Adding more batteries
I'm fully in the grip of winter up here so contemplating spring projects. I have a truck camper with a battery box that only allows for 2 grp 27 batteries which I have installed now (2 x 12v) I ...
Forum Discussion
Hedge,
You actually got very similar answers from both BFL and Chuck. The executive summary could be:
Lead/Acid batteries do not play nicely in parallel and the more different the less nice-nice.....
I will bet you dollars to donuts that one of your current 27s is weak. (Hint, this is a sucker bet that I already won because you have used them and parallel jars will never equalize while strapped together.) Now, when you mix that with the T105s of any golf cart batteries that are true deep cycle/
BFL has a good plan, and it will work, but it is a recipe for excitement because you would now have 3 different batteries in parallel in your case. To survive this, you need to do three things. Put in the switch so your separate (3) banks can be charged to full density individually, Separate all three banks with some gunga-mama fuses (like make charge rate *1.5). And the last is tough.... THINK. You can discharge all three banks in parallel for short bursts. But, do not leave them that way for longer than you must.
Oh, I almost forgot, carry baking soda to clean up the acid spill when one of then (probably a Gr 27) explodes.
I did a lot of boat work before the depression. I got to clean up more than a few of these. I always had soda and gloves in my kit. I like doing these job for insurance coverage, it is nasty but it pays good.
Matt
You actually got very similar answers from both BFL and Chuck. The executive summary could be:
Lead/Acid batteries do not play nicely in parallel and the more different the less nice-nice.....
I will bet you dollars to donuts that one of your current 27s is weak. (Hint, this is a sucker bet that I already won because you have used them and parallel jars will never equalize while strapped together.) Now, when you mix that with the T105s of any golf cart batteries that are true deep cycle/
BFL has a good plan, and it will work, but it is a recipe for excitement because you would now have 3 different batteries in parallel in your case. To survive this, you need to do three things. Put in the switch so your separate (3) banks can be charged to full density individually, Separate all three banks with some gunga-mama fuses (like make charge rate *1.5). And the last is tough.... THINK. You can discharge all three banks in parallel for short bursts. But, do not leave them that way for longer than you must.
Oh, I almost forgot, carry baking soda to clean up the acid spill when one of then (probably a Gr 27) explodes.
I did a lot of boat work before the depression. I got to clean up more than a few of these. I always had soda and gloves in my kit. I like doing these job for insurance coverage, it is nasty but it pays good.
Matt
