2 Batteries and a 2 bank charger question

[Rezarf <><]

Looks good, nice and clean.

Cool air isn't very important. Up to a point (over 100 degrees F), batteries actually work better the warmer they are.

Sucking out the hydrogen gas so it doesn't build up in the box and become an IED - IS very important (but it's a non-issue with sealed batteries).

Thanks, pulling the gases out is a concern and worth the effort of installing a push/pull combo and getting lots of fresh air in there. I bought the batteries not full realizing the advantages of the AGM style sealed batteries. At this point I will run them till they die and upgrade down the road.

Am I right that both batteries are going to ground to the frame? I can't seem to understand the whole, they are connected (via a chasis ground) and yet still run seperately. However, everything I have been reading points to this.

 

[dwh]

Frame is one way to connect the negative. They aren't actually "grounded" since they don't connect to the planet.

It's a circuit - power flows out the positive to whatever load and returns to the battery via the negative. It doesn't go back to the other battery because that would not be a complete circuit. So both batteries can have the negatives tied, but not the positives and they will be isolated from each other.

 

[Rezarf <><]

Simple!

Thanks for taking the time DWH!

 

[surly]

My head hurts...

What I tried to get out of this thread (it has lots of useful information, some over my head) was if I could use my dual bank charger (NOCO GENM2 2-Bank 8A) to charge two batteries (Odyssey 75-pPC1230) in my trailer that were hooked up in parallel.

I figured the batteries should be in parallel, they aren't that big but they fit the spot.
Also figured the dual bank charger would do a better job charging them both individually.

I am not sure how to wire this mess together and I still have the solar charge controller to hook into it as well.

I'd be happy for any insights folks... Thank you

 

[dwh]

If in parallel then it's a single bank. Basically just one big battery.

 

[surly]

So, perhaps I have the wrong charger or a feature I don't need. I figured charging the batteries separately had an advantage.

 

[dwh]

If the charger allows it, combine the two outputs to get a 16a charge into the hank and let the batteries charge together. That will keep the the batteries sympatico.

Splitting the charge could result in unequal charging and wear them out faster.

 

[surly]

Roger that. It's two new batteries so charging in parallel is fine. Got it.

Perhaps I'll return the charger (it's 4a+4a) and get the 7.5a one bank. Save space, simpler and I don't see a need for multiple sets of batteries aka separate banks.