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Battery Switch Selector Question


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Having a problem with batteries running down. My 2011 VLX  battery switch has a 1, both and Off setting. No position 2 which is strange. I understand that I should have a starting battery with higher cold cranking for starting the engine and my second battery should be for running my stereo, etc.

My question is: How can I tell which battery is wired as my Starting battery. I read that having the battery in Both Is not a good idea. Should the Starting battery be switch setting Both and should 1 be reserved for stereo. There is not a position 2 setting!
 

Is the starting battery red cable bigger then the other battery red cable?

Hate to be a pain but this is driving me crazy.

Im thinking about replacing the battery switch with a 1, 2, Both switch but I read someplace my switch might be some type of an automatic switch therefore no 2 position. 

Thanks

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Are you sure it's not on/off/both? I've never seen a switch that has 1/off/both. My 2011 LSV has the on/off/both and if that's the case with yours you need to be running it on "on" 99% of the time. On my switch, "Both" has a yellow hazard labeling and is to be used when you need to manually combine both batteries to crank the boat with the standard "on" setting won't get it done. This doesn't help your batteries running down problem but definitely take a closer look at your switch. For your cranking vs. stereo battery, one of the batteries is likely labeled a "deep cycle" which would be your stereo battery. 

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quickest way would be to put the switch in 1 then disconnect the hot lead from a battery.  If it dies....there's your answer

Im not smart enough to know how all the charging relay/ACR systems work.  But, here is another test you can try.  With the boat running (in the water or with a fake-a-lake) and the switch on 1, use a voltmeter and see what each battery is getting.  The "starting" battery should deff. be getting 14+ volts.  But if the 2nd battery is also getting 14+ volts, that should indicate that there is (at a minimum) a charging isolator.  That means that both batteries would charge even though the switch is in pos 1.  Then if the battery gets low, you switch over to Both and should have enough juice to start the engine.

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its always been my belief that a starting battery should ONLY be for starting and systems that would run while the engine is running (blower/ballast pumps).  Everything else should be on a separate/isolated battery so it NEVER matters if you run the stereo so much it kills the battery.  Both batteries should charge when the boat is running.  There should be an override that allows us to manually switch to the 2nd battery in case the starting battery fails on the water.

Perhaps this is how Malibu does it.  But, even on an $85K Skeeter bass boat....it didnt have this feature.  Low volume radio and 2 Lawrence fish finders = trolling motor for an hour to get back to the dock.  There is no pull starting a 250hp OptiMax :cry:

Edited by Texan32
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It sounds like you have Battery option 3 with a Voltage Sensing Relay (VSR) on your boat if it is still factory. The Battery selector switch will have Off, 1 and Both or Combine. Below is from your Operators manual, page 4-11;

 

Option #3, Dual Circuit Plus Battery Switch with VSR:

The Power of three switches in one!

Simple On/Off switching

Normal “ON” position isolates the starting and house circuits to reduce the chance of

fully discharging both batteries and protect on board electronics from engine starting voltage sages and spikes.

The “Combine Batteries” Position parallels the two battery banks in the event of a low starting battery.

The VSR manages the charging of the house battery bank automatically. The voltage sensitive relay is basically a switch that connects the cranking circuit battery to the house circuit battery, once the starter battery is fully charged. This allows the house circuit to be separate from the cranking circuit completely. This is a true isolated, separate set of circuits; house and cranking with two separate batteries. The common ground connection and this VSR switch are the only way these two separate circuits can connect. The switch is normally open, but once the engine is running and the voltage comes up on the starting battery and it is fully charged, the VSR switch closes, allowing charge current to flow into the house battery. This allows the alternator to supply current to charge the house battery and supply operational current to house loads.

Once you shut down and the alternator is no longer charging, the VSR switch will open, separating the two circuits again. Again the VSR has allowed two circuits to be separate, so now any power you draw with the engine off; will come from the house battery. You can listen to the stereo until the house battery is dead, but you can have the peace of mind knowing that all you have to do is turn the key and your boat will start. No fumbling with any switches, it’s all automatic.

