Batteries

[muchy_]

At the moment I have two batteries in one bank. These provide domestic and engine start power. Is it preferable to just add another battery or even two, or to fit a split charge diode and have two battery banks one domestic and one engine start? What are the pros and cons if any of the two systems?

 

[hlb]

Yes. Much beter if you can have engine start only and domestic seperate. If you cant start the engines. Your knackererd all ways round.

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Haydn

 

[Chris771]

Agree with Haydn, much better to have batteries separated. I like idea of having just a battery 1 and battery 2 system rather than separate starting and ancilliary batteries. Use each battery in turn for ancilliaries then they both get cycled and last longer.

Also, you can fit a car solenoid operated by a smaller push button switch to paralell them (momentarily) if you have starting problems.

Don't forget the 0.7 Volt drop across the split charge diodes which means that batteries will never fully charge unless you also fit a diode inside the alternator in the sense line (or a remote sense line to the batteries - then it starts getting complicated) so that the regulator also sees output voltage at the alternator -0.7V. Theoretically that is nearly the same as at the battery terminals, unless you have very thin or long cables, but then you are into another subject of ohmic losses.....

Chris