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stereo upgrade... i want 3 batteries now

deldel

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Can someone tell me how to wire 3 batteries? 2 for stereo and accessories and 1 for starter. I also have a perko switch.

Thank you in advance
 

Cole Trickle

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I would run the boat and accessories on one battery and the stereo on the other two. We ran 4 batteries and two separate Perkos.
 

Riverbound

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I have always ran every stereo I did the following way.

Set up one battery to the "1" switch on perko. Then wire the other battery or batteries to the. "2" switch. Everything should be wired to the out on the perko. Run your boat on the. "2" setting when engine is off and "both" or "all" when running. If you can't start the boat off the "2" them the "1" is there as a reserve. Built hundreds of stereos this way and never had a problem.

Wiring things directly to the batteries will result in problems later down the road.
 

djunkie

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I have always ran every stereo I did the following way.

Set up one battery to the "1" switch on perko. Then wire the other battery or batteries to the. "2" switch. Everything should be wired to the out on the perko. Run your boat on the. "2" setting when engine is off and "both" or "all" when running. If you can't start the boat off the "2" them the "1" is there as a reserve. Built hundreds of stereos this way and never had a problem.

Wiring things directly to the batteries will result in problems later down the road.

That's how I've always done mine.
 

deldel

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Do i run a jumper cable between the 2 battery set up or run an individual cable from each battery to perko?
 

deldel

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I have always ran every stereo I did the following way.

Set up one battery to the "1" switch on perko. Then wire the other battery or batteries to the. "2" switch. Everything should be wired to the out on the perko. Run your boat on the. "2" setting when engine is off and "both" or "all" when running. If you can't start the boat off the "2" them the "1" is there as a reserve. Built hundreds of stereos this way and never had a problem.

Wiring things directly to the batteries will result in problems later down the road.

So i should have no wires directly connected to the battery terminals?
 

deldel

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Does the perko have enough space to accept the (2) 4 gauge power wires and (2) 4 gauge ground wires i just added?
 

Riverbound

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Does the perko have enough space to accept the (2) 4 gauge power wires and (2) 4 gauge ground wires i just added?

The grounds do not go to the perko. Just the positive. The perko just interupts the positive leads.
 

SPL2K

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I have always ran every stereo I did the following way.

Set up one battery to the "1" switch on perko. Then wire the other battery or batteries to the. "2" switch. Everything should be wired to the out on the perko. Run your boat on the. "2" setting when engine is off and "both" or "all" when running. If you can't start the boat off the "2" them the "1" is there as a reserve. Built hundreds of stereos this way and never had a problem.

Wiring things directly to the batteries will result in problems later down the road.

Correct. But, .....Perko's can only handle ~200 amps continuos so with really big systems, the amps need to be wired directly to the batteries.
 

STV_Keith

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So basically you have one battery for the engine and one set of "house" batteries for the stereo. If it were me, I would wire it as follows:

This is basically 1/2 the 2 engine setup I have in my Scarab now.

Use a 1 - 2 - All switch for the ENGINE to select where the ENGINE gets power from and charges. If batt #1 is the engine batter, and #2 is wired to the two "house" batteries in parallel, then you use #1 all the time. ONLY if you need to start the engine from the house batteries or ALL would you switch the engine switch away from the #1 position. https://www.bluesea.com/products/category/Manual_Battery_Switches/m-Series

Use a ON-OFF battery switch between the house batteries and your stereo/house loads. This allows you to run ONLY these batteries right into the ground if you want, without ever touching your engine battery. This one will handle 600Amps https://www.bluesea.com/products/3000/HD-Series_Heavy_Duty_On-Off_Battery_Switch

Use an Automatic Charging Relay to charge the house batteries once the engine battery is topped off from the alternator. https://www.bluesea.com/products/7610/SI-ACR_Automatic_Charging_Relay_-_12_24V_DC_120A
 

deldel

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Ok, this is what i did today. The boat had 2 "marine starting" batteries in it (I bought the boat last fall). So i went and bought 2 "marine deep cycle" batteries.

I ran ground from engine block to battery #1, and jumped it to #2 & #3.
Perko switch "1" to "marine starting" battery.
Perko switch "2" to "deep cycle #1 with a jumper to DC #2"...also hooked up amp 4 gauge power and ground to these batteries (800 watts to highs, 1200 watts to subs RMS)
Perko switch"common" to starter.

After memorial day trip i plan to install isolators.

Give me your input. Thanks
 

Feelin Nauti

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this is how i do it with 3 batteries

I run 3 batteries myself and found the easiest way was to run a 3 bank battery isolator and 1 battery switch. The battery isolator makes sure all 3 batteries are getting charged when the engine is running regardless of the battery switch position and doesn't allow batteries to drain each other. I run the stereo off the 3rd battery only,batteries 1 & 2 are for starting and emergency back up start. simplest way to disconnect the stereo battery when in storage is to use a battery terminal cut off switch on the ground terminal. i also have a Promite 3 bank marine battery charger mounted in the back so all i have to do when i get home is plug it in and it maintains the batteries untill the next trip.
 

deldel

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this is how i do it with 3 batteries

I run 3 batteries myself and found the easiest way was to run a 3 bank battery isolator and 1 battery switch. The battery isolator makes sure all 3 batteries are getting charged when the engine is running regardless of the battery switch position and doesn't allow batteries to drain each other. I run the stereo off the 3rd battery only,batteries 1 & 2 are for starting and emergency back up start. simplest way to disconnect the stereo battery when in storage is to use a battery terminal cut off switch on the ground terminal. i also have a Promite 3 bank marine battery charger mounted in the back so all i have to do when i get home is plug it in and it maintains the batteries untill the next trip.

Do you have a big stereo system?
 

McKay

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I just installed 2 odyssey PC-1800ft in my nordic and am using a hellroaring isolator/combiner. I have it set up with everything pulling off of one battery and if I kill that a simple flip of a switch will allow you to start the engine off the second battery. Am running 1800 watts of amps. I like their isolator as it does not use diodes so you get the full voltage to charge from your alternator.
 
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