Which batteries are best for audio power??

[Coach]

One thing I now have realized after reading this thread is that if you continue to draw power from the deep cycles and only use your alternator to recharge them, they may never get fully charged. I experienced this several times this past summer when I was on deep cycle power for a hour of two and then tried to start the boat. The engine turned over slowly. I switched to the starting battery and it started up quickly. I will be adding a charger to the system once I get it back from Tige with the new system installed. We pull out each night so it shouldn't be a problem plugging in the charger.

Seperate your stereo bank and your starting battery. If you do this you will never worry about getting suck. I have been doing this for the last 5 years and have not got stuck once (knock on wood).

[MRMoffat1]

A Battery Isolator is the best way to go I think. The alt will keep a charge on all your batteries while the engine is running but it keeps the deeps and starter separated

I've got the same boat - 06 22Ve. I'm looking at your setup. Right now, I have a Kicker 350.4 and a Kicker 650.4, so looks like I can stay with the Tige EIDB dual battery setup. What's the best way to add a trickle charger or other?? to charge the two batteries in the garage?

[jleger98]

Thanks Spharis - I calculated at 2 ohms because that would draw more power than 4 ohms. So in theory, I should be < 60 amps if I'm running at 4 instead of 2.

Sounds like a battery isolator and a charger are in order. Anyone have any recommendations on chargers besides the Xantrex? I'll probably buy one, but want to see all the options.

[chpthril]

Seperate your stereo bank and your starting battery. If you do this you will never worry about getting suck. I have been doing this for the last 5 years and have not got stuck once (knock on wood).

TigeDunner, Coach is 100% right, it is crucial to have your starting battery separated from your "tunes" battery(s) so you don't get stuck out with a dead battery.
You can either do this physically and have the ACC bank "stand alone" (not wired to Alt or Starter) and power your stereo. This would require a recharge at the end of the day.
Or you can do this electrically with a Perko type switch or an Isolator (or both). Depending on your Sys draw, battery(s) Ah rating, Alternator output, and how long you run the battery(s) between charging, you may need to plug them up to a charger after a day on the water. The average alternator will not recharge a dead battery nearly as fast as a charger.

I've got the same boat - 06 22Ve. I'm looking at your setup. Right now, I have a Kicker 350.4 and a Kicker 650.4, so looks like I can stay with the Tige EIDB dual battery setup. What's the best way to add a trickle charger or other?? to charge the two batteries in the garage?

MRMoffat1, If I were going to add an onboard charger, I would wire the chargers POS cable right to the center post (labelled "charge output from alt" in pic above) of the Isolator and attach the GRD to the engine. This would be just like the engine running.

[jleger98]

Interesting page on battery isolators.

Its written for cars, but should apply to boats as well.

http://www.bcae1.com/battiso.htm

[chpthril]

Its written for cars, but should apply to boats as well.

http://www.bcae1.com/battiso.htm

Good find J, That's exactly how it works in a boat. I would definitely recommend the Diode Iso over the Solenoid type, unless you like Spaghetti and Headaches

[jleger98]

Well, I don't know, spaghetti is always good

[jleger98]

Battery Chargers

Whats the difference between a 10 amp charger, and a 20 amp etc. In other words, am I better off with a 20 amp if all I need s a 10 amp? How can I decide?

[Tequilasun]

Its written for cars, but should apply to boats as well.

http://www.bcae1.com/battiso.htm

Bookmarked!

Thanks..

[chpthril]

Whats the difference between a 10 amp charger, and a 20 amp etc. In other words, am I better off with a 20 amp if all I need s a 10 amp? How can I decide?

Max amp output. I would look for one that "steps down" the charge as the batteries near full charge. This way it's not hitting them w/ 20 amp max the whole time, this tends to boil the fluid if left to long.

[jleger98]

So would that be max output of the audio system, or max amps of the batteries...I guess I'm still a little unclear on that.

[chpthril]

So would that be max output of the audio system, or max amps of the batteries...I guess I'm still a little unclear on that.

Sorry, the max output of the Charger. whether it's a trickle, on-board or other.

The higher the output of the charger, the faster it wil recharge the batts.

[jleger98]

Got it. Thanks.

[Coach]

You want a three stage charger. Xantrex and Pro Marinar are two good on board chargers you can buy. The larger the bank of batteries the more amperage you will want. 20 will cut it for most people. I use to use a 6 amp that would take 2 days to charge my Trojan T-105's back up.

[Coach]

Here is a link for the Pro Mariner Chargers

http://www.promariner.com/Chargers.php