Blue Sea Add a Battery

[TexasCobaltGuy]

Anyone have any experience with installing the Add a Battery kit which comes with the SI-ACR and the Switch.

Thank you in advance

[Big Block Power]

I think there are a couple good threads in here for those.

[TexasCobaltGuy]

I have been doing mental gymnastics trying to figure out where to mount the batter switch and SI-ACR.

Any thoughts/recommendations or pictures of where you put them in a similar cobalt?

2 options I mocked up. I originally thought I would mount over the batteries but that would be a nightmare mounting and make getting back to the back of the motor a struggle.

Thanks for the advice and pics
.

image.jpg

.

[TexasCobaltGuy]

Going with this one.

[AsLan7]

.
Looks good TCG.

We take that panel off at times (unscrewing the two screws that hold it down) for engine maintenance. It should still be movable with all those wires attached to those switches but most likely your mechanic may just remove those if he has to gain access. Honestly yours has a little more room there between the panel and the engine than ours does. Still, just something to think about.

.

[Big Block Power]

.
Looks good TCG.

We take that panel off at times (unscrewing the two screws that hold it down) for engine maintenance. It should still be movable with all those wires attached to those switches but most likely your mechanic may just remove those if he has to gain access. Honestly yours has a little more room there between the panel and the engine than ours does. Still, just something to think about.

.

Heck your the only 1 that removes the engine for a oil change and a bilge paint job once a year

[AsLan7]

True! Let’s remove that engine and get those switches installed TCG.

[TexasCobaltGuy]

Update. Almost done with install. But had to run daughter to soccer tryouts. (Small covid compliant groups)

[Big Block Power]

Looking good

[greenhut]

Its a fantastic product and far superior to the standard perko style 1,2, both. The support from Blue Sea is outstanding, as is essentially lifetime warranty coverage. I installed on my older Bryant, and it came with our new R5.

Nice custom cables! Are those #4 Gauge?

A few considerations you may/not be aware of:
-Be sure your bilge pump always has power, even when the switch is off. Typically wired directly to a battery.
-Learn to listen for the change in pitch of the alternator(?) about 30 seconds after you start the engine. You know then the batteries are combined. You will also see a small voltage drop on you gauge (from like 14.1 to 13.9 or similar)
-Ideally, the boat would have been wired for this system with house loads going to one battery, and things required to run the boat to the other. Not strictly necessary, but ideal. You might want to consider moving some connections if possible. You can also run only run the starter on one side.
-There is an alternative wiring approach that prevents a small vampiric drain by the ACR. Blue Sea can send the diagram if you ask.
-Remember if one battery get bellow 9.5V the ACR goes into a lockout state and wont combine.
-Dont forget the 1A inline fuse on the ground.
-I kept some extra fuses in my dry bag and saved me once (although you could bypass in a pinch if you have tools).

Hope this helps - nice work!

[TexasCobaltGuy]

All finished. Only thing remaining is the vampire switch on the ground to the ACR. The one I bought was a momentary ON. Need on/off. See below final pictures. Next project once the wife approves the $$$ is complete stereo redo with amp and sub all running off the house battery. Having a hard time confirming my wiring to the starter isolation is working. But guess it won’t matter too much until I get the stereo in.

[jhnmdahl]

The default wiring diagram they provide is:

add a battery diagram.jpg

but this has the disadvantage of the ACR possibly draining the batteries when the switch is shut off. Many people therefore wire it like this to prevent that problem:

add-a-battery wiring.jpg

Note that with the second option, if the switch is off and you hook a charger up to one battery, you'll be charging only that one battery and not the other. With the switch on, you'll be charging both batteries.

John

[Bobo87]

Great job! I did the same along with the onboard charger a few years ago. I used some of the old threads BB referred me too back then. Driller was helpful with the onboard charger. Haven’t had any issues. The setup works great!

[TexasCobaltGuy]

Great job! I did the same along with the onboard charger a few years ago. I used some of the old threads BB referred me too back then. Driller was helpful with the onboard charger. Haven’t had any issues. The setup works great!

Which charger did you use? Did you wire it to both batteries?

[DockRocker]

I am doing this same Blue Seas Add a Battery kit and Battery charger install also. The battery charger I used is Promariner Prosport 20, and I am hooking it up to both battieries. I used 100 amp circuit breakers between the batteries and the ACR, so when the boat is in storage or not used very much, I can hit the circuit breakers to disconnect and that will keep from draining the battery via the ACR sensor. I layed it out on 1/4 inch starboard material, then mounted it to the bulkhead in front of the engine, thru bolted, not screws.

.

Blue Seas Add a Battery kit.jpg

.

.

ACR Layout 1.jpg

.

.