Battery Switch Wiring Question

[tiderunner222]

Has anyone else had their battery selector switch apart? I needed to replace mine because the knob is wearing out and noticed that their are two wires going to the BAT2 post on the switch. It's been that way since new but I found it strange that there would be two wires there. BAT1 has just the positive lead to the other battery and the FEED post has two wires (one to motor and one to accessories) as I expected. This is on a 2001 22' Fisherman with the stock Guest switch for two batteries. I'm mainly just curious if anyone else had noticed the same and what that wire goes to.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

That should be going to the motor.

 

[tiderunner222]

That was my original thinking but didn't want to change anything since everything was working with it setup that way originally. Clearly the two existing wires I have hooked up to the common feed are for the engine and accessories since I can start it and run the accessories from either battery. What is the function of this third wire?

 

[uncljohn]

a number of components (bilge pump, GPS and stereo) have a + wire that should be run directly to the battery terminal (i.e. bypass the ignition switch as well as battery switch). Maybe someone thought they were being smart by installing it to the switch and not the battery terminal. Is this a small gauge wire or a larger motor/battery cable?

 

[tiderunner222]

It is a smaller wire than the battery wire. After looking in to this some more I am betting it has to do with the auto switch for the bilge pump. Since I can't tell easily by looking I may disconnect it and see if the bilge will still come on when I trip the switch.

 

[uncljohn]

If it IS the bilge pump hot wire, then re-run it directly to the battery. Otherwise you're turning off your auto-bilge pump when you turn the battery switch off. (Of course, if you trailer or keep boat on lift, wiring to the switch makes more sense than to the battery terminal.)

 

[tiderunner222]

It's connected to the BAT2 post on the switch which is always hot and is no different than hooking it to the + terminal on the battery. Now that I've done some reading I get it now -- Thanks.