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(no email)
Date: Sat Nov 29 2003 - 10:49:26 EST
I'm posting this since it covers most of the questions I'm being asked off
list.
The problems with isolators are:-
1. they have a built in voltage drop so your batteries don't get a full
charge, 2. unless you have an external sense that you can connect to the
battery on charge, 3. however that runs a high risk of killing a bank of
batteries if you're sense gets disconnected or you switch one of the outputs
to another bank leaving the sense wire on the wrong bank
4. They cannot stand heavy overloads. Our Combiner 50 can handle over 200
amps for short periods and the Combiner 150 can handle up to 1000 amps which
would blow any isolator.
5. They cannot stand high voltage - a reverse voltage spike or the induced
voltage from a lightning strike will pop them in a microsecond.
6. You have to rewire the alternator circuit(s).
7. You need another input or another isolator for each charging source - two
alternators, inverter, shore power charger equals four isolators and all the
wiring associated with it.
8. They generate heat and must be in a cool location.
Advantages of Combiners are:-
1. No voltage drop so you get a full charge.
2. External sense can be connected directly to the output of the
alternator - 3. for maximum safety against overcharging.
4. Bullet proof to current and voltage abuse, accidental short circuit,
reverse connection.
5. No alternator rewiring is necessary - connect two combiner positive
leads and one negative and you're done.
6. They are bi-directional so you can connect multiple charging sources to
each bank and no matter which one is on charge it will share the charge with
the other banks.
7. No heat generated - they will stand engine room temperatures.
8. The remote control can be used to parallel batteries manually to use the
house bank for starting power assistance if required.
With twin engines, I'm in favor of combining separate starting batteries in
parallel into a common starting bank, if you don't already have it
this way. This gives you TWICE the cold cranking amps and provides extra
capacity for a stubborn engine. I would leave one high output alternator
hard wired to the starting bank which it probably already is, and wire the
output of the other directly to the house bank. If the alternators are
rated under 200 amps, then all you need is one Combiner 150 between the two
banks.
If you don't want to parallel your starting batteries, you would leave each
alternator directly connected to its starting battery and use two Combiner
150s, one between each of the starting batteries and the house bank.
Inverter and shore power charger would be connected directly to the house
bank.
Andina Foster,
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