Questions about running 2 batteries in parallel.
#11
02-27-2009, 05:44 PM
#12
02-27-2009, 09:52 PM
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Salem, Va.
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This thread is over! Thanks to all, Dimarrco
Hey guys, I have read all that I think I need to in order to make the decision. A better quality battery may be a that is needed. I have already run the decicated wires for my inverter and the triple charger. As usual, everyone has been a great help. This thread is over! Thanks to all, Dimarrco
#13
02-28-2009, 08:11 AM
I have been thinking about running another battery in parallel in my 97 ram club cab. Reason being, I run an inverter ,as I travel, for laptop & camera battery charger. While at the same time on a direct switched line,triple car charging adapter, from the batery,I 'm charging a phone, powering an mp3 player,and an fm transmitter(for mp3 player). Now these can be running, all at the same time or none at all. I believe this is putting a strain on my charging system and battery.
Will placing another in parallel to the first help with such a strain? how will this effect the exsisting wiring. what are the pros and cons of doing this?
Dimarrco
Will placing another in parallel to the first help with such a strain? how will this effect the exsisting wiring. what are the pros and cons of doing this?
Dimarrco
#14
02-28-2009, 08:43 AM
Legend
#16
06-07-2010, 12:20 AM
Old thread revival.
I'm having battery drain issues. I have a power inverter wired directly to the power distribution center with a relay to physically switch it on and off. I added the switch awhile back because of this drain issue.
The inverter is set to turn off at 9-10V. However, it has a USB port and I have my bluetooth adapter plugged into that (for streaming music from a phone into my radio). My inverter always has a load (my old cell phone) and occasional loads (current cell phone, laptop). The inverter is a 400W 115V AC meaning 30A 12V DC.
The problem is that when voltage drops and the inverter shuts down, the USB (which is 5V DC) does not- it just passes through as long as the inverter has power coming in (why I wired in the relay).
My truck's battery has been in the truck for 1 year, and was in service in a car for less than a year before that. It an Oreilly's brand Super Start rated at 690CCA/820CA. The battery has been drained dead (no lights, no starter click, nothing) at least 5 times that I can remember (once from leaving lights on, others from inverter).
The battery was dead today and the truck was last driven Friday.
I like to leave my inverter on because the batteries in my bluetooth and cellphone are old and don't last long. The problem is my truck is no longer my primary vehicle and doesn't get driven very often. My Ford Festiva won that spot with 40MPG mileage.
I also plan to add off road lights in the near distant future and a winch in the more distant future.
I have thought of some ways to keep the battery from dying, while still leaving the inverter on:
Battery tender (charger mounted to battery that keeps the battery topped off)
Dual batteries (setup like in Cummins trucks)
Dual batteries (starting and accessory battery separate)
Cutoff switch (automatically disconnects the battery at 10V- inverter and radio loose power
)
I am personally leaning toward the Cummins style parallel dual battery setup using two Optima deep cycles. It seems easiest and most powerful. Just not redundant as with separate batteries.
BTW, my truck has the HD Service Group including the 160 amp alternator.
What do ya'll think is the best option for high/extended engine off power draws?
I'm having battery drain issues. I have a power inverter wired directly to the power distribution center with a relay to physically switch it on and off. I added the switch awhile back because of this drain issue.
The inverter is set to turn off at 9-10V. However, it has a USB port and I have my bluetooth adapter plugged into that (for streaming music from a phone into my radio). My inverter always has a load (my old cell phone) and occasional loads (current cell phone, laptop). The inverter is a 400W 115V AC meaning 30A 12V DC.
The problem is that when voltage drops and the inverter shuts down, the USB (which is 5V DC) does not- it just passes through as long as the inverter has power coming in (why I wired in the relay).
My truck's battery has been in the truck for 1 year, and was in service in a car for less than a year before that. It an Oreilly's brand Super Start rated at 690CCA/820CA. The battery has been drained dead (no lights, no starter click, nothing) at least 5 times that I can remember (once from leaving lights on, others from inverter).
The battery was dead today and the truck was last driven Friday.
I like to leave my inverter on because the batteries in my bluetooth and cellphone are old and don't last long. The problem is my truck is no longer my primary vehicle and doesn't get driven very often. My Ford Festiva won that spot with 40MPG mileage.
I also plan to add off road lights in the near distant future and a winch in the more distant future.
I have thought of some ways to keep the battery from dying, while still leaving the inverter on:
Battery tender (charger mounted to battery that keeps the battery topped off)
Dual batteries (setup like in Cummins trucks)
Dual batteries (starting and accessory battery separate)
Cutoff switch (automatically disconnects the battery at 10V- inverter and radio loose power
)I am personally leaning toward the Cummins style parallel dual battery setup using two Optima deep cycles. It seems easiest and most powerful. Just not redundant as with separate batteries.
BTW, my truck has the HD Service Group including the 160 amp alternator.
What do ya'll think is the best option for high/extended engine off power draws?
Last edited by Oren09; 06-07-2010 at 12:24 AM.
#17
06-07-2010, 02:21 AM
I went with the second battery. I bought a new battery tray on-line for the passenger side. I am running an Optima deep-cycle for my auxillary equipment. I went to the RV supply store and bought two, 150 amp relays/solenoids (like Ford starter solenoids). One of them is connected directly to my alternator, with the output to the positive terminal. This first relay is off when my ignition is off, so the two batteries won't see each other unless they are being charged. The battery negative is connected diretly to the alternator/engine mount with a 6 gauge cable. The second relay is connected to my auxillary battery and switches the power flow into my custom console in the cab, where I have separate fuse blocks. The power only flows into the cab if I flip a switch. Off of the fuse block I run two dual-band Ham radios; a CB; a commercial band radio; a scanner; emergency response strobes in the headlights and tailights; additional LED strobe in the grill, side mirrors, above the interior mirror, and rear; a traffic directional bar in the rear window; plus I have an additional four 12V outlets to recharge handheld radios, run my computer, and my 12V refrigerator/freezer. If I go camping, I can leave the refrigerator running all night off the auxillary battery without worrying about draining the primary battery.
