Advice for multiple chargers on parallel batteries (1 Viewer)

[Headrush]

Hi,
I have a sargent ec325 and also a separate solar regulator/charger. I have 2 leisure batteries.
Both of the charging units are currently set up with separate leads going to each battery.

I want to connect the batteries in parallel, so should I only use one connection to the combined battery from each charging source, or can I leave the system with the all the same connections and just join the batteries together?

Also, I want to connect an inverter to the parallel batteries. Should I connect positive and negative to different batteries or can I just connect to one of the pair?

Sorry if this has been asked before but most answers I see relate to multiple charging sources but don't mention the number of connections from each source.

Thanks

 

[bigtwin]

I’m not quite sure from your description how they are currently connected but once you have paralleled your batteries, best practice is to connect each charge source to the positive of one battery and to the negative of the other battery. Similarly with your load connections.

Ian

 

[Headrush]

I’m not quite sure from your description how they are currently connected but once you have paralleled your batteries, best practice is to connect each charge source to the positive of one battery and to the negative of the other battery. Similarly with your load connections.

Ian

Thanks.
As far as I can tell, each battery at the moment has 2 positive connections and 2 negative connections, one each from the sargent and solar. I was thinking of connecting all 4 positive inputs to one of the parallel batteries and all 4 negative inputs to the other battery. The inverter would then be connected to the other available battery terminals in a similar fashion, mainly for reasons of space on the terminals.
Does that sound workable?
Cheers
Alan

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[VXman]

We have 3 batteries connected in parallel. The positive from the charger in the Electroblok goes to the positive at one end of the battery chain. The negative from the charger goes to the negative at the other end of the chain. The positive and negative from the solar do the same. That way all batteries are treated as one big battery.

Same again for the inverter so it draws from all 3 batteries.

 

[Revolvor]

I’m not quite sure from your description how they are currently connected but once you have paralleled your batteries, best practice is to connect each charge source to the positive of one battery and to the negative of the other battery. Similarly with your load connections.

Ian

I think your van probably had only one battery, and the second has been added using the optional Sargent Harness similar to THIS.

In your situation, I would connect the two batteries together Positive to Positive and Negative to Negative and then connect all the Positives (Including the proposed Inverter) to one battery, and all Negatives to the other, as suggested by bigtwin .

 

[Headrush]

OK thanks.
I think everyone agrees then and I'm not likely to blow anything up.
Cheers
Alan

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[bigtwin]

Does that sound workable?

It does. However, I remain unclear about why there are two leads from your Sargent unit but it‘s probably as Revolvor suggests. In any case, it shouldn’t do any harm to continue to have them both connected (however, probably best to check your Sargent manual to confirm).

Ian

 

[Headrush]

It does. However, I remain unclear about why there are two leads from your Sargent unit but it‘s probably as Revolvor suggests. In any case, it shouldn’t do any harm to continue to have them both connected (however, probably best to check your Sargent manual to confirm).

Ian

Currently the batteries are not in parallel but they both have wires for charging from the solar and sargent systems. According to the manual, there are 2 outputs on the sargent. Even if only one is in use, the basic principle will be the same.