Your batteries are at the center of


Figure 5. Temperature sensor mounted on negative terminal.


giving you incomplete charging (Figure 4). Connections should be direct to the battery banks with overcurrent protection—a fuse or breaker. Accessories


Some BCs can be fitted with


temperature sensors that will keep the battery temperature safely low while keeping the charge rate as high as possible (Figure 5). Another useful feature is a remote panel that will allow you more flexibility in mounting your BC (Figure 6).


your electrical system. Keeping your batteries charged will keep them alive and well for a longer time. Don’t let your batteries discharge too much. An 80% discharge is normally considered safe, but less discharge is better. You need to completely charge your batteries while at the same time not overcharging them. Undercharging will leave lead sulfate on the plates that will reduce their performance and cause false higher voltage readings which will fool the BC. Over-charging can be fatal to flooded batteries if they lose excessive amounts of electrolyte and equally deadly to Gel and AGMs. The right BC mounted properly, can be a valuable piece of equipment on your boat. Along with enabling a lot of conveniences, it can also provide peace of mind that your bilge pump (covered in our earlier articles) won’t run out of power at the dock! As always, if you are in any doubt


about what you’re doing with any vital boating system, seek professional advise or have a professional do the work.


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48° NORTH, OCTOBER 2011 PAGE 33


Figure 6: Remote panel for charger mounted in continent place.


Jack Wilken, has an extensive boat building background. In 1979 he sailed from Seattle in a Yamaha 33, to Martha’s Vineyard / 1983-2004 French Canals to the Mediterranean in a Pretorian 35 & 50’ steel ketch (Galapagos 50). Son Alex, has a degree in Marine Carpentry-Wood Construction. Jack and Alex own Seattle Boat Works jack@seattleboatworks.com


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