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
ajriding,
You are providing much less information than could be helpful, but it really doesn't matter that much.
Since the introduction of rotating field automotive alternator in about 1960, all of the machines (alternators) have been internally current limited and most have thermal protection as well. (If it has an internal regulator, that is a given.) So, no worries there.
What will be an issue, is the current path to the house bank in either the TC or TH. You say that the cable to this is heavy gauge, but even that is a not an effective description. If it is two runs (it has to be two because you can't count on the TV/TC chassis for this load) of 2/0, you will be close. The problem here is not what the alternator or batteries can or can't do, but you entire life at 12V is really between 12.0 and 13.7 Volts..... If the line loss between the source and the battery is even 0.25V (1/4 of a volt) you loose a huge amount of your charging ability.
While voltages near 15 can be used for recovery of a depleted bank, that is not good for long term and care should be used if it is available.
I suggest that you go to Progressive Dynamics site and just scroll down the home page. There are two topics there that will be a good source of information for you:
1 - Battery Basics
2 - Battery Management 101
I have done a lot of this in the boar work that I used to do and have seen these sort of problems a lot. No, I have no interest in PD, they are just a good supplier that is only a couple of hundred miles west.
Matt
You are providing much less information than could be helpful, but it really doesn't matter that much.
Since the introduction of rotating field automotive alternator in about 1960, all of the machines (alternators) have been internally current limited and most have thermal protection as well. (If it has an internal regulator, that is a given.) So, no worries there.
What will be an issue, is the current path to the house bank in either the TC or TH. You say that the cable to this is heavy gauge, but even that is a not an effective description. If it is two runs (it has to be two because you can't count on the TV/TC chassis for this load) of 2/0, you will be close. The problem here is not what the alternator or batteries can or can't do, but you entire life at 12V is really between 12.0 and 13.7 Volts..... If the line loss between the source and the battery is even 0.25V (1/4 of a volt) you loose a huge amount of your charging ability.
While voltages near 15 can be used for recovery of a depleted bank, that is not good for long term and care should be used if it is available.
I suggest that you go to Progressive Dynamics site and just scroll down the home page. There are two topics there that will be a good source of information for you:
1 - Battery Basics
2 - Battery Management 101
I have done a lot of this in the boar work that I used to do and have seen these sort of problems a lot. No, I have no interest in PD, they are just a good supplier that is only a couple of hundred miles west.
Matt
