Forum Discussion
LipschitzWrath
Aug 09, 2018Explorer
BFL13 wrote:
"As for the load wires, everything is on the same terminal positive and negative posts. Is that a good or a bad thing?
I think I can balance the Batts by moving the neg wire to the other batt but I don't think the neg load wire will be long enough to reach. Simple splice and extend?"
From this distance, using my super X-ray vision powers, I think I see the two wires from the WFCO not both going where they should on the batteries, with one not even on the battery. One might be going in with the wire to the fuse panel, by-passing the battery.
If on the right posts, the ring terminal(s) on the wires might be corroded right up the wires under the insulation cover, which happens with older wires on batteries. Easy to check for. Just use a set of jumper cables to go around that wall and connect converter to batteries and see if you get 14.4ish at the batteries now.
You need to rewire for balance anyway, so that should be solved if so. On extending the load wire collections, that is a common problem. The answer is to go with a buss bar arrangement for the load wires and then have just the one fatter wire go from the buss to the battery post. This cuts down on the number of ring lugs stacked on each post too, which is a good thing.
I do remember about seeing early WFCOs had a sort of charge wizard gizmo like you have, but later they dropped that and went with their 13.2v trigger for boost that is so hard to achieve. In a way, you are lucky to have that earlier model assuming it is in good shape, which it must be to do its 14.4 you see it doing.
We will have the camper back home tonight, so I will be able to give definitive answers soon thereafter in regards to wire routing.
I am 95% sure that the arrangement I have is this.
-Short (28") battery cables running from the positive and negative output terminals on the WFCO to their respective posts on Battery 1.
-A single positive and negative load wire attached to their respective posts on Battery 1. I suspect that these are what run to the DC distribution panel 25 feet away. They are smaller gauge than above, maybe 10 or 8 AWG.
-18" long battery jumpers running from Battery 1 to Battery 2, directly beneath it. In my batt compartment, there are two shelves and the batts sit vertically above one another.
That's ALL there is entering/exiting the battery compartment.
If I understand "balancing" correctly, it would imply that either the positive OR the negative wire attached to Battery 1 needs to be attached to Battery 2. That should be simple.
The buss bar idea is a good one.
Again, I will confirm this tonight. Maybe even take some pictures.
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