Alberta Land Rover Enthusiasts Club Forum
General => Technical Discussions => Topic started by: binch on September 20, 2019, 09:46 AM
Hi Gang,
I have a question for those folks who know a whole lot more about this then I do.....please :)
With winter coming and the usage on the 110 dropping off dramatically I wanted to put a trickle charger on the batteries to maintain them. Now, the question I have is.... Can you use something like this https://www.saskbattery.com/ecommerce_532.htm (https://www.saskbattery.com/ecommerce_532.htm) to charge the two batteries together. The way my batteries are currently hooked up...they are joined together at the ground and the positives run through a great honking marine battery switch. My thinking is (and please correct me if I'm wrong here) is the leave the switch in the "both batteries" position and hook the ground from the charger to the ground of the battery and vice verse for the positive.
So....is this going to be kosker???
enquiring minds need to know ;D
If the batteries are the same and have the same age, it will be fine. If they are different, it can't hurt to get one that charges them separately.
This an electronic charger that you showed. It may get wrong readings if it's hooked to the two batteries at same time. I had the dual batteries model from that company and used it on my red top and yellow top. Did not last too long due to the batteries type. Now I have an Optima Charger but only does one battery at a time. My batteries are stored indoors too.
Assuming the batteries are the same type, age, and equally clean, especially at contacts. Any 2A battery maintainer with AGM mode should work, assuming that you are not using flooded cells.
This should be enough to maintain them periodically, in your " both batteries" mode with the external AC-fed AGM maintainer, available from Battery Tender, Motomaster, etc.
I prefer to use a medium sized solar panel, without charge controller. I'm delivering milliamps anyway, and we don't get enough sun in winter in Alberta to boil a battery using a smaller panel then either. Its handy for sites without AC power, too of course.
A smaller solar panel should only be used to charge a single battery at a time, however, and may not produce enough current to charge/maintain two paralleled vehicle batteries.
I've seen some guys leave AC maintainers connected to batteries all winter long. This seems unnecessary, the AGM isn't vented, and doesn't do well with any overcharging, should that happen. I just charge my outdoor disconnected battery periodically, each month, or other month, particularly taking advantage of any sunny warmer winter days (-5C or better, if I can) it's important that it gets a full charge though.
Motomaster 011-1506-6 is on sale now in store for $40, and is rated for AGM. I have this one, and it works well for this purpose.
Or you could just buy the better one I'm selling.