|
Trolling Motor Hookup
I plan to buy two 12V trolling motor batteries and hook them in parallel for
use with my 12V trolling motor and Q-Beam spot light. What gage wire should
I use to connect the two batteries? When I charge the batteries can I
leave them connected in parallel and charge them both at the same time? I
do not use an onboard charger |
Craig
Nov 29
2004
|
| What you propose will, of course work. But it's not without its
drawbacks. Deep cycle batteries like to be drawn all the way down -- or
nearly so -- before being recharged. Two DCBs in parallel function
electrically as one very large DCB. They will discharge more or less
evenly, and if you use your trolling motor capabilities as most bass
anglers do, what you'll end up with is two batteries that will usually
be recharged when they are only 20 to 40% discharged. This actually
shortens the potential lifespan of DCBs. You are far better off (from a
standpoint of battery life) running one down till you can really feel
its loss of power, then switching to the other one for thew end of the
day, and leaving # 2 hooked up to start the day the next time, so it is
the one that gets deeply discharged then next time out. Doing it this way however, it's best to NOT charge them in parallel,
because one will always need much more of a charge than the other. If
you do opt to go the other route and leave them hooked in parallel
during use, you can charge them both off one charger with no ill effects. |
RichZ
Nov 29
|
| This table may help you in determing gauge size for your wiring. In my
boat, I used 6 gauge wiring for less than a 20 foot run and a 12V battery
with a 40 amp trolling motor. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/33_730.html If you always run your batteries hard to where you would always deplete at
least one battery, going the parallel route will work as you described.
Otherwise, I would probably keep the other battery around as a spare and
possibly alternate my usage of each battery. The reason being is that I
think that doing a small discharge of a deep cycle battery frequently will
shorten the life rather than a hefty discharge. You might want to verify
that though. Jeff |
Jeff
Nov 30
|
| Deep cycle batteries do not like to be drawn way down before recharging.
The less discharge before recharging is better. They are not like NiCads
that develop memory. Actually NiCads grow little dendrites inside that
basically short out part of the battery. The deep discharge and recharge
burns the dentrites up. Lead / Acid batteries will sulfate with lots of
deep discharge and no recharge. This insulates the lead from the acid and
reduces the surface area reducing current supplying capacity. Basic
difference between Deep Cycle and starting batteries are the thickness
(stiffening) and surface area of the plates. The surface area is greater on
a starting as you get lots of current over a short time. The thicker plates
on the Deep Cycle allow more lead to sluff off during cycling and keep the
plates from warping and touching the next plate. Shorting out the plates.
You want to recharge as soon as possible and less discharge is better.
Bill |
Calif
Dec 1
|
|
|
Disclaimer: This is a computer-generated and formatted feed of current postings to a public
Internet forum. We do not control the information delivered, nor do we endorse or monitor its
content. Internet forums may carry offensive, harmful, inaccurate, and otherwise inappropriate material.
|
|
