Battery Charger Question

[PurpleHaZe]

Does this look right? I made a picture in my paint program. lol. Im useing a 12 volt trolling motor. And im useing two batterys as one. In the future im going to buy a two or three bank charger. Just not in the cards right now. Thanks for everyones Time.

[SkunkedAgain]

No. The trolling motor wires go to the positive negative of one battery. Then you hook up the jumper wires as shown - positive to positive and negative to negative.

As for running a one bank charger, I don't know how you do that for two batteries. I'll let someone else answer that.

[hydro]

Here you go. This is a two battery parallel circuit that will give 12V to the trolling motor at the cumulative amp/hour rating of the batteries. The 12V charger will charge both batteries simultaneously. Be sure to put an inline fuse into the positive wire going to the trolling motor. If you go to a multi-bank charger in the future, follow the manufacturer's hookup diagram. And the OP's circuit will work just fine. Even though it has extra lines in it, it is electrically equivalent to my diagram.

[hydro]

Circuit from my boat with a three bank charger and a 24V trolling motor.

[PurpleHaZe]

Thanks for the info. If I'm looking at the first diagram correct it says to hook charger up on one battery and charger on the other. Then run them both in parallel. This is how it was done when I bought the boat. But, after I picked up two new batteries last fall the sales man told me to hook up the trolling motor like picured above. So my thinking was to do the same with the charger. Thanks for all you time.

[hydro]

Haze,

I just modified the drawing a little for the non-electrical out there. Theoretically, all the + wires are the same positive electrical point, and the - wires are the same negative electrical point. It does not matter how they are routed, but the simplest is the best. Follow my revised diagram for the 12V circuit and you will be fine.

[PurpleHaZe]

Thanks. I agree simplest is the best. Thanks again.

[katotowner]

what size inline fuse do you use on the trolling motor?

[PurpleHaZe]

Good question> I can look tommorow. I did buy a fuse box so to speak, I think minnkota makes it not shure on that. What I recall its sort of like a gfi where it pops (trips) then you push a button back in to reset it. I believe this is a 60 amp.

I found it on the web

[RiverDewey]

That circuit breaker should work fine for you. It is sealed, it can be reset, it has a trip indicator and the amperage should be just about right. Trolling motors can take 30 or 40 or even more amps.

Hydros diagrams are great. Follow them. Just a word of warning though. You cannot gang in parallel 2 or more AGM batteries and charge them with an ordinary car charger or even a low cost single bank AGM charger. Well, you can, but they will not be charged efficiently or correctly. You can do it as in Hydros second drawing with a multiple bank charger that is rated for AGM batteries (significantly more $$).

[BobT]

No. The trolling motor wires go to the positive negative of one battery. Then you hook up the jumper wires as shown - positive to positive and negative to negative.

As for running a one bank charger, I don't know how you do that for two batteries. I'll let someone else answer that.

Actually what he hooked up will work the same as it does for hydro's drawing. Electrically, both neg terminals and both pos terminals are at the same place (less the minimal resistance caused by the jumper wires).

The only thing I would suggest is that using a single battery charger to charge both batteries simultaneously is not really the best option. It is much better to use a two-bank charger as described in hydro's drawing.

Oops. I see hydro has already posted this. Nevermind.