Quote:
Originally Posted by julyer
did you pigtail to both batteries or do you have to switch?
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You have 2 batteries. I assume they are 12v deep discharge. They are wired in parallel. To connect to a solar system, just connect the +ve and -ve. There is no need to switch between batteries.
But there is a bit more to it than that. If you have 2 12v batteries in parallel, how are they installed? Is one battery 'behind' the other. and the charger connects to the 'front battery?
This is not the best way and will cause problems as the back battery becomes 'lazy'.
With 2 batteries, it is better to connect the -v to the -ve post of therear battery and the +ve to +ve post of the front battery. This makes both batteries work equally hard. (I call it cross-wired).
Now when connecting the charger or solar, connect the -ve and the +ve to the other two battery posts, This way the charging is also cross wired . .but opposite to the usage side.
Finally, if you let you batteries go down and are not fully rechanged (and it sounds like you have), they should be 'equalized'. This is a process where a charger delivers an overcharge (of about 15 volts) for several hours. This causes the batteries to bubble and shed deposits off the plates and will rejuvinate them.
Most RVs come with a 'Converter/Charger. These are little better than junk. They are 2 state chargers and in spite of their posted rating, provide little more than about 5 amps charge.
A good RV charger is a triple charger and includes an Equalise cycle. A good charger will be able to charge at 60 amps, and then adjust downward as the battery approaches capacity.
