Balmar AR 5 regulator hookup

[mbrodkin]

Arild;
Thank you for your answer to my previous question. The problem seems to be that I am not getting a full charge on my house bank. As you stated previously the manufacturer only show their part of the installation.

I have a Balmar AR-5 regulator. The Alternator is a 100 amp Hour Balmar. There are two battery banks, a 225 amp hour bank consisting of two 6 volt golf cart batteries in series and an engine starting bank of two group 27 batteries in parallel. The latter only because there were already two on the boat when we bought it. All Batteries are one year old.
It is currently wired with the positive cable going from the alternator to the starting solenoid, and the regulator positive and sensing wire (the red) going to the plus terminal on the alternator.
The engine starting Battery is directly connected to the Starter.
If I start the engine with the switch set to the engine battery bank, the house bank will not charge at all. If I start the engine with the switch set to “both” then the house bank charges, but I do not believe that it is getting a full charge as the sense wire is sensing the engine bank which charges quickly.
I would like to connect the alternator directly to the house bank, but then the field coil will always be energized and the regulator powered on, whether the engine is running or not.
I would like the alternator to charge the House bank primarily. The engine bank will be charged by the “echo charge” function of the Xantrex Inverter/charger.
How do wire the alternator and regulator so that it charges the house bank and is not always on?
Thanks,
Mitch

[elnav]

Mitch, you neeed to rearrange the wiring slightly. The wire going from alternator to starter has to be removed. Run a cable directly from alternator to house battery using at least #1 Ga or larger if it is a long run. I also like to run a negative cable from alternator to house battery. This ensures a good solid charge circuit. The red voltage sense wire should be removed from the alternator output stud and instead run directly to the house battery positive. Don't forget to use an inline fuse as per ABYC. The thin wire would vaporize if a short circuit developed due to chafe or other mechanical injury. The fuse will prevent this.

Although the echo charge would work to recharge the engine start battery it is limited to 15 amps and will only work when plugged into shore power or the genset is running. My preference would be to install a combiner. This is a device that automatically connect the two batteries when a charging source is present to either battery.

Use the Echo charger for the start battery on the genset.

[mbrodkin]

Arlid;
If the sense wire is connected directly to the house bank the regulator will be on all of the time (the house bank is almost never shut off). I think that means the alternator field coils will also always be energized. Is this correct or am I missing something.
I do not have a generator yet and am on the water for another two months. I will have to look for a combiner.
I believe that I can charge the engine batteries through the engine switch if I leave it on both. That is how I am getting some charge on the house bank currently.
Mitch