Beneteau battery switches

SimbaDog

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Can someone enlighten me please ?
Beneteau 323, there are 3 battery cut out switches in front of berth in rear cabin.
Left one is general, 2nd is battery 1 & third battery 2.
I am a little confused as to their functions?
Mddle one is presumably the engine start battery, guess that should always be on when engine running ??
R/Hand battery 2 for accessories, radio, instruments etc. ???
What is the lefthand general one then ???????
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SimbaDog

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[ QUOTE ]
its an isolator on the negative...... cuts both batteries out of all circuits!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ta, does it take them out of the shorepower charging circuit then?
 

Gezzer

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I have a 343 with the three switches, the left hand black one is the negative isolator, and no it does not isolate from the shorepower charging circuit,
Middle one is as stated engine positive, right hand one is for house batteries (bank if fitted)
hope this helps
 

Heckler

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Hello
thanks vic, yup the black one is the common negative, it switches the both battery negatives off together, the other 2 red ones are the engine battery switch positive and the services battery positive. The correct way to do it is switch the black, common, one on, then the red engine one on, start the engine, run for a while then switch on the service battery red, then switch off the red engine one. In practice I used to just switch on the service bank (3 by 85 amp) start the engine and leave as is, the engine battery switch red stayed off so that the battery is kept for emergencies. The mains charger charges both battery banks together independent of which red switch is on.
ps, there is normally a plate by the battery saying 1 or 2 to correspond with the sign by the switch
Stu
 

Phoenix of Hamble

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I just switch them all on and start up, and then when the engine goes off, just switch off the engine battery isolator.... I can get away with this, as she's on shore power all week, so the engine start battery is always fully charged.... If I wasn't in a marina, then i'd follow the practice Stu advises above...
 

William_H

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Hello Morgans the trap with your method is that you are always starting on both batteries. (I think) This gives an excellent start but if and when one of your batteries dies of old age you may not be aware until the other dies. Then you will be stuck.
Or put it another way by having dual batteries paralleled at all times you are throwing away the advantages of a dual system.

So occasionally check to ensure the engine will start on either battery alone. olewill
 

Phoenix of Hamble

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Yup.... but I do have a battery monitor too, so get info on battery state, and just by monitoring regualrly, get a 'feel' for how quickly the batteries are taking charge, and discharging... which should give me early sight of a weakening battery.

But you're right.... I am aware that my method isn't 'correct'... its just easy!
 

alan

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All the above info is (as always on this forum) good advice. On the 343 (not sure about the 323) there is a solid state "diode" pack to separate the engine and servuce batteries, so switching on and off the isolators for charging management is not necessary ............. but this may not be fitted to the 323; it is a rectangular box fitted on the bulkhead near to the isolators on the 343.

Alan.
 

cazzascotta

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Hello, I have an Oceaniss 311, with two batteries in parallel (74 Ah each).
I never understood which is for the engine start and which for the domestic services.
Does anyone know? Or is it indifferent?
Thanks.
 

cmedsailor

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Hello,
I have a Beneteau Oceanis 361, 2002 model.
The engine will only start if you have battery switch 1 on (factory installation). Switch 2 does not start the engine. I have both switches on to start the engine simply because by turning any one off during motoring this will damage the alternator. I have switch battery 1 off during sailing.
General switch must be always on, unless you leave the boat (though even in this case I leave it on as the automatic switch of my bildge pump is connected but this is a different story). The state of the general switch has nothing to do when charging from the marina (240V).
 

alan

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On the 311 they are in parallel .... there is a short wire connecting the output side of the switches on the rear. Thus either will start the engine or support the services.

Alan.
 
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