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Voltage Sensor Relay help


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I had a BEP Marine Voltage Sensing Relay installed with my dual D34 Optimas about a year ago by my Malibu shop. I guess I am not completely clear on the purpose. I thought it was supposed to keep my starting battery protected so my stereo battery could never drain things too low and leave me stranded. However, when I park and listen to my stereo I will get a low battery warning from my Bu gauge after a period of time. I'll attempt to start and it barley turns over. I would expect if I let my stereo to keep playing after that warning I would eventually not be able to start my boat.

Doesn't that go against everything that the VSR is supposed to do?

I looked at the wiring of my installation. The only thing that looks a little bit in question would be my three amps that are wired. Should the + be going to one battery and the - to the other?

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I had a BEP Marine Voltage Sensing Relay installed with my dual D34 Optimas about a year ago by my Malibu shop. I guess I am not completely clear on the purpose. I thought it was supposed to keep my starting battery protected so my stereo battery could never drain things too low and leave me stranded. However, when I park and listen to my stereo I will get a low battery warning from my Bu gauge after a period of time. I'll attempt to start and it barley turns over. I would expect if I let my stereo to keep playing after that warning I would eventually not be able to start my boat.

Doesn't that go against everything that the VSR is supposed to do?

I looked at the wiring of my installation. The only thing that looks a little bit in question would be my three amps that are wired. Should the + be going to one battery and the - to the other?

Hopefully they installed a selector switch for you as well so you can combine the batteries for starting purposes and simplify your wiring. Your amps should be wired to the house bank 12v+ and 12v-. The VSR is supposed to charge your reserve/emergency starting battery first then it opens the switch and charges the other house bank as well once it reaches a predetermined voltage.

Don't feel bad I had the same system in my 09' from the factory and they wired it wrong.

Can you post some sort of diagram of how it's wired now. Or just go to the BEP website and download the owners manual on that VSR and make sure yours is wired the way they show.

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No kidding?! So the VSR does not keep the starter battery from being used when my key is turned to AUX? I was told it separated it electronically so I would not have to worry about switching it manually. They actually took out my Perko and replaced it with this. I have a crude drawing I will try to repurpose into something easier to read. I do know for sure that my amps are wired 12v+ to starter battery and 12v- to house battery.

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LOL, well at least I don't feel bad being a little neurotic about hooking up my own system. It seems like if your 12v+ amp wire is hooked to your starter battery, then, well.... when the amp is drawing power from a battery, I have a pretty good idea which one it is. As far as the ground, there's probably a common ground cable jumped between the two batteries too, right? So that's how come the amp 12v- can be hooked to the other battery, since in reality it's hooked to the main battery too by way of the common jumper.

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No kidding?! So the VSR does not keep the starter battery from being used when my key is turned to AUX? I was told it separated it electronically so I would not have to worry about switching it manually. They actually took out my Perko and replaced it with this. I have a crude drawing I will try to repurpose into something easier to read. I do know for sure that my amps are wired 12v+ to starter battery and 12v- to house battery.

Sorry to hear that, sounds like they had the lot boy install it for you. They totally defeated the purpose of the VSR by wiring it that way. There should be nothing connected to your starting battery in that situation other than the 12v+ from the alternator giving preferential charge to your starting battery. Wired the correct way when your starting battery was fulling charged it would open the switch inside the VSR and start charging the house bank with everything connected to it. When you turned the boat off the switch would close isolating the batteries once again. The way they have it wired both batteries will drain. Doesn't matter which battery the ground is wired to as they share a common ground. The positive leads do matter ALOT. I'd take it back to them and have them fix it. Before the season starts.

Edited by 06vlx
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