Tayana VANCOUVER 42, Operation And Maintenance Manual

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of these devices may require so much power that you end up with insufficient charge to turn your
engine over. When charging gel batteries, ensure that your charging rate is within the parameters
of the battery manufacturer. The charging rate for at least one make is no more than 14 amps.
NOTE: Do not switch battery switch to the OFF position with engine running The BOTH position
is intended for emergency or extended engine cranking ability. Ordinarily, one should charge one
battery at a time while the engine is running. Continuous running in the BOTH position when the
batteries are in a low state of charge, can cause an overload and possible damage to the engine
alternator
.
b. Electrical Panel
The AC-DC breaker panel is generally located in the navigator's station. This panel is equipped
with high quality circuit breakers. On most panels, the DC circuit breaker is wired to an indicator
light to show at a glance if the circuit is on. The DC indicator lights are solid state light emitting
diodes, which require very little current draw. The DC ammeter monitors the amount of current
being drawn from the battery, and the DC voltmeter gives an indication of the battery’s condition.
You must operate the battery test switch to get a battery condition reading. These voltage readings
may be interpreted as follows:
The voltage readings should be taken in either battery position, not in BOTH position. Start your
engine using the battery with highest charge and allow time for the battery to return to its full
charge state before putting it on reserve. When switching over to the other battery, be sure not to
switch through the OFF position. This would damage the regulator and possibly the alternator
diodes. The BOTH position is for emergency or extended cranking periods and should not be used
to charge two batteries at the same time. This could overload the charging circuit if the batteries
are low.