OK, folks... I've searched far and wide. Maybe such a discussion already exists, but I'm struggling to find it. Where are some of the best external voltage regulator mounting locations for our boats? I bought a Balmar MC-614H from mainesail and I'll studying my options.
Same boat here , again :lol: I'm leaning towards aft cabin shelf - above the engine.
other options I have seen on this forum :
1) engine compartment (hot and crowded)
2) head sink locker (no room on my boat , and potentially wet )
Mine is mounted on the backside of the teak door in the head that opens up to the area under the sink
Installed mine in the head sink locker. It's visible and accessible to make changes with the wand. Keep in mind if you bought the regulator with the harness, the harness is only 54" long.
Aft cabin shelf against the port wall has worked out well for me. Easy to install there and monitor.
Regards,
Ed
Port side, above the engine access, under the upper set of companionway steps. I want to be able to make voltage and charge time adjustments easily while observing the results on my e-meter mounted by the electrical panel. Wregulatow wiring bundle is led through a small hole drilled just aft of the engine access piano hinge leading easily to the alternator connections on the port side of the engine.
Mike : As you can see the Balmar regulator is mounted on a "HeatSync" . So keep it OUT of the engine compartment!!
A thought
I definitely plan to keep it outv off the engine compartment, but I've seen it wet enough under the head sink that I'm avoiding there as well. That shelf in the aft cabin is looking better and better.
How is it getting wet?
Mine is mounted on the inside of the door. I have never had any moisture issues there.
Well, to be honest, I've only seen it wet once. My coolant reservoir sits where your facet pump sits and my strainer sits where your racor is. When I've had air in my coolant, I've had the reservoir bubble over.
I'm very good at creating wet mess when servicing any strainers .... especially bulkhead mounted engine raw water strainer .
Door option looks interesting ( easy access )
Mike : To prevent any liquid from "dripping" on to my Balmar here's what I did:
I cut off the top half of a "Tupperware" rectangular box and mounted it behind and between the bulkhead wall and regulator. That way the box lip was over the top (like a hood) and 1/2 of the sides to protect the regulator.
A thought
Interesting!