Rodb73 Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Hi Raiders, I'm after little advice please. I have just recently fitted 2 new batteries, a VSR and switch to my boat. My question is, when doing a trickle charge, do I need to disconnect the batteries before charging? Thanks in advance. Rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testlab Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 If it is a trickle charger then leave the batts connected and let the VSR parallel the batteries so they both get trickle charged. But... for normal charging the VSR needs to be out of circuit so it does not parallel the batteries. The easiest way to do this is disconnect the battery being charged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodb73 Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Thanks for that Info. One question on that though, you mention the vsr, does that mean I have to turn switch on for while charging or leave it off? Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testlab Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Do you have a VSR on/off control or do you mean the battery switch itself? What VSR do you have? Do you have a wiring diagram of the boat? Most VSRs should be wired direct to the batteries but some have an enable wire that goes to 12V to make them work. If its one of those then it may not switch on unless the main battery switch is on and the enable switch turned on. In which case you will have to charge the batteries separately or make a wire to connect them together (but only while trickle charging). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodb73 Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hi again Testlab and thanks. I have a Bluesea VSR System. I have attached a couple of photos of the setup I have. I hope this helps you with my enquiry. Cheers again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testlab Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 The setup you have should work fine with the trickle charger connected to either battery. You can tell it's charging both if the LED on the VSR is on. Remember both batteries should be disconnected and charged separately if flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paikea Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Ok, so what is a VSR? I have a four position isolating switch that allows me to connect either or both batteries (plus off) How should I run these batteries, main when running the motor and spare for other situations or both on when running and can I charge both at the same time when the motor is stopped? Thanks Cheers Paikea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodb73 Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 Hi Pakea, The VSR (Voltage Sensitive Relay), basically gives me crank battery only for startup, then while the motor is running will only charge the crank battery 1st until it has sufficient charge to adequately crank again before it automatically switches to charge battery B (auxiliary). If required, you can still switch batteries to "both" for startup. It also has a series of led's to indicate its status. All tolled, including switch and VSR, was about $400 and worth every cent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodb73 Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 Sorry about the miss-spell there. Paikea...!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paikea Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 All tolled, including switch and VSR, was about $400 and worth every cent. QUESTION; Can I add a VSR to my existing switch or do I need to by a combined switch/VSR unit? If I can add a VSR what would that cost? Thanks Cheers Paikea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodb73 Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Hi mate, You should be able to install a VSR direct to you existing setup. You would need to re-wire though to accommodate the VSR. If you pm me I am happy to send you the link to where it can be purchased for $120.00 Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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