HOW TO Installing Marine Battery Switch

Amazon links for items used in video:
Battery Switch: amzn.to/34hdmyA
Battery Cables: amzn.to/3aR73nM
Battery Boxes: amzn.to/2ULLGyJ
This is a video on how to install a Marine Battery switch with a second battery.
Music: www.bensound.com

[@nr3rful]

Can you explain the switch positions ? Can I run the boat at both position ? Can the switch be changed while motor running ? Etc...

[@Jacob190000]

It will depend on the switch you choose, but this one is a 4 position: Off, Batt 1, Batt 2, and Both. You can start and run the boat on any of the positions except off. You can switch between the positions without issue, without power disruption to your stereo, etc. I typically will just use Batt 1 all day. This way, if it ever does run out, I have the backup batt 2 still fully charged and available to start the boat. If you run in the both position, you are essentially running the battery's in parallel with twice the capacity of a single battery.

[@ryanschleicher6499]

Great vid. Got an early 90s Larson inboard and will be doing much of the same with as you. One question though, Was your bilge pump on a switch at the helm? If so, by running a dedicated wire to battery from bilge, don't you effectively bypass the factory bilge switch?

[@Jacob190000]

Yes, good catch. My drawing is essentially missing the switch in between the bilge, float switch, and the battery. I realized this after submitting the video unfortunately. But, the general point is still the same, which is to have a dedicated positive from the battery going to the bilge switch. Another way to do it would be to run a positive directly from the battery to the float switch, so that it is always powered. You could then use the standard accessory power for the manual bilge switch. Hope that all makes sense.

[@James-th8rx]

Great video!! Im trying to do a similar setup. Did your accessory wire originally come in to your battery compartment or did you disconnect it from somewhere else? Ive got a 90 sea ray. I assume wiring should be similar.

[@Jacob190000]

Yes it came in to the battery compartment but was zip tied to the red(positive) ignition wire and connected directly to the battery. Both ignition and positive accessory are now connected to the “out” of the switch.

[@MiguelReyes-mn3nw]

Hi. Thanks for your videos, they are very helpful! I have the same exact boat you have and I’m getting ready to do a two battery hook up like how you did but where I get confused at is with the accessory and bilge pump wiring part. Is there a way I can send you pictures of my set now before I start?

[@Jacob190000]

Sure, you can email directly to [e-mail] and I’ll take a look.

[@MiguelReyes-mn3nw]

Your awesome. Thank you. Will send it soon

[@tepot5]

So i see you are only running your accessories from battery #1. I assume if you want to run your accessories on both batteries independently or together you would have to connect the accessories wire with the engine right?

[@Jacob190000]

Hey there, no, I have the accessories main red connected to the “out” of the battery switch. Meaning I can choose which single battery to run from or both. That’s the main point of the switch.

[@snowmansilver3596]

How do you put the ring terminals on?

[@Jacob190000]

1. I cut the wires clean 2. stripped the sheathing back around 1 inch 3. slipped a 1/2" wide by 2" long heat shrink tube over the wire 4. twisted the new ring terminal over the copper wire 5. Crimped the terminal with some pliers 6. Pulled the heat shrink tubing up over the base of the ring terminal and used a lighter to shrink it snug.

[@Cornuts1000]

I have one cranking batter and 2 deep cycles. I only want a switch for the cranking battery. I just don’t know what wires go into the switch and what wires come out of the switch. I have many wires running to each post of my cranking battery. Do I put all red wires into the switch or all my black wires into the switch. Keep in mind I know absolutely nothing. I just know what positive and negative wires means. Will putting an on /off switch even work for my cranking battery. I don’t know what the term common means. I only know red is positive and black is negative.

[@jordanpadilla99]

So for your crank battery all you would do is put the on/off switch in between your positive wire thats coming off your crank battery. That’s all. So your positive(red) wire that comes off your battery you would cut that wire and hook 1 side of that wire that’s cut to your switch then hook the other end of the wire that’s cut to the other side of the switch.

[@Jacob190000]

Sorry I never responded to this. But, yes, what Jordan said below is mostly correct. However, you do not need to cut any wires. You can instead purchase a short 2 gauge cable to run from the + of your cranking battery to the "in" of the 2-way switch. Then connect the red 2-guage wire coming from your engine/starter to the "out" of the switch. All other accessory cables you can keep connected to your other 2 batteries if you'd like.

[@michaelmichael1953]

The vid is good but the music is distracting.

[@Jacob190000]

Thanks for the input, I agree it is a little distracting.

