Linking batteries for accessories

Started by Bassinkorea, May 30, 2020, 12:33:03 AM

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Bassinkorea

A little breakdown of what I am running currently.

4 x batteries.
- 2 x deep cycle batteries for my 24v Ultrex TM
- 1 x starter battery for my Optimax
- 1 x deep cycle battery to power everything else (1 x PowerPole and 2 or 3 sonar units)

1 x Minn Kota 3 bank charger that charges the 2 trolling motor batteries + the accessories battery

1 x stand-alone battery charger to charge my starter battery.


I always plug the 2 battery charges in after a day of fishing and that takes care of the batteries ready for the next day on the water.

The one issue I am coming across is that the accessories battery is discharging quite a lot during a LONG fishing day, and there are times when I am fishing tournaments on weekends where I practice on the Saturday and the tournament on the Sunday. This means I have to take the accessories battery out of the boat at the end of Saturday and put in a new battery for Sunday. This is doable, but is a PITA.

I was thinking about linking the accessories battery and the starter battery together in parallel so that the big motor can add charge to both whilst running the boat between areas.

I was in the process of purchasing a "unit" that would charge all 4 batteries whilst running the big motor, but this has fallen through  :(

Would running the 2 batteries in parallel like mentioned above put to much strain on the motor's alternator?
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Deadeye

I wouldn't think so.

Many Years ago I had a 12-volt TM Battery and I hooked it up through a Toggle Switch to the Starter Battery so when I was running I could flip the switch on and charge the TM Battery while running the big Motor.

I don't remember ever having to put a Charger on it.

In Addition on another boat I had 2 12-volt DC Batteries in Parallel for the 12-volt TM. It would last all day running. And I use a single Battery Charger to charge both up.

But like all things, Your Mileage may vary.

FD

No, you can't put a "strain" on an alternator.  You're no loading it like you would an electric motor turning a fan or pulley, it puts out the amps it's designed to and that's it.

If you run them in parallel your accessories will also drain your starting battery.  I only use 1 battery for starting my Opti and running my acc.  Unless I don't move around much on a tourney day, it handles everything just fine and still starts the Opti, but it's an expensive blue top AGM.  I also carry a jump box just in case it doesn't want to start late in the day.

Also any batteries in parallel should be identical.
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Princeton_Man

I agree with Deadeye and FD Steve.
I too recommend reducing your battery count and going with one big AGM. If you could get a Deka (or Duracell) group 31 or possibly the Opti Blue top (I've never used one) I think your problems will be solved.
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Bassinkorea

Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated!   ~c~

I'll see what alternative battery options there are, but I'm not expecting to being too hopeful  lo
2020 IBASS Gold - Zone 2 - AOY
2020 IBASS Classic - Winner
2020 IBASS Team Tourney - Winner (with FD)

Bassinkorea

Generally over here, we have two options for boat batteries.

1. A regular vehicle battery as the starter battery (100AH)
2. Deep Cycle batteries for trolling motors (100AH)

I was once told that the deep cycle batteries are not that good as starter batteries, especially for these Opti's, and I did have some issues years ago with starting my Opti with a deep cycle.

Would upping the AH to 150AH OR 200AH make a difference?

What I can try for the time being is to hook the accessory cables up to the starter battery and spend a few days on the water to see how it handles it. I always have a jumper box and some jumper cables in the boat if it doesn't go well.

Having just three batteries in the boat would make a big difference to me with weight as well as charging with my 3 bank charger.
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Princeton_Man

Considering you are using it as a Deep Cycle battery I would think you'd get better service regardless of the motor brand. I use a deep cycle RV/Marine Duracell (Deka) group 31 for my starting battery. I have for years. Only difference I see is when I get home and plug in, it's charged completely before the other two.
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Bassinkorea

Here's an update on my battery situation.

Those that know me tend to know that if I do something I go above and beyond and go the full hog.
Well, I managed to find a Korean brand Lithium 12 volt starter battery.
After chatting with another Korean Pro about them, he said that he uses them and it very happy with them, so I bit the bullet and bought one.

So basically I am taking out 2 batteries for over 100lbs and replacing them with one Lithium battery for less than 30lb.


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Princeton_Man

That's awesome Steve! I'd sure like to be able ditch that much weight in the back and keep the capacity.
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FD

Ive been looking at replacing my 4 with lithium but they are pricy here in the States.

Let us know how the Opti does with it.
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Bassinkorea

Quote from: Princeton_Man on June 25, 2020, 03:36:35 AM
That's awesome Steve! I'd sure like to be able ditch that much weight in the back and keep the capacity.

As you know I am running a 24v Ultrex and I would like to switch out those batteries for a single 24v Lithium to drop even more weight. The two lead TM batteries I have now are only about 12 months old, so I am going to hold onto them for a while longer yet.
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Bassinkorea

Quote from: FD on June 25, 2020, 03:41:42 AM
Ive been looking at replacing my 4 with lithium but they are pricy here in the States.

Let us know how the Opti does with it.

They are not cheap here either. At today's exchange rate, this 12v one cost me around $570 after a nice discount. The 24v one is about the same price.

I will be reporting back on it's performance.
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FD

I was at my battery shop last week picking up batteries for one of my machines and was talking to them about boat batteries.

Lithiums are around $900 each and are lightweight and would be much easier to replace in my cramped compartment.

But they are not yet proven to be super reliable in marine applications, His words.

So I'll wait until the price comes down.

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Bassinkorea

Quote from: FD on June 25, 2020, 04:37:07 AM
Lithiums are around $900 each and are lightweight and would be much easier to replace in my cramped compartment.

You don't have to tell me about those cramped Triton compartments, and mine is only an 18 footer  ^-^
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FD

When you put 4 batteries, an on board charger, 2 power pole pumps and a 2.5 gallon oil tank, there is not a lot b of space left.
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Bassinkorea

Yep, that's what I have currently too, well, I have only one PowerPole pump.
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Bassinkorea

Quote from: FD on June 25, 2020, 03:41:42 AM
Ive been looking at replacing my 4 with lithium but they are pricy here in the States.

Let us know how the Opti does with it.

Here's a quick update from the weekend.
I installed the new battery in the boat on Friday afternoon and connected it to my 3 bank charger and got it and the TM batteries fully charged (I kept a regular battery in the compartment just in case!)

I fished Saturday from 5:30am until around 4pm running 3 HDS graphs. Fished a lot on the TM and didn't motor around all that much.

Sunday, tournament day, we fished from 5:30am until 3pm, again running 3 graphs and we had bass in the livewell from 6:30am with the recirc pump running on a 7 minute cycle all day.

The new battery kicked @$$ and never showed signs of draining. It started the Optimax with ease on every turn of the key.

One thing I did notice is that with the regular battery and running at WOT the charging voltage was always 14.2v, but with the new battery it was between 13.3 and 13.6v

Then when I arrived home and connected the 3 bank charger, the LI battery bank light was green, showing that the battery was fully charged even after 2 days fishing. The TM battery banks were orange.
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2020 IBASS Team Tourney - Winner (with FD)