Creating a Battery Bank

[oakleyb]

What size cable should i use between a bank of 2 x 85 amp batteries. Could i just use the cable from a set of jump leads -looks much cheaper.
Am i correct in thinking that its + to + and - to -.

 

[richardabeattie]

No! Use a full size battery cable - or it will get hot.

+ to + and - to - for a parallel conection to give you 12 volts

 

[oldsaltoz]

Check out your local scrap yard for some welders cable, plenty thick enough, well insulated and cheap.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[DinghyMan]

Try Vehicle Wiring Products for sensible priced ready made battery leads, non-marine prices as well...

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
+ to + and - to -.

[/ QUOTE ] And it is recommended that the leads from the bank should then be taken with the positve from one battery and the negative from the other. I doubt if it is all that important with just two batteries in parallel but with large banks with a number of batteries in parallel it is perhaps more relevant that the connections are made at opposite ends of the bank.

 

[lw395]

Jump leads can be a very cheap source of fairly fat copper cable.
Depending on how many amps you expect to draw of course. The insulation is not always the toughest, so watch for chafe etc.
As you are in the Solent I'll recommend Furneaux Riddall at Anchorage Park, Portsmouth, they are very helpful, will sell you short lengths of cable and crimp fittings on to battery cable etc.
Making sure the two (or more) batteries see the same resistance to the load is a good idea, but won't be significant for a domestic bank, if the cable is fat. It comes into its own if you are paralleling starter batteries.