Alternator: How many batteries can it take?
I have a diesel, so two batteries for truck, there are two 6-volt for the Truck Camper, and I want to put a deep cycle battery in the cargo trailer. The Camper does have 200 watt solar to charge it...
Forum Discussion
Landyacht, are you using unsual characters that are typical in computer formatting? brackets and such that you see in html code. That could be issue, the forum is thinking it is bad HTML.
I am not wasting time, many years of using batteries and recharging with alternator, that is not an issue.
Also, not worried how long it takes to charge batteries, just worried about the alternator.
Issue is so many batteries will require more and more out of alternator. Alternators do not blindly put out their maximum rated amps all the time, this would burn it out. They put out what is asked of them, so multiple discharged batteries will ask the same as one discharged battery, but take multiple-times longer to recharge given the work load. This ask the alternator to do work for a longer period of time.
The starting batteries likely will not be discharged (unless a light was left on).
The other batteries could be more discharged. I could use 20-30% of RV battery over night then drive before the sun comes up which ask alternator to re-charge RV batteries - otherwise the solar would do the work.
The cargo trailer battery will be lightly used. Only LED lights and vent fan hooked to it, but there are two DC outlets, so potential for more load.
All 3 battery systems are separated, so the RV coach batteries can be disconnected from the TV, and the trailer also disconnected from the TV via two different switches (though the trailer is also on the running lights switch, so at night control is lost choosing to charge or not to charge trailer).
Truck batteries will always be charged, no switch here.
If a long drive ahead, then I will go an hour or two charging just the truck, then switch on the coach, then theoretically, can switch off the coach and switch on the trailer so fewer batteries are connected. Not sure if this matters, but I do like to isolate the truck batteries so they get preferential treatment given their importance.
Worst case , and the reason for question in OP is, what's the deal here, power is getting divided between all batteries, charge time is longer, alternator will be asked to run at higher rate for longer, am I asking for trouble? overload on alternator?
Also, I assume the trailer battery, which is on smaller longer wire, will get less than TV or coach battery which are on big short wires.
RoyB, hmm. I like math, but i dunno, I have run coach batteries low and revived them with a few hours drive. I dont know my alternator, i assume 136 as stock, not more than 190 I imagine. If the math says 60 hours is needed, then something is missing.
I rarely run them so low, only on cold nights will the furnace do that, otherwise I dont run power at night, and during the day usually the 200 watts of solar buffers depletion pretty good.
side note: looking at those Little Buddy heaters so I can heat with no power at night…
I am not wasting time, many years of using batteries and recharging with alternator, that is not an issue.
Also, not worried how long it takes to charge batteries, just worried about the alternator.
Issue is so many batteries will require more and more out of alternator. Alternators do not blindly put out their maximum rated amps all the time, this would burn it out. They put out what is asked of them, so multiple discharged batteries will ask the same as one discharged battery, but take multiple-times longer to recharge given the work load. This ask the alternator to do work for a longer period of time.
The starting batteries likely will not be discharged (unless a light was left on).
The other batteries could be more discharged. I could use 20-30% of RV battery over night then drive before the sun comes up which ask alternator to re-charge RV batteries - otherwise the solar would do the work.
The cargo trailer battery will be lightly used. Only LED lights and vent fan hooked to it, but there are two DC outlets, so potential for more load.
All 3 battery systems are separated, so the RV coach batteries can be disconnected from the TV, and the trailer also disconnected from the TV via two different switches (though the trailer is also on the running lights switch, so at night control is lost choosing to charge or not to charge trailer).
Truck batteries will always be charged, no switch here.
If a long drive ahead, then I will go an hour or two charging just the truck, then switch on the coach, then theoretically, can switch off the coach and switch on the trailer so fewer batteries are connected. Not sure if this matters, but I do like to isolate the truck batteries so they get preferential treatment given their importance.
Worst case , and the reason for question in OP is, what's the deal here, power is getting divided between all batteries, charge time is longer, alternator will be asked to run at higher rate for longer, am I asking for trouble? overload on alternator?
Also, I assume the trailer battery, which is on smaller longer wire, will get less than TV or coach battery which are on big short wires.
RoyB, hmm. I like math, but i dunno, I have run coach batteries low and revived them with a few hours drive. I dont know my alternator, i assume 136 as stock, not more than 190 I imagine. If the math says 60 hours is needed, then something is missing.
I rarely run them so low, only on cold nights will the furnace do that, otherwise I dont run power at night, and during the day usually the 200 watts of solar buffers depletion pretty good.
side note: looking at those Little Buddy heaters so I can heat with no power at night…
