Everglades 455 CC, Owner'S Manual

Page: 82 / 200

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Electrical System
6.9 DC Power Management
Your boat is typically equipped with a full array of
electronics, fuel injected engines, stereo amplifier,
spreader lights or other accessories that consume
a significant amount of DC electrical power. All
outboard engine charging systems are designed
to provide maximum electrical output at or above
cruising RPM. The electrical output from the
charging system is considerably less at idle or
trolling speeds.
Depending on the optional equipment and elec-
tronics installed on your boat, there may be times
when the charging systems on your engines will
not be able to meet the DC electrical power de-
mand if too many accessories are activated while
the boat is operating at idle or trolling speeds.
Consequently, POWER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
may need to observed at slow speeds.
The house battery system is designed to provide
several hours of reserve capacity, which is ad-
equate for most situations. However, you should
be aware of the load each of your DC accessories
draw and make sure you don’t overload the capac-
ity of the charging system for extended periods
while operating the boat below cruising speed.
Always monitor the volt meters while operating
at slow speeds and turn off unnecessary equip -
ment that draw high amperage loads if the volt
meters indicate that the voltage in the batteries is
below 12 volts. If necessary, reduce the electrical
load by turning off or alternating the use of high
draw DC accessories such as radar units, stereo,
spreader lights, etc.
If the house battery system that powers the elec-
tronics and accessories on your boat becomes
critically discharged while underway at low speeds
or trolling, make sure that you turn off all unnec -
essary DC equipment and run the boat engines
at an RPM that will provide a reading of the at
least 13 volts on the volt meters to recharge the
house batteries or start the generator and activate
the battery chargers. Proper DC power manage-
ment will prevent low voltage that can cause
critical navigation equipment to become erratic
or shutdown unexpectedly. Additionally, sound
power management practices increase the life of
your batteries and engine charging systems. You
should contact your dealer if you have any ques-
tions regarding DC power management or the DC
electrical system on your boat.