Back on the charging

[ECHO 1]

Had posted couple weeks ago on charging 2 batteries hooked parallel to each other. Any way I went to Cabelas yesterday to get an onboard charger and figured I could get buy on a 2 bank system (1) bank for the cranking and (1) for the trolling (2) batteries hooked parallel . The guy tells me taht I need a 3 bank charger cause the 2 bank would not transfer to the #2 battery that is hooked parallel. If a regular charger will do this why wont an onboard do it?

 

[jtexas]

Re: Back on the charging

cabelas guy don't know what he's talkin bout. Unless of course it's a very low output charger like 2 or 4 amps, in which case it might just not be enough output to charge 'em both, like filling a swimming pool with an eyedropper.

 

[ECHO 1]

Re: Back on the charging

This is a 12 amp with transfer on demand. going to hook it up + to battery #1 and - to #2, Should work right?

 

[jtexas]

Re: Back on the charging

This is a 12 amp with transfer on demand. going to hook it up + to battery #1 and - to #2, Should work right?

charger (+) to batt 1 (+), charger (-) to batt 2 (-)
and
batt1 (+) to batt2 (+), batt1(-) to batt2(-)

it's got to work.........I don't know exactly what the - "transfer on demand" feature does exactly, but......

the charger will see your trolling batteries as a single battery - one very extra large capacity battery - so if "transfer" has to do with some charger circuitry that distinguishes one battery from another, it won't do that - but it dang sure will charge 'em.

ok, might want to make sure the owner's manual doesn't specifically advise against it........

 

[ECHO 1]

Re: Back on the charging

Thats the way I am goin to do it. The tranfer on demand transfers more amps to the weakest battery and fewer to the other to maintain it. And the manual didnt say you could but then it didnt say you couldnt. Thanks

 

[QuadManiac]

Re: Back on the charging

One ouput of the charger to the starting battery (obviously + to + and - to -), other output of the charger to the parallel trolling batteries (+ to either + and - to either -, as long as they're wired in parallel). I think you've got it!

Good Luck!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Back on the charging

Load sharing chargers are just that. When one output has done its job and the battery it was charging is fully charged (say its the start battery), that output starts pushing output to the second (or third) output to help it. In your case, you have two batteries in parallel which still looks like one battery to output #2. Output #1 will help #2 charge those two batteries. As was mentioned, Cabelas generally has good help but when it comes to electrics, some of them are not on top of things.

 

[ECHO 1]

Re: Back on the charging

I got it hooked up and seems to be working using volt meter before pluging in charger (cranking batt) 12.6v (trolling batt's) 12.4v. Pluged in carger now reading (cranking batt) 13.9v (trolling batt's) 14.1v.