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Old 01-01-2017, 08:19 PM   #1
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Need help with Dual Battery Setup

I can not find anywhere in my owners manual how this second set of wires in my dual battery box is used in the setup.

I have one battery working and I understand the basics of running 2 batteries in parallel but I thought that was with other cables that i have as well. Do I simply hook up the second batter to the second set of cables. They are not post cables like the first set as you can see they just have the bolt connectors on instead. that is why i am a bit confused. See pic. hope someone can help explain this setup.

regards

Mike
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Old 01-01-2017, 08:31 PM   #2
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Can't tell much from the picture. The important thing is where do the other ends of those wires go? I doubt they are connected and just left uncovered like that. They may have originally gone to your battery plus and minus busbars but I hope they are currently disconnected.

If they do go to the vicinity of your bus bars, pick one for positive and connect it to the plus of the new battery first. Do not connect the other wire to the battery minus at this time. Now connect the other end of your plus wire to the positive busbar. Now connect that end of the negative cable to the negative busbar, and last, connect the battery end of the negative cable.

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Old 01-02-2017, 04:00 PM   #3
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Measure the voltage on those loose DC cables laying there. If they are hot, you are already set up in parallel. I would also cover the ends until your ready for your second battery. Also, it might help others help you if you posted year and model of your Airstream. That battery box looks homemade but maybe not.
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Old 01-02-2017, 05:10 PM   #4
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From your photo, your positive and negative power cables that connect directly to the positive distribution block (the pone with the auto re-set DC circuit breakers) and the negative bus bar are already connected to your existing battery.

I would venture an educated guess that the other cables are for an on-board inverter with the black being the positive and red the negative.

IF you decide to increase your battery capacity, you will need TWO NEW IDENTICAL batteries as adding a new battery to your old one will present you with charging problems.

Also, as your existing battery is 12VDC, creating a new battery bank of 2 batteries at 12VDC will only require a pair or parallel connector cables joining positive to positive and negative to negative. The shot below is from a later model Airstream and shows how the factory does it, complete with inverter connections (those are the ones without the red or black insulating boots).

I don't wire my batteries in this manner, but it will work. Both positive terminals are on the top of the photo with the negatives at the bottom. This rig all has 2 separate solar charging system wires attached which are a bit confusing (the red ones with the big fuse holders) but you should be able to get the idea.

The second shot is a pair of Lifeline 6VDC golf cart batteries in the same trailer, after cleaning up the wiring just a bit.
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Old 01-03-2017, 04:49 PM   #5
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Lew,

Excellent reply. I replaced my OEM batteries with a couple of Lifeline 6 volt batteries and have been very happy. In looking at the picture it looks like you replaced the standard post connector with copper eyelet or ring terminals? True? What did you use and what size should they be. I bought a marine adapter kit from Lifeline but I like your solution better. Much cleaner.
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Old 01-03-2017, 05:19 PM   #6
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Lew,

Excellent reply. I replaced my OEM batteries with a couple of Lifeline 6 volt batteries and have been very happy. In looking at the picture it looks like you replaced the standard post connector with copper eyelet or ring terminals? True? What did you use and what size should they be. I bought a marine adapter kit from Lifeline but I like your solution better. Much cleaner.
All of my cable terminations are the closed, solid copper eyelet type and are then wrapped with adhesive filled heat shrink tubing, along with expandable polypropylene sleeving.

I NEVER use automotive style lead connection clamps for battery work, as they have a measurable failure rate. Since the owner kept his WFCO 1000 watt inverter and DC arrangement for now and only added solar, I used a section of 4/0 welding cable for the series connection (remember that the series connection should be at least as large as the largest internal bus bars that connect the cells within the batteries) with 1/0 welding cable cables feeding from the 12VDC positive and negative battery posts.

This installation also has a couple of features that are not visible in the photo. There is a Blue Sea Systems M-Series disconnect switch on the curb side of the battery box where both the existing positive 6AWG house DC cable and the 4AWG inverter cable are connected. The positive 1/0 cable on the battery terminal also feeds that disconnect switch.

The negative cables for both the inverter and house DC are connected to a 500 amp binding post located underneath the front of the trailer. This is also fed by the 1/0 battery cable on the negative post. This was done as a precursor for the installation of a battery monitor and will make installing the required shunt a several minute task rather than an hour+.

Always thinking ahead............
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Old 01-18-2017, 07:01 PM   #7
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I took this pic before removing my batteries in late fall. I am not certain but I think I may have the negative clamp cable removed and just laying there in this picture.

