New Dual battery setup with ACR and Switch - pics

[Pop Addict]

Check out my new install. Took me wayyy more than 1 hour which everyone quoted .

See any problems with my hookup? I used marine cables for some, but had to resort to auto cables for others. Any problem with that or do I just gotta be extra careful now to keep it dry?

I had first tried a 80amp terminal fuse on a fuse block on the power wire coming from the switch to Batt #1, but it blew when I tried to turn over the engine. So then I tried an in-line 100amp fuse...it blew too. Then went to a 150amp and seems to work fine.

Could it be that when I crank the engine, the current is over 100 amps? My starter battery has 685 cranking amps and about 140 amp-hours.
The ACR instructions had a confusing chart that seemed to recommend an 80 amp fuse based on my alternator charging amps of about 60 amps. It seems strange I've had to go above a 100amp fuse to get it to stop blowing.

[Brit Rider]

It's realy hard to follow a picture that's not labelled and where you've used a mix of Red/Black cables for different purposes.

I'd liketo help but this is a way over complex install for what you were looking to achieve.

Literally all you needed was to leave the original battery install as it was, put a another battery next to it. Run a ground cable between the neg posts and then run a power wire between the pos posts with one of these in it:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/180-100A-12V-Split-Charge-Relay-100-AMP-12-V-180-kit-/270692708591

Install a 60 amp fuse in that power cable. Ground the relay to either neg battery neg post and give it a turn on signal from an ignition source.

[Pop Addict]

Thanks Brit. I think you're right. Instead of fusing the power wire to Batt #1, I should have fused the power wire from Batt #1 to the ACR.

[MobiusLSV]

I'm in the middle of reworking the entire stereo system and electronics. I just finished a custom electronics panel (minus a couple small wires) to include a Blue Seas ACR setup which I've been running for over a year now. Their wiring diagram is confusing but in your typical install you need to fuse both leads from the ACR to the battery. I run thermal breakers as their resetable. With 80 charging amps, 4 gauge wire with 150 amp fuse/breakers is recommended. As I now run an onboard charger the wiring is different but you can still see the leads to the fuses then to the batts.

[Pop Addict]

MobiusLSV, nice setup. I'm going to fuse the red wire from the right side of my ACR to the battery on the right with an in-line fuse. I'm using a terminal fuse on the wire coming from the left side of my ACR to the battery on the left (I know...I used black wire instead of red but that's all I could get my hands on!). What are your thoughts on terminal fuses? Those are damn expensive, and if I had it to do over I would have just done an in-line fuse there too.

[MobiusLSV]

I don't think it matters what type of fuse you use as long as you meet the proper rating.