[@goatfish2785]

So I have two batteries but I don't have a two battery switch. do I need to have one? I want both batteries on when the switch is on and both batteries to charge from the engine. I'm stumped and can't find anyone else that has this setup on their boat. Any advice would be greatly accepted.

[@patrickjones4824]

I had the same problem, and I just bought a 2 battery switch

[@Jacob190000]

The main reason for having a switch is being able to keep the batteries separate and always having one as a back up. If you want to have two batteries to basically just have double the capacity then you can just wire your batteries in parallel without a switch. To do this you will simply connect the negatives of each battery together as well as the positives. You will then connect your boat negatives and positives to one of the batteries. This will give you the capacity of both batteries but still 12v. No battery switch needed.

[@skypallman6169]

If running two batteries off of the alternator, you need to upgrade to a larger gauge wire. Normally the positive from the alternator goes to the starter and then from the starter the red wire goes to the main positive on your battery. The wire going from the alternator to the starter is normally only a 12 gauge or maybe a 10 gauge. You need to put at least an eight gauge if not a four gauge from the alternator to the starter then out to the batteries. If not you will more than likely burn the wire off of the alternator because of the current draw.

[@skypallman6169]

Or just run a 4 gauge wire directly from the back of the alternator, directly to the positive terminal on your two batteries.

[@Jacob190000]

This is not true for many reasons.. 1st reason is that even with two batteries, you are still typically running off one battery at a time, selected by the battery switch. The second battery is just there for backup in case you drain the 1st. 2nd reason is that these batteries are essentially wired in parallel when using the “Both” option on the battery switch. This does not increase any draw from the alternator. 3rd and probably most importantly, all draw is coming from the batteries and not the alternator. When switch is on “both,” it will just take the alternator longer to fully charge both batteries, as the Ah capacity will be double. It will not require any more amperage than a single battery would.

[@jimmiejohnson1404]

Was helpful but went a lil to fast

[@Jacob190000]

Still working on the editing, thanks for the advice.

[@gilbertmejia918]

HOOKING UP ALL YOUR EXCESSORIES?

[@Cornuts1000]

I don't understand what you did with the wiring part. I want to buy a switch. I only have one cranking battery that needs the switch. I have bass boat . with depth finders etc. What wires would I run to one of those switches. Sorry but your I did not understand from your video.

[@Jacob190000]

So you have only 1 battery total or 2? In my scenario, I installed the switch to be able to select between either battery (or both). If you have just 1 battery, you can still install a 2 way on-off switch if you’d like. In either setup, the switch essentially has IN slots for the batteries, and OUT for the accessories/starter. You can always bypass the switch by plugging either the accessories or starter directly into either battery.

[@jordanpadilla99]

I want to install a on/off switch as well. I have 1 battery that powers my electronics on my bass boat that I would like to add the switch to. I have pos/neg 4 gauge wire coming off my battery that plugs into a fuse box under my console. Then my sonar unit plugs into that fuse box. So if I install the on/off switch. Would I have 1 awg wire coming from the switch to the pos post on the battery then the other awg wire that comes out of the switch would go to my fuse box? Thankyou in advance !!! I appreciate it a lot

[@Jacob190000]

@@jordanpadilla99 yes that’s correct. You would leave the negative how it is, and just connect the positive from the battery to the switch, then another from the switch to the fuse box/positive bus bar under the console. In this case you will just need a 2 way on/off switch. I am a little confused though, as if you’re only connecting your accessories to this battery, it will never get charged by the alternator. Instead I would recommend installing a 3 way switch, connecting your 2 batterie’s negatives together, and running the positives from those batteries to the 3 way switch. You would then run 2 wires from the out of the 3 way switch, one to accessories, and one to the motor, as I show in the video.

[@Jacob190000]

If your alternator is charging your accessory battery, then your batteries are most likely in parallel, and you are running your accessories off both batteries, you just don’t realize it. In this case I would again install a 3 way switch so you can switch between the two batteries, not just turn the accessories on/off with the 2 way switch. Does this all make sense? Feel free to clarify and I can let you know the best setup for your scenario (in my opinion).

[@jordanpadilla99]

Okay I got it. And yess I am just wanting to add 1 on/off switch. And that is correct this battery only has all of my sonar units on it and it is not getting charged by my alternator. The way I charge it is by a portable battery charger I have. For my other 3 batteries that are on my boat they get charged by my 3 bank battery charger that is installed on my boat. Soon I plan on installing a 4 bank charger so that my new battery I just added that’s for my sonar units will also get charged too. Does that make sense ? And so for the on/off switch i would need to get some new awg wire and have 1 go to the battery positive to the switch. And then I hook up the other wire to the other side of the switch and that runs to the positive in my fuse block correct ?