before break," so there is never a moment of
disconnect when switching between banks A and B. The field disconnect protects the alternator if the switch is inadvertently turned to "Off," as I understand. Jason JimH wrote: "Dennis Gibbons" wrote in message ... $10? You are trying to save $10? Are you sure you want to own a boat? It is because I want to save the $10 that I am able to enjoy owning a boat and my cars free and clear with the help from the bank. If there is no clear advantage to spending the extra $10 then I wonder why bother spening it. Please address the question. Thanks |
A/B Switch
"Dave" wrote in message ... On Mon, 3 Apr 2006 08:58:56 -0400, " JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS said: It is because I want to save the $10 that I am able to enjoy owning a boat and my cars free and clear without the help from the bank. Well spoke, Jim. Don't you get tired of folks who think the length of their penis is measured in dollars? Indeed. More expensive does not always translate into *better*. Adding more bells and whistles to a basic product does not make it better in all cases either. I research before I buy and often ask for opinions from the experts. In this case the alternator field disconnect feature may not have been something I needed and resulted in the otherwise same switch costing 25% more. I started a similar thread at rec.boats and received some good advice there. After reading all the suggestions I decided to spend the extra $10 and get the one with the alternator field disconnect. |
A/B Switch
Hell, I should probably buy 2!
If, however, you are the sort of person who never makes a mistake, |
A/B Switch
Better to get the field disconnecot. One mistake, one disaster
averted, will illustrate the advantages. Any make before break a / b switch will enable you to switch batteries around safely during engine run time, but only the field switch will protect your alternator and electrical system from switching battery load to off during engine run time. Move the switch more slowly than rapidly. For 10 bucks its very good insurance and a valuable utility. Terry K |
A/B Switch
In article ,
" JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote: I am putting in a 2nd battery on my boat and will need an A/B switch. Is the field disconnect one (such as this one http://tinyurl.com/pa9hn ) always the way to go, or is the one that is $10 cheaper (but lacking field disconnect) a better option? I do not switch to the other battery while under power.....never have and do not plan to now. The switch will also not be out in the open for anyone to fool with. So save the $10 bucks or get the higher priced one? How 'bout a third option: Starting battery directly connected to the engine, the house battery connected to the first through an on/off switch. Turn it on when the engine is on, off otherwise; no way to cook the alternator. We have a small solar cell to charge the house bank. It works well enough that we almost never have to start simply to charge. -- Jere Lull Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD) Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
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