Blue Sea ACR advice

[bigdogg1]

Hi there,

Started to clean up wiring this Winter then thought about the ACR set up. I run a Yamaha 200 and a 9.9 and 2 batteries off a Perko switch. Starboard battery runs the 200. Port runs everything else. Two helms and the usual electronics. Each terminal has 5 or 6 connections direct to them. I thought about simply adding a busbar here but then looked into the ACR. Advice would be great b/c 2 marine mechanics spoke against the system because it has an extra piece to go wrong. Attached is my schematic to track the wiring. It is a mess so that is why I started the clean.

 

[Fixit]

acr is a fantastec setup. that advice seems short sighted. if your concerned about the number of connections at the battery, then use a buss bar. IIRC 3 is the max? ie +starter cable, +ACR and +distribution/buss bar.... ground both batterys together, then a negative buss

 

[noluck]

i personally like the blue sea add a battery with the acr.

 

[bigbruce]

I installed the Blue Seas ACR and have not regretted it. It's either on or off. Set it and forget it. No worrying about switching between batteries and never a concern that the starting battery is going to be discharged.

 

[Sir Reel]

Blue Sea ACR. Works great. On or off is all you need to remember. I did run an LED to my dash so that I know both batteries are charging when running the main.
There are some good wiring diagrams on their wesbite.

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

Great system installed it and have no complaints works all the time

 

[Rotten Ronnie]

Gotta jump on the Blue Sea ACR bandwagon, installed it on my boat and haven't regretted it one bit. Portland Marine Electronics has a utube video that explains it far better than I could so I'll leave it at that.

 

[bones]

looking at your line drawing, it appears that the 200hp only charges the start battery and the 9.9 charges the house battery?
by rewiring your system what are you trying to achieve? just a general clean up?
i would add a fused dist. panel c/w neg bus and an acr add a battery. i include a fuse panel because your house bat. has multiply loads on the pos terminal (downriggers, trim, 4 neg and only 2 pos?). this way those fuses are easy to see and change out. there is a nice diagram on the blue seas website.
on a side note: does the yamaha outboard offer a secondary charging circuit? maybe ask your local dealer if they have a harness that comes off the emm. you can eliminate the need of the acr by using the secondary circuit if they produce one. one charging the house and one charging the start. use a make before break selector switch.

 

[bigbruce]

With the Blue Seas system, both engines will charge both batteries, with the start battery getting priority before the charge to the house battery cuts in. Again, no need to worry about make before break switching as the switching is automatic.

 

[sly_karma]

It's better if you reconfigure when installing the ACR so that you have separate starting battery and house battery. Then you have the right battery for each application; start batteries are designed to deliver short bursts of high power, followed by immediate recharging. The house battery should be using a deep cycle battery which has chemistry designed for discharge over a longer period of time and can tolerate being drawn down to relatively low levels on a repeated basis without suffering damage (starting batteries are less tolerant of this). The diagram below was taken from Blue Seas' website and clearly shows both engines connected to the Start battery and all house loads supplied by House battery. You can also see that there is no need for numerous connections to each battery, or indeed to any terminal on the key components. My own setup is as per the diagram and it's been excellent. You will need a bus bar for the negative side of the system though.

Blue Seas has some good resources on their site and you can look up the correct wire gauges for your application - just remember the AWG chart is based on total circuit length; ie, combined run of pos and neg conductors. You'll probably want to run a large gauge circuit to the helm area and fuse block there so that the runs to all your electronics and instruments can be smaller gauge, 14 or 16. I added a second breaker and small fuse block aft to power downriggers and auto bilge pump (separate switched bilge pump is powered from helm fuse block).

 

[bigdogg1]

It's better if you reconfigure when installing the ACR so that you have separate starting battery and house battery. Then you have the right battery for each application; start batteries are designed to deliver short bursts of high power, followed by immediate recharging. The house battery should be using a deep cycle battery which has chemistry designed for discharge over a longer period of time and can tolerate being drawn down to relatively low levels on a repeated basis without suffering damage (starting batteries are less tolerant of this). The diagram below was taken from Blue Seas' website and clearly shows both engines connected to the Start battery and all house loads supplied by House battery. You can also see that there is no need for numerous connections to each battery, or indeed to any terminal on the key components. My own setup is as per the diagram and it's been excellent. You will need a bus bar for the negative side of the system though.

Blue Seas has some good resources on their site and you can look up the correct wire gauges for your application - just remember the AWG chart is based on total circuit length; ie, combined run of pos and neg conductors. You'll probably want to run a large gauge circuit to the helm area and fuse block there so that the runs to all your electronics and instruments can be smaller gauge, 14 or 16. I added a second breaker and small fuse block aft to power downriggers and auto bilge pump (separate switched bilge pump is powered from helm fuse block).

Thanks for all your great advice. This forum is a phenomenal resource to say the least. I will go with the Blue Sea ACR system after all these positive comments. All this started when I decided to clean up what is basically the house battery which a previous owner decided would be okay to have 10 connections off 2 terminals...

 

[sly_karma]

Blue Seas makes a good range of fuse blocks, breakers, bus bars and so on, all in marine friendly materials. Plan it all out on paper first and figure out what you need. No marine stores that carry this stuff near my place, so I bought the ACR kit, breakers, bus bar and fuse blocks online. One resource that was really useful for me is a truck/automotive electrical shop. They carry all the lug terminals, wire, fuse holders and connectors I need, plus some good advice along the way. It was them who advised me on terminations: crimp, solder, heat shrink. In that order, every time. Works on offroad logging trucks, worked fine so far on my boat.

 

[CIVANO]

Use tinned stranded wire for salt water.

 

[Sir Reel]

I have a start battery and 2 x Group 29 house batteries connected through a Blue Sea ACR. My main is connected to the start and everything else including the kicker is connected to the house batteries.
I have an LED off the ACR so I can monitor when all the batteries are combined for charging. When on the main it is on (combined) all the time. However when on the kicker it rarely combines as I don't think the Yamaha (6amp charge)can reach the threshold where the ACR will combine. This is ok as the start is isolated and the kicker keeps charging my house batteries although at a slow rate.

 

[bones]

With the Blue Seas system, both engines will charge both batteries, with the start battery getting priority before the charge to the house battery cuts in. Again, no need to worry about make before break switching as the switching is automatic.

that would be true with the acr, but a better and cheaper way is with aux power coming from the main motor if .... equipped. all you need is the cable from the manufacturer $100.00 no need to rewire anything. Main power to start battery, Aux charging just goes to house battery. MBB switch would be required so you don't float the charging system if under power when you switch. all etec motors 90hp and up from 2005 and on have this feature. gives you the whole 50A and protects your electronics from under voltage when stating your main. lot cheaper and you don't need to bother rewiring for the acr. i just mention it because many people do not know this is equipped on the outboard motor.
i could supply basic line drawing if confused.