Now that we have separated the house and cranking circuits, we can use batteries designed for specific uses. You always need a cranking battery for the cranking circuit, but now you can use a deep cycle battery on the house circuit. Deep cycle batteries will handle the load and discharge cycles much better then cranking batteries on the house circuit. A group 24 high-ampere hour deep cycle battery is recommended for the isolated house circuit.

If you have a large stereo system and you spend a lot of time listing to it with the engine off, upgrading the house battery system to two battery’s will extend the amount of time you can listen to the system before the batteries are dead and require charging. Using two deep cycle batteries in parallel on the house circuit will dramatically increase the amount of time you can listen to high end stereo systems. Contact our dealer for a battery system upgrade.

The cranking battery is the primary battery that is only used to start and operate the engine. Having the cranking circuit truly isolated from the house circuit is the ultimate upgrade; it prevents cranking voltage spikes from causing any problems with the onboard computer network. With the VSR equipped systems, you will notice that when you turn on the key, the stereo will come to life as will the dash instrumentation, yet when you crank the engine over to start, they never blink. The stereo never skips a beat and the instrumentation stays powered.

 

 

           

 

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1 hour ago, Texan32 said:

its always been my belief that a starting battery should ONLY be for starting and systems that would run while the engine is running (blower/ballast pumps).  Everything else should be on a separate/isolated battery so it NEVER matters if you run the stereo so much it kills the battery.  Both batteries should charge when the boat is running.  There should be an override that allows us to manually switch to the 2nd battery in case the starting battery fails on the water.

So you mean you want a properly set up Blue Sea Add-a-Battery?

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10 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

So you mean you want a properly set up Blue Sea Add-a-Battery?

idealy, yes.  But, as of yet, i havent run into an issue where i have needed to change my switch from 1 over to 2 or Both.  i will on occasion put it in the Both position while we are out cruising to make sure the 2nd battery is topped off.

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So if I read my switch wrong and it is Off, On and Both, then does it matter in which battery box I put the cranking battery?

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Interesting.  I apparently have Option 3 on my 2013 247.

My switch has 3 positions:  OFF / ON / COMBINE.  I was under the impression (apparently incorrectly) that the switch simply "saved" a battery for use if the combine switch was selected.  

One observation from this past weekend doesn't seem to square up with the above on charging though.  We anchored for about 3 hours with the stereo on.  Battery Switch was purposely put on 1.  Voltage on dash slowly dropped to about 12 V, but boat started no problem (switch still on 1).  What surprised me was that during the LONG run back to the house (30+ minutes at 20 - 25 mph with two quick stops (no engine shutdown)), my dash voltage only made it back up to about 13.2 V.  Usually when running with reasonable RPM and only stereo load (no ballast pumps, blowers, etc) I am reading 13.9 or 14.  I threw it on the charger overnight an all was at 14.2 in the morning.  Both batteries are AGM less than 1 year old, so I feel pretty good about them.  If the charging, as described above, charges the starting battery and then the house battery, why was I seeing a lower voltage?  No I am wondering if I switched to combine after starting and have simply forgotten?  When switch is in 'ON" position, what voltage am I reading at the dash?

Question about using an external charger:  I usually put the switch on "combine" and connect the charging leads to one of the batteries, figuring that this is the most efficient way to charge both batteries.  Short of an onboard charging system upgrade, is this the best practice?

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Can't recommend the ProMariner ProSport onboard charger enough. Easy install and dummy proof to use for peace of mind with my batteries. 

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5 hours ago, Stoofpilot said:

battery switch has a 1, both and Off

If you look close, its not a '1' but a line with "ON" next to it. This indicated both banks are turned on to their perspective loads. 

 

Quote

So if I read my switch wrong and it is Off, On and Both, then does it matter in which battery box I put the cranking battery?

