Dual Battery Charging?

[tengals123]

Guys, I have a dual Battery setup. With switch 1, 2 or both. My question is when charging a battery, the negative's are connected together, so it means im connecting to positive and both negative's, is this ok?<br /><br />cheers

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

Yup. [-] is common. Switching betwen the [+] is what decides which bat gets used, charging or discharging.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

If you are going to charge both batteries at the same time, it will bennifit you to have both the same kind of batteries, and of the same age. The weeker will drag down the newer and they may not charge properly.

 

[tengals123]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

Thanks guys. Im not charging both at the same time just 1 at a time. I just wanted to make sure nothing was going to blow up while charging as when im charinging batt. 1, the batt. 2 neg. teminal is connected.<br /><br />cheers

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

Bad bad boy <br /><br />You wouldn't be asking this question if you had fitted a VSR.

 

[tengals123]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

hehehe, aldo how are ya mate?<br /><br />cheers

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

Couldn't be better, what about you - fixed that gouge yet?

 

[Triton II]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

OK Aldo, enlighten this electrically illiterate lunatic... what's a VSR?

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

Voltage Sensing Relay.<br /><br />Takes all the guess work out of charging 2 batteries.

 

[Triton II]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

Thanks... I'm going to install twin batteries for summer as I've just put in a stereo and two car cigarette lighter style 12v accessory plugs. But will my 1 amp deficient Yamacury alternator be up to the job of charging both at once or do I need a switch like Tengals?

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

Buy a merc, that ONE amp will cost you about $10,000 .<br /><br />It's not difficult to calculate how much juice you will need. Your alt will make about 18amps per hour at or over 1500rpm. Add up your accessories and include starter motor usage, how many amps will you use, per hour?<br /><br />If you have surplus amps, your good to go.<br />If you have a deficit, you need to find a way to top up the batts. <br /><br />If you are going to run most things of the second batt (deepcycle?), a VSR will extend it's life.

 

[Triton II]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

Thanks Aldo. I've got about 5 amps left over if I run the stereo, the GPS-sounder, the instruments and the nav lights and do three starts an hour. So I should be right with my paltry 17 amp alternator! The current battery is an 85amp hour deep cycle but I want to put in a matched second one with a VSR and to drive the accessories off the second battery leaving the first as a starting/back-up battery. I'm loving learning as I go on this kind of thing... did a reasonable job with the stereo installation!

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

5 amps surplus is good, it's normal to lose some juice in the wiring and connections.

 

[tengals123]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

Aldo, the gouge is fixed. I applied glass and filler liberaly in the general area. So it looks a bit yuk at the moment. I was to water test it 1st before I sand, clean and paint.<br /><br />cheers

 

[fluffy2]

Re: Dual Battery Charging?

hi guys,I have a johnson 225 ocean runner.it has one of those twin battery charging setups on it.What does a 225 alternator put out??Im thinking of putting a vsr on it ,can I do this???