Hi Larry:

Thank you for the prompt and detailed post.

I too am a KISS beliver. Went so far as ripping out the preasure water
system on my boat. The pump was agravatingly noisy plus was able to
deep 6 yards of 1/2 hose and an unbelivable number of hose clamps.

For your post. I need to print it, read word-for -word, and draw afew
pictures to get my non-electical mind wraped around your advice. I do
have one follow up question.
You mention my A-both-B switch. I have three switches on the BS panel.
A On-Off house, On-Off start, and the On-Off parallel swithc that
combines the start and house bank. I dont have the old style single
swithch that has the 1-2-Both setting.

When you say A-B-Both are yhou refering to three seperate switches or
the old single switch with the three setings?

I guess if I was smart enough I would be able to tell from your
response, but........ if I was smart I would not have a boat!
Bob

"Bob" wrote in news:1171133096.800560.48800
@h3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

A On-Off house, On-Off start, and the On-Off parallel swithc that
combines the start and house bank. I dont have the old style single
swithch that has the 1-2-Both setting.



Wow, I like that KISS. You don't need to do anything! Unless the house
battery is dead, turn 'em all on and crank the engine. Your alternator
is ALREADY connectable to everything at once! The Parallel switch does
what my ON-OFF switch does, already! If you kill the house battery, Turn
just Starting on, first, then crank the engine. Once the engine is
running, throw the other switches to ON and the charging goes to all the
batteries at once...UNLESS SOMEONE WIRED THE ALTERNATOR OUTPUT JUST TO
THE HOUSE BATTERIES! Trace that, please. NEVER, NEVER turn off BOTH the
house and starting batteries at the same time, which unloads the
alternator so its output voltage will eat whatever is still connected
WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING, or when your AC dock charger is running.

Trace the big wire from the alternator and see where it goes. I bet it
hooks directly to the starting battery, which makes my never, never
comment above a moot point as one battery is ALWAYS hooked to the
starting battery. That's where I would wire the alternator
output...directly to the starting battery so it has no chance of running
to an open circuit with your electronic stuff on it to be destroyed. The
alternator output should be wired through a suitable fuse (alternator
rating plus about 25% = fuse amps rating). This is in case the
alternator diode rectifiers short out. I'm a fuse freak when I have to
swim with the sharks because of an electrical fire.

With all the switches ON, all the batteries, house and starting, are
hooked in parallel to the alternator which will charge them....no wiring
is necessary. Just make SURE noone switches both house and starting
switches to OFF while the engine is running, just to be safe as we can't
really see how it's wired up here on usenet...ok? That you'll have to
trace for yourself.



Larry
--
VIRUS ALERT! VISTA has been released!
NOONE will be spared!