Battery and amp question

(mikef9844) · (mikef9844) **Join Date: Sep 2008** 01-05-2009, 8:32 PM

During this winter I'm in the process of installing a stereo system in my boat. I have all the wires and stuff to put it together now. My boat is in storage now so I can't start installing the stuff right now, but I want to make sure everything works. I have the battery from my boat laying around and can use it to hook up all the wires, etc. The question I have is where can I safely ground the battery if I was hooking all this up in my garage or driveway?

(chpthril) · (chpthril) **Join Date: Oct 2007** 01-05-2009, 8:38 PM

Dont have to ground a battery to make it work as it IS the source of power.

(mikef9844) · (mikef9844) **Join Date: Sep 2008** 01-05-2009, 9:03 PM

I'm going to ground the amp to the battery as I would like it will be in the boat. I guess I just don't understand why you wouldn't need to ground the battery like it is in the boat.

(05mobiuslsv) · (05mobiuslsv) **Join Date: Apr 2006** 01-05-2009, 9:12 PM

You don't need to ground it to anything, it's grounded already. A battery is grounded in a boat because it's hooked up to an alternator, has to complete the current path.

Have you ever seen an electric trolling motor on an aluminum lake boat?

(chpthril) · (chpthril) **Join Date: Oct 2007** 01-05-2009, 9:43 PM

It's not the battery that needs grounding, it's the electrical devices such a alternator, starter, etc. In a car the chassis is grounded to the battery so other devices can be grounded to the battery, thus completing the circuit, with out being run all the way to the battery. Saves cost, weight, and cuts down on areas for problems imagine having 450 ground wire attached to the NEG on a battery!

Boats dont have a conductive chassis, so we need to either run the gnd back to the battery or engine, or run a large wire from the battery GND to a central location, like under the diver's console, and create a ground point called a BUSS bar.

(05mobiuslsv) · (05mobiuslsv) **Join Date: Apr 2006** 01-06-2009, 6:37 AM

Tigemike did we post at the same time or did you just feel like repeating what I said...

(chpthril) · (chpthril) **Join Date: Oct 2007** 01-06-2009, 7:25 AM

Nu bu, I was gonna ask you the same thing

(05mobiuslsv) · (05mobiuslsv) **Join Date: Apr 2006** 01-06-2009, 7:42 AM

to funny.

(mikef9844) · (mikef9844) **Join Date: Sep 2008** 01-07-2009, 1:05 PM

Thanks for the help guys! I got everything hooked up and its working great, now I just need to put it all in the boat.