question

seaesther avatar image
seaesther asked

Solar & Alternator Charging

Hello Community, I recently boat a sailboat and the electrics are shocking to say the least and am rewiring the whole boat from scratch. We are also adding Solar Panels and I would appreciate it if someone could confirm whether the setup I have created is correct?

The expected outcome is that when the outboard is running that it charges both batteries but when the engine is off it prevents the discharge of the starter battery.

Any feedback and comments and advise whether I should use any additional equipment would be greatly appreciated.

Paul

MPPT SmartSolarCyrix Battery Combiner
battery-solar-schematic.png (322.4 KiB)
battery-solar-schematic.png (322.4 KiB)
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3 Answers
russ-tanner avatar image
russ-tanner answered ·

Right off I can see you should separate your PV ground from your battery ground.



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seaesther avatar image seaesther commented ·

Thank you! Updated it!

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heidi avatar image heidi seaesther commented ·

As well as the load ground. If the MPTT uses a lowside switch (battery protection), it would be useless. If it is a highside switch it‘s okay. Keep in mind the integrated load output is limited (15A).


Implementing an emergency bridge switch should be considered.


To save fuel, think of integrating a dual charger to charge the starterbattery as well.

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thised62 avatar image thised62 heidi commented ·
AFAIK the dual charger is not needed. The Cyrix connects the two batteries together regardless of which battery is being charged (whether it's the start battery being charger by alternator, or the house battery being charged by solar/battery charger/...).
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Trevor Bird avatar image
Trevor Bird answered ·

Hello @SeaEsther … I am concerned that distribution switches are being powered from the “load” side of the MPPT controller. The distribution switches should be powered directly from the house battery.

Otherwise it looks ok to me.

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keabarnes avatar image
keabarnes answered ·

Bit late to this thread, but wanted to check my understanding on something.


Given

  1. the Cyrix-ct has disconnected the batteries because the loads have been running off of the service battery
  2. the solar charger is not able to charge (cloudy)

The service battery will not be charged by the alternator because of the voltage difference between it and the starter?

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