Hi fellow caravaners!
We've just had 2 x 150 batteries connected in our Jayco Conquest motorhome and they left the 1 x 90 battery in as well. When we were adventuring we met people at a caravan park that we stayed at who had said that you have to have the same size batteries in and that they had 2 x 150. Will having the 90 left in cause the other batteries to work at 90 as well rather than 150?
Appreciate any help!
Thanks in advance,
Chae :)
Tony Bev said
06:37 PM Dec 17, 2016
Hello Chaeles
May I be one of the first to welcome you to the forum
Usual disclaimer that I am not an electrician
But... I am led to believe that batteries should all be the same make/age/capacity, otherwise you will not get the full benefit from them, and may even deteriorate some of them
Hopefully someone with more battery expertise than me, will come along and explain why it is so
Hope that this info is useful to you
macka17 said
07:34 PM Dec 17, 2016
Hey.
and welcome.
If you want the differing Ampages to charge fully and give their full output.
You really need to have a multi outlet charger.
Several mfg's make them.
I have one (marine) that has 3 charging points.
will charge up to it's max of 25a spread between the 3 outlets
according to each battery's requirements.
This is a little low in power for that job nowadays. But was biggest avail at time of purchase
(Long time ago)
Either that or have the 90a on separate circuit (different items. LED lights.or tv etc)
with it's own charger..
ANY decent 12v Tech will tell you best way of setting yous up.
If you changing your System. See a Tech FIRST.
NOT what some on here say. We mainly only amateurs at best.
And guessing your knowledge of electricity.
Get it done right.
Motorhomes burn real well....
Have a great christmas hey.
PeterD said
08:14 PM Dec 18, 2016
Chaeles, it is OK to connect the batteries together in parallel if they are the same type of batteries and all have the same charging voltages. When you parallel your batteries then they all work as one battery, you simply add the stated amp hour (Ah) capacity of each battery to obtain the total capacity of your battery bank. In your case the total capacity will be 390 Ah.
If the installer chose the correct batteries to add to your existing battery then I think the biggest problem you will have is weight. Your new batteries will have added nearly 100 kg to the load of your motorhome. How much loading will the vehicle carry. I suggest you run it over a weighbridge with all the travellers in it to check the total weight. This must not exceed the GVM of the vehicle.
macka17 said
10:07 AM Dec 19, 2016
Pete.
We used to mix and match the battery's on the boats yrs ago.
And noticed after a while. some were not getting or holding full charge.
This is hundreds of yachties over decades. (we all talk among each other
on our coastal and longer passages) )
and after lots of trial and errors.
basically figuring out. that with a lower capacity\same voltage battery
one or more. wired in among higher capacity ones.
IT\they would get full charge. But the higher capacity ones basically.
never got FULL charging.
Because, unless it was a multi outlet charger (like the ones a lot of us ended up getting)
The charger senses the float level (voltage) of the smaller cap, battery.
and starts going into float mode.
Never actually getting the bigger batt's to full capacity.
Straight on\off charging units.
Just turned OFF at first sign of max voltage from any of the battery's.
This was over 30 yrs of multi sized (up to 10 or 12 battery's. Mostly 3 or 4)Battery banks.
with multi types of charging\chargers. with differing seriousness of operators.
Car batt's $25 -40 each just change 'em out for Repco specials when dead.
did a lotfine.
Some like me.were more serious
and kept good memory records of which were better batt's and chargers.
and wiring layouts to multi battery's. (Exide Extremes for a lot of yrs till other mfg's caught up)
There is a sequence for coupling multi battery's, Proven
with what capacity chargers to suit each bank.
Lok it up on net and follow.
Especially if using more than 3 battery's.
PeterD said
12:25 PM Dec 19, 2016
Macka, you are talking of the ancient days when flooded batteries were the go. These days with AGM batteries when you use batteries with the same charging voltages then paralleling batteries of similar capacity is OK.
Hello Chaeles
May I be one of the first to welcome you to the forum
Usual disclaimer that I am not an electrician
But...
I am led to believe that batteries should all be the same make/age/capacity, otherwise you will not get the full benefit from them, and may even deteriorate some of them
Hopefully someone with more battery expertise than me, will come along and explain why it is so
Hope that this info is useful to you
and welcome.
If you want the differing Ampages to charge fully and give their full output.
You really need to have a multi outlet charger.
Several mfg's make them.
I have one (marine) that has 3 charging points.
will charge up to it's max of 25a spread between the 3 outlets
according to each battery's requirements.
This is a little low in power for that job nowadays. But was biggest avail at time of purchase
(Long time ago)
Either that or have the 90a on separate circuit (different items. LED lights.or tv etc)
with it's own charger..
ANY decent 12v Tech will tell you best way of setting yous up.
If you changing your System. See a Tech FIRST.
NOT what some on here say. We mainly only amateurs at best.
And guessing your knowledge of electricity.
Get it done right.
Motorhomes burn real well....
Have a great christmas hey.
Chaeles, it is OK to connect the batteries together in parallel if they are the same type of batteries and all have the same charging voltages. When you parallel your batteries then they all work as one battery, you simply add the stated amp hour (Ah) capacity of each battery to obtain the total capacity of your battery bank. In your case the total capacity will be 390 Ah.
If the installer chose the correct batteries to add to your existing battery then I think the biggest problem you will have is weight. Your new batteries will have added nearly 100 kg to the load of your motorhome. How much loading will the vehicle carry. I suggest you run it over a weighbridge with all the travellers in it to check the total weight. This must not exceed the GVM of the vehicle.
We used to mix and match the battery's on the boats yrs ago.
And noticed after a while. some were not getting or holding full charge.
This is hundreds of yachties over decades. (we all talk among each other
on our coastal and longer passages) )
and after lots of trial and errors.
basically figuring out. that with a lower capacity\same voltage battery
one or more. wired in among higher capacity ones.
IT\they would get full charge. But the higher capacity ones basically.
never got FULL charging.
Because, unless it was a multi outlet charger (like the ones a lot of us ended up getting)
The charger senses the float level (voltage) of the smaller cap, battery.
and starts going into float mode.
Never actually getting the bigger batt's to full capacity.
Straight on\off charging units.
Just turned OFF at first sign of max voltage from any of the battery's.
This was over 30 yrs of multi sized (up to 10 or 12 battery's. Mostly 3 or 4)Battery banks.
with multi types of charging\chargers. with differing seriousness of operators.
Car batt's $25 -40 each just change 'em out for Repco specials when dead.
did a lotfine.
Some like me.were more serious
and kept good memory records of which were better batt's and chargers.
and wiring layouts to multi battery's. (Exide Extremes for a lot of yrs till other mfg's caught up)
There is a sequence for coupling multi battery's, Proven
with what capacity chargers to suit each bank.
Lok it up on net and follow.
Especially if using more than 3 battery's.