Looking for the electrical diagram

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  • Fred1diver
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2022
    • 38

    Looking for the electrical diagram

    I want to understand the charging and starting wiring, I just installed an ACR on my boat but the alternator seems to be wired with the starter, I need it to go to the house bank and is now connected to the start battery because they both share the same wire, I need your help, never played with alternators before, I don’t want to screw it up
  • joe_db
    Afourian MVP
    • May 2009
    • 4527

    #2
    Originally posted by Fred1diver View Post
    I want to understand the charging and starting wiring, I just installed an ACR on my boat but the alternator seems to be wired with the starter, I need it to go to the house bank and is now connected to the start battery because they both share the same wire, I need your help, never played with alternators before, I don’t want to screw it up
    This is not real hard, it consists of running a heavy wire from the alternator output to the house battery using an appropriate fuse or circuit breaker. I used #4 wire for mine and a circuit breaker. Mine is probably 100 amps because that is what I had sitting around. Do not skip the fuse/CB, you need a way to disconnect this when working on it, otherwise you have a live heavy wire going straight to the battery.
    Last edited by joe_db; 07-14-2023, 11:54 AM.
    Joe Della Barba
    Coquina
    C&C 35 MK I
    Maryland USA

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    • Al Schober
      Afourian MVP
      • Jul 2009
      • 2024

      #3
      Your confusion stems from your alternator output NOT being connected to the starter - it's connected to one terminal of the starter solenoid, which also happens to be connected to the battery. This connection is often through an A/B switch.
      Feel free to connect the alternator to your house bank. You'll need a decent sized cable for both the hot lead and the ground lead back to the engine/alternator. When the house bank comes up to voltage, use can use a VSR to send charge current to the start battery.
      If you do ground it to the engine block, I recommend running an additional ground cable from the alternator to the block. Using the pivot bolt for an electrical connection is asking for trouble.

      Comment

      • joe_db
        Afourian MVP
        • May 2009
        • 4527

        #4
        Originally posted by Al Schober View Post
        Your confusion stems from your alternator output NOT being connected to the starter - it's connected to one terminal of the starter solenoid, which also happens to be connected to the battery. This connection is often through an A/B switch.
        Feel free to connect the alternator to your house bank. You'll need a decent sized cable for both the hot lead and the ground lead back to the engine/alternator. When the house bank comes up to voltage, use can use a VSR to send charge current to the start battery.
        If you do ground it to the engine block, I recommend running an additional ground cable from the alternator to the block. Using the pivot bolt for an electrical connection is asking for trouble.
        Good point! My alternator is isolated ground so it has it's own heavy ground wire which I totally forgot about
        Joe Della Barba
        Coquina
        C&C 35 MK I
        Maryland USA

        Comment

        • Fred1diver
          Senior Member
          • Mar 2022
          • 38

          #5
          Originally posted by Al Schober View Post
          Your confusion stems from your alternator output NOT being connected to the starter - it's connected to one terminal of the starter solenoid, which also happens to be connected to the battery. This connection is often through an A/B switch.
          Feel free to connect the alternator to your house bank. You'll need a decent sized cable for both the hot lead and the ground lead back to the engine/alternator. When the house bank comes up to voltage, use can use a VSR to send charge current to the start battery.
          If you do ground it to the engine block, I recommend running an additional ground cable from the alternator to the block. Using the pivot bolt for an electrical connection is asking for trouble.
          What is a VSR?

          Comment

          • Al Schober
            Afourian MVP
            • Jul 2009
            • 2024

            #6
            Voltage Sensitive Relay. It's attached to the house bank, and the relay closes at a certain voltage, sending current to the start battery. Google it and you'll find various manufacturers.

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            • Fred1diver
              Senior Member
              • Mar 2022
              • 38

              #7
              Is it the same as an ACR?
              If so I already installed one

              Comment

              • joe_db
                Afourian MVP
                • May 2009
                • 4527

                #8
                Originally posted by Fred1diver View Post
                Is it the same as an ACR?
                If so I already installed one
                Yes - same thing. Also called a combiner.
                Joe Della Barba
                Coquina
                C&C 35 MK I
                Maryland USA

                Comment

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