Twin Cummins = common ground?

[Mike Schmidt]

I need to figure out which DC/DC charger to get (to charge a house LiFePO4 battery from the alternator/start batt), but hit a snag not knowing whether to get the Victron “isolated” or “non-isolated” 12v/12v DC to DC charger. The difference is the non-isolated works if there is a common ground from the house to starting battery, which I think is for both starting batteries but I’m not sure (the boat is far away and I need to order without checking if possible).

So my question is, in a twin Cummins setup do the start batteries for each engine share a common ground? I realize there is a battery ground on each engine obviously but I just don’t know if the engines are tied together.

Topic

[Tony Athens]

All battery systems on the vessel– engine(s), house, generator, inverters or even a mixed 12-24VDC system MUST, and I mean MUST, share a solid common ground… That is IPSO FACTO..

[Author]

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