Do you think so? What I mean is, it appears to me that the negative clamp cable should be on the negative post opposite the battery with the positive clamp cable on it. What do y'all think?

I feel a bit like a majorairhead on this one....if ya know what I mean
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Old 01-18-2017, 08:20 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by majorairhead View Post
I took this pic before removing my batteries in late fall. I am not certain but I think I may have the negative clamp cable removed and just laying there in this picture.

Do you think so? What I mean is, it appears to me that the negative clamp cable should be on the negative post opposite the battery with the positive clamp cable on it. What do y'all think?

I feel a bit like a majorairhead on this one....if ya know what I mean
Your house DC leads are the ones with the red and black silicon boots over the automotive clamp connectors. Your inverter cables are the other red and black cables (usually 4AWG) that have copper eyelets at the terminations.

It looks like your inverter cables (both positive and negative) are still connected
as is the positive house feed at the upper right. The only one missing from being connected is the house negative, which looks like it is laying along side the inverter negative cable and is the one with the black boot on it.

If you want to follow the factory wiring, that cable should be connected to the battery negative on the lower left of your photo. Be sure to check all of the connections for tightness and corrosion, along with the acid levels in your batteries.
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Old 01-19-2017, 01:21 AM   #9
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It looks to me that you took the photo before you removed any connections! It should all work if you put it back like this. Just my opinion and I don't know your rig personally but I do know how electricity works.
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Old 01-19-2017, 01:35 AM   #10
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Oops, my comment was for Majorairhead's photo! For this photo it would seem that the disconnected wires go to some high draw device like an inverter unless they connect together some place else. I would think these wires connect to the empty thread terminals on that battery. To add another battery you need short jumpers to connect + to + and - to - ! Unless they are already tied together somewhere else. Dual batteries should be matched pairs as already mentioned! I would not connect any wires unless I know where the other ends go!
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Old 01-19-2017, 03:28 AM   #11
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Thanks for the replies to my question on wiring on my batteries, I appreciated it. Interesting I now have two separate answers to where that negative lead should be. I guess that's the nature of the internet
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Old 01-19-2017, 05:41 AM   #12
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Just quick follow-up:

I don't approve of the way Airstream wires their batteries, primarily due to the pencil-thin 6AWG parallel cables that are in use. I DO agree to cross-wire the loads between the 2 batteries though, (positive to #1 and negative to #2), but would recommend much stouter parallel cables or AT LEAST 2AWG and with an inverter.....1/0AWG.

These parallel cables should be no smaller than the size of the internal bus connections between the cells of these batteries, as they are essentially extensions of same. 6AWG works......but if you use your inverter (which is 4AWG, BTW) for an extended period, I would venture that those tiny parallel cables will start to warm considerably!

High amp draw wiring is no place to 'cheap out'!!!!!
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Old 01-19-2017, 05:52 AM   #13
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Just quick follow-up:

I DO agree to cross-wire the loads between the 2 batteries though, (positive to #1 and negative to #2),
lewster, when you say cross-wire the loads, to be clear, are you referring to your recommendation in your previous post that I attach that negative cable to the lower left battery post in my picture?
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Old 01-19-2017, 07:19 AM   #14
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Yep!

Airstream uses all 4 terminals of the pair of batteries. This is OK but gives you the wiring mess pictured.

If I was wiring a pair of 12 VDC batteries, I would use larger parallel cables (as mentioned above) and connect all of the positive loads to battery #1 and all of the negative loads to battery #2.

Simple, neat....... effective.


Lew Farber
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Old 01-19-2017, 08:04 AM   #15
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Yep!

Airstream uses all 4 terminals of the pair of batteries. This is OK but gives you the wiring mess pictured.

If I was wiring a pair of 12 VDC batteries, I would use larger parallel cables (as mentioned above) and connect all of the positive loads to battery #1 and all of the negative loads to battery #2.

Simple, neat....... effective.


Lew Farber

Is there any reason, aside from cost of heavier gauge wire, to not have a single feed into the trailer?
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Old 01-19-2017, 08:06 AM   #16
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To add to lewster's photo in post #4, here is the factory battery wiring without solar on my 2016 27FC. Click image for larger version

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Old 01-19-2017, 04:02 PM   #17
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To add to lewster's photo in post #4, here is the factory battery wiring without solar on my 2016 27FC. Attachment 278409


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Ya woody, that's exactly how my 2016 flying cloud is wired. I must have snapped my picture after having removed the negative from the post.

Thanks Lewster, for your help!
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