One more battery 24V hook up question please!!

[Hoffer]

So, I ended up picking up an autopilot. I switched out the receptacle on my old one and put it on the autopilot, hooked up my two 12v batteries in a series and I have power and it all worked!!

So...heres my question. I have a 2 bank on board charger. Only one of the banks is going to the bow where the trolling motor batteries are. In the past this was all I needed as i just had the one trolling motor battery there. Now I have 2 batteries up front.

If my troller motor leads (positive and minus) are hooked up to my 2 batteries and they are in a series - and I also hook up my charger to the same exact area - will my one bank charge both batteries???

I know i am getting power from both -as they are hooked up in series - but will I be able to also charge them both at the same time with just one of the banks from the charger...or would I still need 2 banks...one on each battery?

Hope that makes sense - and thanks for the advice!

Hoffer

[Mudcutter]

by no means an expert,, but I would guess 2 banks. your getting 24V out of 2 12V batteries and I don't think one bank at 12 volts is going to charge two batts (or even one) hooked up in a series. Just an educated (and I use that term loosely) guess.

[walleyemaniac]

It should work if you hook the positive lead from your charger to the positive battery post of one battery and the negative lead from your charger to the other batteries negetive post, same as your TM. Only thing is it's going to take alot longer to charge both batteries with one charger bank.

[Hoffer]

Ok Cool!

i dont mind that...it would be more for just topping things off when I come in.

I am going to take the charger and put that on each single battery before I leave for Canada. making sure they are fully charged. Then they do have electricity up there at the dock- and I was hoping to just then have everything hooked up in the series - including the charger - and just top things off each night. I would have it plugged in all night long.

If anyone else thinks differently please post. I can always just charge one at a time when I am up there if I am not going to get a decent charge hooked up in a series. However, it would be nice to just come in and not have to rehook the battery cables for the charger each night.

Thanks!

Hoffer

[CAMAN]

I can't say if it will work or not, but a few things that come to mind is you are hooking a 12 volt charger up to 24 volts, it could damage the charger. It also might not damage it but it may never top the batteries off because it is reading 24 volts, so it may actually just error out saying its hooked up incorrectly or think the battery is full already.

If it were me I would get the correct setup since its cheaper to buy a new charger first than running the risk of damaging the batteries and needing to replace those and the charger.

:edit: you could hook them up in parallel while charging and that would work just fine, just take twice as long to charge.

[BobT]

I can't say if it will work or not, but a few things that come to mind is you are hooking a 12 volt charger up to 24 volts, it could damage the charger. It also might not damage it but it may never top the batteries off because it is reading 24 volts, so it may actually just error out saying its hooked up incorrectly or think the battery is full already.

If it were me I would get the correct setup since its cheaper to buy a new charger first than running the risk of damaging the batteries and needing to replace those and the charger.

:edit: you could hook them up in parallel while charging and that would work just fine, just take twice as long to charge.

The suggestion to hook up one 12v charger across both batteries will not work. Your charger provides 12v, not 24 so you can only charge one series-wired battery with one charger. If you want to charge both at the same time you need a 2-bank charger and connect one bank to each battery. You do not have to disconnect the series connection. The charger won't even know the other battery is in the circuit.

[Hoffer]

Thanks a ton all.

Guess for now I will charge one at a time and unhook things and hook back up etc...

Will have to someday get a 2 bank charger for up front.

Appreciate all the help!!

[CAMAN]

The suggestion to hook up one 12v charger across both batteries will not work. Your charger provides 12v, not 24 so you can only charge one series-wired battery with one charger. If you want to charge both at the same time you need a 2-bank charger and connect one bank to each battery. You do not have to disconnect the series connection. The charger won't even know the other battery is in the circuit.

By no means was I suggesting he hook up a 12 volt charger to a 24 volt bank. All I said was he could temporarily hook them up in parallel (12 volts) to charge them if he didn't want to get a new 3 bank charger, it would work, just needs an extra jumper.

[BobT]

Quote:

unhook things and hook back up etc...

Don't have to do this. Just hook your charger to one battery at a time and then to the other after the first one is done. Not necessary to separate the batteries from each other.