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Blue Seas not charging either battery


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I had a local shop install the blueseas add a battery kit a couple of months ago right before we installed the new stereo. On both outings since the install i've noticed that the LED charging indicator on the charging relay never illuminates. I've checked the blueseas install instructions and compared it with what the shop did and it looks like they're wired the battery's directly to the charging relays instead of through the switch itself. Can someone confirm this is what they've done wrong? Apologies for the terrible hand drawn wiring diagram......

 

Untitled__51829049258__F5BC4884-E304-45CD-A2B5-E441CE9B118E_JPG_copy_.png

Edited by Tags
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35 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Looks correct to me, except that your diagram is not showing a ground wire for the ACR

 

image_170181.jpg

hmmm thats a different diagram than the one i was looking but closer matches my setup. You're right, i definitely don't have a ground from the ACR.......i thought i read it wasn't necessary but i might be confusing that with something else.

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Just now, Tags said:

hmmm thats a different diagram than the one i was looking but closer matches my setup. You're right, i definitely don't have a ground from the ACR.......i thought i read it wasn't necessary but i might be confusing that with something else.

The external LED is not necessary.  The ground is necessary.  And also, your ACR should be have a blinking LED when it sees 12v but is not combining/charging.  If you don't feed it +12v and -12v at the bottom, it will never function correctly.  Easy fix, though.

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9 minutes ago, Tags said:

hmmm thats a different diagram than the one i was looking but closer matches my setup. You're right, i definitely don't have a ground from the ACR.......i thought i read it wasn't necessary but i might be confusing that with something else.

Definitely need the ground, otherwise there is no way to power the ACR logic/relay

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ahh ok. Got it! Thanks for quick responses.

What size fuse do i need on that ground wire? 10amp and 16awg?

I can run the ACR ground directly to the stereo battery, right?

 

Edited by Tags
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3 minutes ago, Tags said:

ahh ok. Got it! Thanks for quick responses.

What size fuse do i need on that ground wire? 10amp and 16awg?

I can run the ACR ground directly to the stereo battery, right?

 

Wiring diagram says 10 amp

http://assets.bluesea.com/files/resources/instructions/990170140.pdf

And yes, ground can go straight to one of the batteries

 

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30 minutes ago, MLA said:

Why do you need black? Just go with an inline fuse holder. 

just for consistency, nothing more. 

 

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4 hours ago, Roush611 said:

Here is the diagram from when I wired mine a month ago...

E26369A3-98FF-446A-B3A9-1F48455DA4FB_zps

lol, what is with the pencil scribbled in this thread when blue sea has such good and easily printed hook up drawings?

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23 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

lol, what is with the pencil scribbled in this thread when blue sea has such good and easily printed hook up drawings?

that's wayyyyy to easy :)

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ok the ground wire is installed. Is there anyway to test to see if the LED indicator illuminates.........apart from running the engine at high enough RPM to generate charge? Hoping to test before heading out on the water but don't have a fake-a-lake.

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Yes, run the engine but do not nesessaerly need to idle fast. Maybe 1000-1200 at the most if the alt is good. Otherwise, place a battery charger on the main cranking battery. ACR sees it the same as the alternator. However, id put a volt meter on the house side and check for the charge voltage rater than just look for the light. 

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  • 1 year later...

I have a question on this.  Strictly talking about the positive terminals.  I have a positive coming from the alternator into the battery post, and from the battery there's a positive going into what i presume is the boat circuitry which i'm assuming includes the starter.

When adding a battery and following the diagram, i take the common running from the alternator and it's connected to the switch (upper right number 1).  I follow the directions on the blue sea diagram and now my question is, where do i connect the cable that returns to the starter/boat system?  is that attached to the same upper right number 1 or does that get attached to the upper left number 2?

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14 minutes ago, Gamble52 said:

I have a positive coming from the alternator into the battery post, and from the battery there's a positive going into what i presume is the boat circuitry which i'm assuming includes the starter.

What size is this cable? Odd for an alternator to make a long run and go direct to the battery. And the starter will absolutely without a doubt, connect direct to the battery B+. The main starter cable will not come from anywhere else but the battery (through the main switch of course, if there is one).  

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Fuse isn't needed for the ground wire that I'm aware of (mine for sure isn't fused).  Make sure to pull that (or wire up a relay setup) when using an a multi-battery on-board charger.

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8 minutes ago, Nitrousbird said:

Fuse isn't needed for the ground wire that I'm aware of (mine for sure isn't fused).  Make sure to pull that (or wire up a relay setup) when using an a multi-battery on-board charger.

or just turn the switch off.

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Not sure what ground wire is referred to above, but the ACR's coil control ground does need to be fused. If the ACR shorts out, you can get 12V out of that GND control circuit. That wire would make a dead short to ground with no fuse. 

As to the charger. No need to pull any wires for charging, if the setup is configured correctly. A relay is an unneeded complication. Yes, the switch should be off. 

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2 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Once again - there is a perfect drawing provided by the manufacturer that shows how it is to be connected and fused

http://assets.bluesea.com/files/resources/instructions/990170140.pdf

 

it sure does show fuses!  It also shows the positive leads between the switch and the batteries being fused, and I don't recall ever seeing that done in actual practice on a wakeboat. ICBW.  And that's not to say that fusing isn't best practice.

The instructions also show the ACR wired direct to batteries rather than to the switch, which is the wrong way to do it if you intend to use a multibank onboard charger  (correctly, charging each bank independently).  Which isn't to say that really has anything to do with fuses, but it does suggest the diagram isn't infallible.

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