OK, really dumb question about charging batteries

TXCobra · May 14, 2009

With our two battery setup, I thought there was something about unhooking one of them to charge it if you plan to leave a trickle charger on it. Something about the way they are run in series? So my question is, if I wasn't going to drive the truck for a couple of weeks (or longer) and wanted to keep the batteries charged, could I use one charger that I switched between the batteries every few days or so, or should I use one for each battery? Do I need to do anything special (like unhook one of them)?

powerboatr · May 14, 2009

fer years i used a trickle charger one lead on the pos of the one battery and the negative on the negative of the other battery.

then i got lazy and just put the charger on one battery

came home a few weeks later and she was still charged up

as long as both batteries are equal in age and strength you should be okie dokie

bbressler · May 14, 2009

+1.

Our batteries aren't hooked up in series, they are hooked up parallel -- so your charge will go to both of them If they were in series, you'd have 24 volts.

TXCobra · May 14, 2009

Thanks guys....I actually meant in parallel and said series. I just wanted to make sure.

DaveBen · May 14, 2009

What you have is one battery, in two places. Treat it just like one battery. Charge them both and replace them as a pair when the time comes. Changing only one battery will shortly kill the new battery in a short time.

Dave

TXCobra · May 14, 2009

OK, see...that's what I had heard before. So I really do need two chargers then.

2ndPowerstroke · May 14, 2009

As for powerboatr`s post (same thing kinda) --my 12v parallel camper batteries were setup on the solar panel trickle charge the same way--negative on one batt, pos. on the other --never a problem there. Then I pulled the batts out and when I put them back in I hooked up the panel on only one battery--didn`t notice a difference. Never tried it on a dual battery truck???

If it`s gonna be sittng long enough to be a concern I`d have to say better to pull the batts and bench`em.

Oh and I would also be really careful if you hooked one battery where you laid the battery cables since the other batt would have juice and also a possible power source depending on how you unhooked them (know what I mean).

DaveBen · May 15, 2009

TXCobra said:
OK, see...that's what I had heard before. So I really do need two chargers then.

No! You did not get what I am saying. Why would you use two chargers on a battery? You only need one charger. What happens to one, happens to the other battery.

Dave

rock_doctor · May 20, 2009

Two batteries hooked in parallel behave as one big battery. Treat it as such. Hook the charger to either battery and both will be charged just like when you turn the key the starter pulls from both batteries. It isn't a boat with an isolator or house batteries or what ever. If you are going to leave it for a couple of weeks i would not worry about it. if you are going to leave it for several months then you may want to pick up a good computer controlled maintenance charger. Hook it to either battery, plug it in and don't worry about it.

2x6 bulldog · Jun 2, 2009

Just put the charger on one battery and both will be charged. They are wired in parallel.

OK, really dumb question about charging batteries

TXCobra

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powerboatr

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bbressler

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TXCobra

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DaveBen

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TXCobra

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2ndPowerstroke

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