Yes, if you are using a cranking and a deep cycle. If you are using 2 identical cranking or 2 identical dual purpose, then no, it would not matter. 

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1 hour ago, amartin said:

Interesting.  I apparently have Option 3 on my 2013 247.

My switch has 3 positions:  OFF / ON / COMBINE.  I was under the impression (apparently incorrectly) that the switch simply "saved" a battery for use if the combine switch was selected.  

One observation from this past weekend doesn't seem to square up with the above on charging though.  We anchored for about 3 hours with the stereo on.  Battery Switch was purposely put on 1.  Voltage on dash slowly dropped to about 12 V, but boat started no problem (switch still on 1).  What surprised me was that during the LONG run back to the house (30+ minutes at 20 - 25 mph with two quick stops (no engine shutdown)), my dash voltage only made it back up to about 13.2 V.  Usually when running with reasonable RPM and only stereo load (no ballast pumps, blowers, etc) I am reading 13.9 or 14.  I threw it on the charger overnight an all was at 14.2 in the morning.  Both batteries are AGM less than 1 year old, so I feel pretty good about them.  If the charging, as described above, charges the starting battery and then the house battery, why was I seeing a lower voltage?  No I am wondering if I switched to combine after starting and have simply forgotten?  When switch is in 'ON" position, what voltage am I reading at the dash?

Question about using an external charger:  I usually put the switch on "combine" and connect the charging leads to one of the batteries, figuring that this is the most efficient way to charge both batteries.  Short of an onboard charging system upgrade, is this the best practice?

I don’t think Malibu offered a factory ACR back in 2013?

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Yes they did offer it. It’s a bit different than the BEP system of today though. I’d have to look back to see how far back I ordered it on my boats but I’m pretty sure I had it on my ‘04. My ‘10 did. I’ve always ordered option 3. 

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50 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

I don’t think Malibu offered a factory ACR back in 2013?

My original paperwork (from original buyer, I did not buy new) says "Battery Set Up Option 3" and the 2013 manual (found online at TMC)  has a description like Ronnie posted above.  I assumed that it was a "dumb" switch, but I guess that I am wrong!  I saw someone use "RTFM" the other day - I guess that it applies here too!

  • Like 3
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Just going to throw this out there, even if it isn't necessarily applicable but DO NOT turn your battery master switch when the engine is running.

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So I went to the boat and verified that my battery switch is Off, 1/On/Combined.

1. does this mean that I also have VSR? Or was this an option. There is a small black box mounted right next to the battery selector. Would this be the VSR?

2. I verified that my start/cranking battery is wired to position 1.

3. If I have VSR, does this mean that I run the stereo also from the cranking battery then when I’m in the cove listening to the stereo with the engine off, the VSR switches to battery 2.

Ronnie’s answer seems to make sense based on my selector.

you guys are great!

 

Thanks

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33 minutes ago, Stoofpilot said:

3. If I have VSR, does this mean that I run the stereo also from the cranking battery then when I’m in the cove listening to the stereo with the engine off, the VSR switches to battery 2.

I'm not familiar with the Malibu installed system specifically.  But I've never seen a VSR system that switches loads between batteries.  Rather, the VSR separates the batteries from one another when there is no charging input (i.e. the alternator when the engine is running).  The loads (starter, stereo, ballast pumps, etc.) will be associated with one battery or the other by way of the selector switch. 

One battery will always see a charge when the boat is running.  This is the battery that's connected to the starter (the alternator is also connected to the starter).  So typically you'd want the kind of loads that will draw down your system while floating to draw from the battery on the "other" side of the voltage sensing relay.  That way when you turn the boat off, the relay opens, and the two batteries are disconnected.  Your "starter" battery stays at 12.6v and isn't exposed to any loads.  Your "stereo" battery gets hammered at the sand bar and voltage will sag.  When you start up at the end of the day, the starter battery has the juice to fire up the boat, and then after a while the voltage sensing relay will see the input voltage from the alternator and will close, bringing the hammered stereo battery back onto the system, where it can receive an alternator charge.

