Best Trickle Charger to use

[Mattirs]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi


Hook the charger wherever it's convenient. The one to each battery is just another piece of Wonderfull Nonsense ....

Bob

Thank you Bob, I went and pulled out the manuals on my chargers. One told me to hook the connections to the terminals on battery 1, the other to the neg on one and the pos on the other. The third manual wants to sell me a do hickey that hooks up to all four.
I like convenient. [emoji1]

Thanks,
Matti

[Johnnyooo]

Check out nocco 7200....It has a lot of flexibility of use...One of the best on the market

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Mattirs

I went and pulled out the manuals on my chargers. One told me to hook the connections to the terminals on battery 1, the other to the neg on one and the pos on the other.

The only way that makes sense, is it covers batteries that are paralleled or in series. IF the batteries are in series, and they have different states of charge, then the charger will read the higher of the two and stop charging before the lower one reaches full charge.
Otherwise, just hook 'em up.

[bel73]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi


Hook the charger wherever it's convenient. The one to each battery is just another piece of Wonderfull Nonsense ....

Bob

I know it's no big deal for camper batteries but if you want to know the facts there is a difference on how you connect batteries to a charger.

Here is a simple article on how to do it.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...t22uxA-8_XKwEM

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by bel73

I know it's no big deal for camper batteries but if you want to know the facts there is a difference on how you connect batteries to a charger.

Here is a simple article on how to do it.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...t22uxA-8_XKwEM

Hi

If you look at the numbers in that article, to get the level of imbalance they are talking about the wires would have to be *very* small (or really long).

Bob

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

If you look at the numbers in that article, to get the level of imbalance they are talking about the wires would have to be *very* small (or really long).

Bob

In addition to the connections and wires, each battery has different internal resistance at birth. If you happen to have a battery with lower internal resistance as the first in line (as in figure 1), the rest will starve for amperage. It is always best to charge with a total SYSTEM resistance in mind, with positive charge line to bat #1 and negative charge line to the last in line...or vice versa. That way all batts are receiving equal amperage...although any differences in resistance between batts and among batts affect the total system amperage charge rate. But in a normal healthy system, that is usually not detrimental.

[Troutboy]

Best practice is to connect opposite terminals. There is a difference. Even if it’s small a difference.

Short circuiting can occur for the various reasons described in this thread.

Why not just do it correct. I don’t see what’s hard. Why Chance anything?!?

Is it really that hard to hook up positive on one and negative on the other?

[Mattirs]

Troutboy- just wanting know what is correct when there is conflicting info in the various manuals
Matti

[Troutboy]

Hey Matti,

My personal and professional experience around battery design and maintenance is what I go off of.

Working in heavy maintenance where we used batteries in various heavy equipment and for backup power supply, we always used trickle charge as described, no matter how many batteries. The idea was to force the charge through the single path, and not allow short circuiting.

I am not an expert, but have 20+ years working with and designing systems in industrial/manufacturing environments.

For the equipment/automotive side that is the way we always did it.

I have personally done this on my own toys, boats, RVs, etc and have never had issues.

There may be other approaches recommended that work. This way has worked for me and makes the most sense as well from an electron flow standpoint.

YMMV

[wulfraat]

I just received (early Christmas!) a batteryMINDer model 128CEC1. 2/4/8 amp option. $150 bucks shipping included.

This is for my GMC 2500 diesel with 2 lead acid batteries. I don't use it much during the winter since it is a dedicated tow vehicle so I am going to leave it on a 4 amp trickle charge to keep everything topped off and sulfate free with a constant low-grade current.

The 128CEC1 is IP65 certified so my plan is to permanently mount it in the cavernous engine bay, and expose the 120v plug down near the bumper along with my block heater.

For the airstream, I am not going to bother because in the spring I will move to lithium. Lithiums are Ok sitting at a less than 100% charge, have very low self-discharge rates, and will be completely disconnected from the system when not in use.

[Mattirs]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

Hey Matti,


There may be other approaches recommended that work. This way has worked for me and makes the most sense as well from an electron flow standpoint.

YMMV

Thank you, for your knowledge. Been one of those folks who has always dealt with just one battery.

Right now my charge connections are pos on bat 1 and neg on bat 2. Per your recommendation, I will leave it that way and forego buying the $30 dohicky they want me to buy to balance the charging. [emoji1] owe you a beer for the savings

Thanks,
Matti

[uncle_bob]

Hi

There are a number of us who spent 40+ years doing this sort of thing ....

You need to understand the difference between things that matter and things that don't matter in your case. If you simply "do everything possible" that's going to be a *very* long list. Most of that list is not going to apply to your situation. It will make things harder (not easier) to do....

Bob

[trikdacy]

I use a permanently installed Noco Genius 3500 on my TV hooked up to dual batteries. I connect the positive of one battery, and the negative of the other battery, so it's charging in parallel. Works perfectly. I plan to do the same configuration after my new Airstream is delivered.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

I just received (early Christmas!) a batteryMINDer model 128CEC1. 2/4/8 amp option. $150 bucks shipping included.

This is for my GMC 2500 diesel with 2 lead acid batteries. I don't use it much during the winter since it is a dedicated tow vehicle so I am going to leave it on a 4 amp trickle charge to keep everything topped off and sulfate free with a constant low-grade current.

The 128CEC1 is IP65 certified so my plan is to permanently mount it in the cavernous engine bay, and expose the 120v plug down near the bumper along with my block heater.

For the airstream, I am not going to bother because in the spring I will move to lithium. Lithiums are Ok sitting at a less than 100% charge, have very low self-discharge rates, and will be completely disconnected from the system when not in use.

Do you have dual batteries? I’ve read that they aren’t always connected. I have a maintainer on my passenger side battery and hopefully that’s charging both!