House bank upgrade

[KWKloeber]

no matter how many times you tell them the reserve battery will be fine for a number of weeks, human nature forces them to want to charge them and this leads to errors.

I agree!!  Sure does.
 
So they need auto charging instead of education how to read a voltmeter -
What's my reserve battery voltage?   12.5?  Wow, I save money every time that I push that button. 

Or install a battery gauge.   
Simple can work many more times than one imagines. 
If boaters in the >50% need a crutch (does that include the brain dead) for their situation - great - go full Monty.  Nolting wrong with a crutch if you need a crutch.  But one probably doesn't need a Jazzy if it's only a sprained ankle.

We see a lot of pushing technology rather than back to basics -- pushing education and simple solutions instead of the costly fluff that somehow we're convinced we all cannot live without.  Back-to-basics is oftentimes a good thing instead of pushing solutions that don't address the root problem -- lack of education and training and experience.

Where's the point where dumbing-down gets so it's nearly impossible to think for ourselves. 
We have brethren who back out with lines and power cords on, and crash into gas docks with no fenders, and run over rodes, and ... and.  It's 'bout time we deploy technology guarding against those 'cause they're harder to remember than "Don't turn this dial with the engine running."  Blowing a diode may be a valuable life lesson.
Enough with crutches unless you need a crutch.

Where it all ends I can't fathom my friend  (If I knew I just might toss out an anchor.)

[Ron Hill]

Greene : The only time I go to the 1/2 on the battery selector is when the engine is OFF - to check each banks Voltage.  When I get ready to start the engine I put the selector on B and engage the starting battery.  After the engine has run for 15/20 minutes I disengage the starting battery. Then the engine runs until it is shut OFF & the battery selector still remains & stays on B until the engine is started again.

A few thoughts

[Jon W]

Greene84, something else to consider is changing the alternator output routing so it connects directly to the house bank bypassing the 1-2-B switch altogether. This removes the 1-2-B switch from the charging circuit, making it just a battery selector switch. No more worries about damaging the diodes when someone wonders "I wonder what this does?" when your in the cockpit with the engine running.

[Ron Hill]

Jon : Way back in the early 1990s when I upgraded my alternator to a Balmar, I ran the output direct to each battery bank (duel output alt.)

Easily done by running wiring under the flooring and coming up next to the Hot Water heater and then into the battery compartment.  I also ran a #4 negative wire from the alternator case at the same time to the common battery ground.  I enclosed all 3 wires (2+, 1-) in a 1" clear water hose for protection, incase there might be fiberglass chards on the inside of the hull?  Have NEVER had a battery starting or charging problem in over 30 years!!   

A few thoughts