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8 hours ago, statefan said:

Are you sure it's not on/off/both? I've never seen a switch that has 1/off/both. My 2011 LSV has the on/off/both and if that's the case with yours you need to be running it on "on" 99% of the time. On my switch, "Both" has a yellow hazard labeling and is to be used when you need to manually combine both batteries to crank the boat with the standard "on" setting won't get it done. This doesn't help your batteries running down problem but definitely take a closer look at your switch. For your cranking vs. stereo battery, one of the batteries is likely labeled a "deep cycle" which would be your stereo battery. 

State Fan, your correct. Are you out at Jordan Lake? I looked today and also have the yellow label. I think we both have VSR, which when you shut off engine automatically switches to second battery for things like running the stereo. I am waiting for a call from the Malibu East Coast tech rep to clarify this. I’m not too satisfied with the local tech support.

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17 minutes ago, Stoofpilot said:

State Fan, your correct. Are you out at Jordan Lake? I looked today and also have the yellow label. I think we both have VSR, which when you shut off engine automatically switches to second battery for things like running the stereo. I am waiting for a call from the Malibu East Coast tech rep to clarify this. I’m not too satisfied with the local tech support.

No, I live in North Raleigh closer to Falls Lake but my boat lives on my boat lift at Lake Gaston. As far as how the switch works, I've never been exactly clear on that either but I think your assumption above is correct. Luckily I've never had battery issues so I haven't had to mess with it. Like I mentioned above, I highly recommend getting a ProMariner onboard charger if you don't have something similar already. It's always connected to your batteries and when you're not using the boat you just plug it in to an outlet and it will charge and maintain your batteries at all times. Mine lives plugged in when the boat isn't in use. 

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State Fan: do you know what ProMariner model you have? Does it have four connectors two neg, two positive to charge two batteries?

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FYI, from Malibu manual;

The numbers 1, 1+2, and 2 refer to the two batteries that you purchase for the boat. The batteries are located in battery holders under the observer seat. As part of the routine maintenance, boat owners should routinely verify that the batteries are secure within the holders.

Battery 1 is the “house” battery or main battery. It should be rated at least 750 cold cranking amps (cca), and a spiral cell battery is preferable. Battery 2 is the back-up battery. Normally, when the battery switch is not OFF, it should be set on “1.” However, if Battery 1 is somewhat drained or sluggish, turning to “1+2” can be very helpful in providing sufficient power to start the engine and begin thenatural recharging process. After the engine starts and runs for a few moments, return the battery switch to “1.” The electrical system is not designed to run at optimum efficiency on “1+2.”

On rare occasions, it may be necessary to turn the switch to “2.” For brief periods of time, especially if Battery 1 is non-functional, you can run on “2” for limited periods of time.

-------------------

IIRC, this BEP is the unit Malibu used in the last few years.

My 2020 has this unit from Blue Seas. 

Sorry, I don't recall what Malibu used in the earlier years.

 

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2 hours ago, Stoofpilot said:

So I went to the boat and verified that my battery switch is Off, 1/On/Combined.

1. does this mean that I also have VSR? Or was this an option. There is a small black box mounted right next to the battery selector. Would this be the VSR?

2. I verified that my start/cranking battery is wired to position 1.

3. If I have VSR, does this mean that I run the stereo also from the cranking battery then when I’m in the cove listening to the stereo with the engine off, the VSR switches to battery 2.

Ronnie’s answer seems to make sense based on my selector.

you guys are great!

 

Thanks

There is no "1", its a line as in a symbol. The switch is OFF, ON and COMBINE. 

1) yes, thats likely the voltage sensing relay

2) see above

3) In simple terms, the VSR lets the alternator charge the house bank while the engine is running, then opens when the engine is off. 

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