This is why we choose to install battery combiners for battery banks that are generally similar in size and also won’t be uneven or unbalanced to avoid nuisance tripping of the fuses protecting the battery combiners. What makes this all challenging for a marine electrical system is how do you know when the fuse has been tripped or blown? Especially if you don’t know what to look for. Furthermore, the fuses installed to protect the battery combiner will trip/blow. This inrush of current from one full battery bank to an empty bank can easily exceed the maximum current rating of the battery combiner. When two battery banks are in parallel (joined together), they will instinctively want to even themselves out and the higher voltage battery will want to lift the lower battery bank’s voltage. The challenge with battery combiners is uneven battery banks, specifically when one battery bank is discharged heavily and another battery bank is full. disconnect when voltage gets to 12.8 VDC). parallel at 13.3 VDC) but isolated when discharging (i.e. Battery combiners operate based on a specific voltage so the batteries are parallel when charging (i.e. Battery combiners will put two battery banks in parallel when there is charging voltage but leave the batteries isolated during discharge. connected together) automatically when there is a charging voltage and separately when there is no charging voltage. Let’s look at what they do and how they are different?īattery combiners, also called Automatic Charging Relays (ACRs) or Voltage Sensitive Relays (VSRs) are designed to put two battery banks in parallel (i.e. Battery combiners and battery isolators serve similar purposes but achieve sharing a charge differently. In this month's Tech Talk we are going to look at some charging scenarios using battery combiners and battery isolators to automate and simplify the charging process of multiple battery banks with only one charging source. However, many boats only have one charging source, such as an alternator or inverter/charger, so marine electrical designers are forced to share one charging source to recharge more then one battery bank. In an ideal electrical world, engine and house battery banks would always be separate and have their own charging source. If placed in linear sequence between each battery the isolator units can provide proper charging for several batteries in a multiple battery setup such as in larger boats that may have 2 or more house batteries.Keep Charged - Charging Scenarios Using Battery Combiners and Battery IsolatorsĪ 12VDC marine electrical system typically relies on one battery to start the engine and another battery to power the “house” loads, such as refrigeration, lights or an inverter. This prevents problems that may result from your charging source being too low in amps to charge all batteries at once. The advanced technology always insures that the first battery is fully charged (13.4v) before connection is made to the second battery. a battery charger is connected to the auxiliary battery the relay will engage and charge both batteries. If either battery is receiving a charge, e.g. The smart isolator is also “Dual Sensing” which senses the charge of both batteries. The small size and rugged construction of these units allow for quick simple installation for even the most novice DIYer. These units can be installed between batteries with a common ground to automatically control the charging process to the batteries but continue to provide isolation when a charging source is unavailable. A smart battery isolator is the ultra-simple and most technologically advanced method of automatic battery isolation.
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