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Alternator wiring

M99
M99 Member Posts: 68 ✭✭
in Electrical System Discussions
Does anyone happen to know how Hurricane generally wires the engine alternator to the Batteries when you have dual batteries through a battery switch? The reason for the question, is that if they are wiring it through the battery switch, then the only battery that would be charged would be the one that is switched on at the time. Most of us that have dual batteries, use only Battery 1 or 2 in order to have the other as a back up. But if only one is being charged at a time, that back up plan would be rendered useless because the back up battery might be dead if it was not being charged. If the Alternator is wired around the switch to both batteries, then the above plan makes good sense.  Otherwise it would be safer to run on Both all the time so they both were getting charged.  This is not clearly shown in the electrical diagram. My Boat is in Dry storage so I can't just go trace the wires easily right now.
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  • M99
    M99 Member Posts: 68 ✭✭

    Just an FYI in case anyone else is interested. I figured it out with a VOM when it got warm enough to put the boat in the water.  One of the local Marine mechanics told me that with a single engine outboard, only the Battery selected by the switch would be getting alternator output. That would be the easy way to wire the boat, but then if you ran on only one battery, it would also be easy to find the other one dead if you needed to switch to it.  So I used a VOM. First measured Battery voltage to each battery separately with the engine off and found just about 12V after the boat sat for about 6 weeks.  That's as expected.  Switched to Battery 1 only and started the engine. Measured just over 14V to each battery separately, which is normal alternator output.  That proved that both battery were receiving alternator output to charge, regardless of the position of the battery switch.  That might be important to know if you are counting on the second battery to start the engine after sitting with the engine off and running the house for awhile. That might be different on other boats so its worth checking.

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