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p0rtia
Member
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# Posted: 14 May 2011 17:17
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Hi all -- I have a question I've been meaning to ask for a year. Background: My propane fridge needs a 12 v deep cycle marine battery to operate, so I have set up a battery with its own solar panel to keep it charged (works great). The battery has two sets of posts--the larger (in terms of diameter), auto battery type, and the smaller, threaded one. The charge controller is attached to the threaded posts with lugs. Now, sometimes I run my XM radio off the same battery (alligator clips to cigarette-lighter-style adapter). The question is, once upon a time I'm sure I read that when attaching too loads onto one battery, you have to use the same set of posts, i.e., I have to clip the alligator clips onto the threaded posts, not the larger posts). I have diligently done this, and have had no problems, but I've never been able to go back and find the original ban on using both sets of posts. It's not a big deal, but it would be way more convenient to be able to attach those alligator clips to the larger posts. Can anyone confirm whether or not it really is bad for the battery to do this? Thanks!
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 14 May 2011 18:12
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For the miniscule power draw of your satellite radio, I wouldn't be too concerned
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p0rtia
Member
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# Posted: 15 May 2011 12:49
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Thanks, Rob-O. Much appreciated.
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 16 May 2011 13:19
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Hi p0rtia,
You may want to read my 'battery maintenance question' thread as I've just uncovered interesting information pertaining to your question.
Are you back up north yet? Much flooding where you were?
Did you ever get your inverter repaired?
bob
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p0rtia
Member
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# Posted: 16 May 2011 17:10
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I'll check it out bobrok, thanks!
Yes, I arrived last Friday. No flooding (I'm on the side of a mountain), but much rain. I'm currently staining the outside of the cabin. Everything working, nothing broken. Itching to put in my garden.
I took the inverter apart and the fan actually seems fine. It turns great when I blow on it with no noise. There were a couple of pieces of detritus in there, so I'm hoping that might have caused the buzz. I haven't had time to run it to the point that the fan actually comes on (cool up here), but I will report back when I do. I've located the original fan for a replacement on Ebay--might try to get a match elsewhere, as it is pretty pricey.
Cheers,
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 16 May 2011 18:40
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That battery terminal info is absolute bunk.
See bobroks battery maintenance question/topic.
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p0rtia
Member
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# Posted: 17 Jul 2011 17:34
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Hey bobrok -- Wanted to thank you again and with more enthusiasm for the inverter fan help. I told you above that the inverter had failed, but in fact it was quite rightly shutting off because of low voltage (caused by bad connections, I eventually discovered). I put the inverter back into service after reseating the fan and removing a small piece of debris, and it has been working great for the past month. The fan noise is back to normal. Woo hoo! You saved me having to by a new inverter. :-)
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grinnil
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2011 10:34
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are two batteries connected in parralel better than using the two batteries seperate??
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p0rtia
Member
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2011 11:32
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Hey grinnil -- I'm no expert, and it depends on what your application is, but the hook-up is a lot easier when you connect the batteries. E.g., you only need one inverter, or one lead-out cable, to access the amp hours of both batteries. But no, it doesn't make the batteries last longer or increase their capacity.
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grinnil
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2011 15:01
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thanks, thats what i was wonderin. I only run two 12v fans and a 800 watt inverter to run a bigger fan(its hot here at night). I use a generator durin the day to run ac and tv and to charge the batteries
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p0rtia
Member
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2011 15:42
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Hey grinnil. It's hot here, too. What kind of fans do you have? I've been thinking of getting one.
You might want to look into a small solar set-up some day, if you've got any sun. Quieter than a generator (I have a small generator too, which I use for emergencies, like when the batteries are low and I really want to watch tv. ;-))
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2011 15:53
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Quoting: p0rtia Hey bobrok -- Wanted to thank you again and with more enthusiasm for the inverter fan help. I told you above that the inverter had failed, but in fact it was quite rightly shutting off because of low voltage (caused by bad connections, I eventually discovered). I put the inverter back into service after reseating the fan and removing a small piece of debris, and it has been working great for the past month. The fan noise is back to normal. Woo hoo! You saved me having to by a new inverter. :-)
Glad to help. Actually YOU did the work; I just gave encouragement. Sometimes that is all one needs.
I hope you are enjoying your summer!
bob
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grinnil
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:34
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i have clip on fans i got from a truck stop, they blow harder than the ones walmart sells. and i have a lasko "squirral cage" fan. it moves alot of air and dont draw too much from the batteries. do golf cart batteries last longer than marine batteries while it is bein used?
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p0rtia
Member
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2011 13:32
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Hey grinnil -- Yep, 6 volt golf cart batteries are preferred to marine if, like me, you're looking to keep the budget low for a small system. They're not that much more expensive, and it's easy to link them in series to get you 12 volts, and in series-parallel if you want a battery bank for solar. In the end you get about twice as many amp hours from a golf cart battery as you do from a 12 volt marine. On the other hand, when you hook them in series, you double the volts to 12, but the amp hours stay the same. Somebody who knows more than me can tell you why golf cart batts are good (I believe they're supposed to last longer--I'll know more about that soon, as I'm in the process of trying to salvage a pair of them). Or google.
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CabinBuilder
Admin
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2011 15:38 - Edited by: CabinBuilder
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Search this forum golf cart batteries - there a few earlier discussions about them.
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grinnil
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2011 17:08
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thanks cabinbuilder, the info was helpful. next time i get the money im gonna get some golf cart batteries. possibly a couple of solar chargers too. google has been helpful, thats how i found this site. lots of good info here
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p0rtia
Member
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# Posted: 9 Aug 2011 14:24
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Using a PMW charge controller, a 100 W PV panel, and checking daily with my new hydrometer, I appear to have been able to resuscitate two 6v golf cart batteries that would not charge (I believe they were sulfated). It took about three weeks, but I have a full charge in each cell. They're back in service now. I think I've finally got a grip on how to keep a battery happy!
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