The main reason I went with the second battery was for safety. Three years ago I was out doing rescue work on a large fire in San Diego County. The vehicle I had at the time was a 1990 Range Rover. After sitting idling for several hours with my emergency lights running, I needed to leave REALLy FAST. I hit the gas and the engine died. All that idling with the emergency lights going had drawn the battery down so far, that the engine electronics could not respond. I had to abandon my vehicle and jump in the bed of my partner's p/u truck as he sped off. I saw a wall of fire overrun my Rover. Fortunately, the Battalion Chief saw it too and was able to call a rig that went in and pulled it out. Just some scorching and melted plastic. I was able to jump start it and use it for the rest of the week on the fires that were all over our county.
After that, I was determined to never put myself in the same type of situation. If you have the room, put in the second battery. It is also real handy if you run a winch.
The main reason I went with the second battery was for safety. Three years ago I was out doing rescue work on a large fire in San Diego County. The vehicle I had at the time was a 1990 Range Rover. After sitting idling for several hours with my emergency lights running, I needed to leave REALLy FAST. I hit the gas and the engine died. All that idling with the emergency lights going had drawn the battery down so far, that the engine electronics could not respond. I had to abandon my vehicle and jump in the bed of my partner's p/u truck as he sped off. I saw a wall of fire overrun my Rover. Fortunately, the Battalion Chief saw it too and was able to call a rig that went in and pulled it out. Just some scorching and melted plastic. I was able to jump start it and use it for the rest of the week on the fires that were all over our county.
After that, I was determined to never put myself in the same type of situation. If you have the room, put in the second battery. It is also real handy if you run a winch.
#18
06-07-2010, 08:36 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Boston Ma
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Maybe a better option would be to just upgrade the battery.
the optima yellow top is specifically designed for the purpose of running multiple accessories.
http://www.optimabatteries.com/optim...wtop/index.php
the optima yellow top is specifically designed for the purpose of running multiple accessories.
http://www.optimabatteries.com/optim...wtop/index.php
#19
06-07-2010, 09:45 AM
Record Breaker
I went with the second battery. I bought a new battery tray on-line for the passenger side. I am running an Optima deep-cycle for my auxillary equipment. I went to the RV supply store and bought two, 150 amp relays/solenoids (like Ford starter solenoids). One of them is connected directly to my alternator, with the output to the positive terminal. This first relay is off when my ignition is off, so the two batteries won't see each other unless they are being charged. The battery negative is connected diretly to the alternator/engine mount with a 6 gauge cable. The second relay is connected to my auxillary battery and switches the power flow into my custom console in the cab, where I have separate fuse blocks. The power only flows into the cab if I flip a switch. Off of the fuse block I run two dual-band Ham radios; a CB; a commercial band radio; a scanner; emergency response strobes in the headlights and tailights; additional LED strobe in the grill, side mirrors, above the interior mirror, and rear; a traffic directional bar in the rear window; plus I have an additional four 12V outlets to recharge handheld radios, run my computer, and my 12V refrigerator/freezer. If I go camping, I can leave the refrigerator running all night off the auxillary battery without worrying about draining the primary battery.
The main reason I went with the second battery was for safety. Three years ago I was out doing rescue work on a large fire in San Diego County. The vehicle I had at the time was a 1990 Range Rover. After sitting idling for several hours with my emergency lights running, I needed to leave REALLy FAST. I hit the gas and the engine died. All that idling with the emergency lights going had drawn the battery down so far, that the engine electronics could not respond. I had to abandon my vehicle and jump in the bed of my partner's p/u truck as he sped off. I saw a wall of fire overrun my Rover. Fortunately, the Battalion Chief saw it too and was able to call a rig that went in and pulled it out. Just some scorching and melted plastic. I was able to jump start it and use it for the rest of the week on the fires that were all over our county.
After that, I was determined to never put myself in the same type of situation. If you have the room, put in the second battery. It is also real handy if you run a winch.
The main reason I went with the second battery was for safety. Three years ago I was out doing rescue work on a large fire in San Diego County. The vehicle I had at the time was a 1990 Range Rover. After sitting idling for several hours with my emergency lights running, I needed to leave REALLy FAST. I hit the gas and the engine died. All that idling with the emergency lights going had drawn the battery down so far, that the engine electronics could not respond. I had to abandon my vehicle and jump in the bed of my partner's p/u truck as he sped off. I saw a wall of fire overrun my Rover. Fortunately, the Battalion Chief saw it too and was able to call a rig that went in and pulled it out. Just some scorching and melted plastic. I was able to jump start it and use it for the rest of the week on the fires that were all over our county.
After that, I was determined to never put myself in the same type of situation. If you have the room, put in the second battery. It is also real handy if you run a winch.
#20
06-07-2010, 11:00 AM
I got it from We R Mopar:
http://wermopar.com/
I ordered the tray and the hold-down bolt. They asked for my VIN number on the order, and then called me later to confirm this was the one I wanted since I didn't have a diesel. Good customer service. Here is a copy of my order:
Items Ordered:
Item: Electrical, Battery, Battery tray, Battery tray Right
Price: $37.85
Tax: $0.00
Qty: 1
Total: $37.85
Item: Electrical, Battery, Plate, W/stud, W/stud
Price: $13.74
Tax: $0.00
Qty: 1
Total: $13.74
-----------------------------
Items Total: $51.59
Shipping: To be determined Handling Fee: $0.00
Order Total: $51.59