Batteries. Switch off or disconnect?

[Sea Ranger]

Hi all.   Fishing less often as the chill rolls in.  Do you disconnect totally or switch off your batteries if you are not going to use the boat in a couple of weeks or more?

 

Bear

[Sea Ranger]

[raging]

Switch off.

that said, I’ve double checked with a multimeter there was no phantom draw once switched off.

[Fab1]

Switch off and disconnect for good measure.Keep them charged up while sitting idle on a trickle charger .Saying that I've never bothered with trickle chargers and never had an issue.

 I just disconnect the negative lead on the battery when at home and reconnect when going out.

  I don't see the point in isolator switches on a single battery equiped boat.

[antonywardle]

I just turn it off. My current setup only isolates the engine. There is still power going to the toys

so I put it on the charge before going out. No issues so far, but I wll be putting another switch

in to turn off the toys

 

[kingfishbig]

44 minutes ago, Fab1 said:

Switch off and disconnect for good measure.Keep them charged up while sitting idle on a trickle charger .Saying that I've never bothered with trickle chargers and never had an issue.

 I just disconnect the negative lead on the battery when at home and reconnect when going out.

  I don't see the point in isolator switches on a single battery equiped boat.

You can get battery terminal clamps which include an off/ off. It's not a good idea to have the power on continuously and it's a bit fiddly disconnecting and reconnecting a cable each time. 

[Berleyguts]

My deep cycle battery for the Minn Kota usually stays on the CTek charger. I usually forget to turn off the starter battery, which also runs the radio, sounder, live bait pump and bilge pump. I’ve never had a problem... except a couple of months back when I must have bumped the ignition key to on! I had to recondition it on the CTek!

[Mullatt]

I switch off at the isolator, then if sitting for a while particularly in winter, put it on the trickle (float) charge every couple of weeks to keep it topped up.

[kingfishbig]

On ‎5‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 4:41 PM, Berleyguts said:

My deep cycle battery for the Minn Kota usually stays on the CTek charger. I usually forget to turn off the starter battery, which also runs the radio, sounder, live bait pump and bilge pump. I’ve never had a problem... except a couple of months back when I must have bumped the ignition key to on! I had to recondition it on the CTek!

It can make plugs corrode on things like sounder wiring (having  the power on), also stray current could cause electrolysis in aluminium boats.

Edited May 13, 2019 by kingfishbig

[Sea Ranger]

18 hours ago, kingfishbig said:

I can make plugs corrode on things like sounder wiring (having  the power on), also stray current could cause electrolysis in aluminium boats.

I guess this was my biggest concern.  My switch kills everything from the positive side of the batteries so I assume this is the same as disconnecting.  

[Fishop]

18 hours ago, Sea Ranger said:

I guess this was my biggest concern.  My switch kills everything from the positive side of the batteries so I assume this is the same as disconnecting.  

I just isolate at eh switch.  Have had boat 2 years and havnt had battery go flat yet (touch wood).  Sometimes go a month without using it.  If thats the case Ill connect up the muffs and run it for 10 mins.

[Coswecanfly]

I usually just switch off even though one of my two batteries has the toys on it so doesn't switch off. Never had problems until I installed a few extra toys over the last few weeks and yesterday the battery was too low to start the boat. Took it out and charged it overnight so will see how it goes now. Might have to get the multimeter on it to look if something else is draining it. 

[rozza_b]

I just switch mine off, eventually the fuel gauge etc will drain the power enough to run the battery flat. 

No point in disconnecting the battery, if your system is installed correctly there will be no way for the battery to drain once isolated, just seems like a pointless waste of time 

[wrxhoon1]

On 5/13/2019 at 1:32 PM, Sea Ranger said:

I guess this was my biggest concern.  My switch kills everything from the positive side of the batteries so I assume this is the same as disconnecting.  

I switch mine off with the isolator switch. Only my bilge pumps and high water alarm bypass the switch. Looks like you have two fuses there that are permanently powered , bypassing the switch, i'm guessing one is bilge pump , the other?