Disconnecting Batteries (1 Viewer)

[Brakers]

Hi Everybody
As some of you know I have an Autotrail Cheyenne 840D. I have a bank of 4 batteries of 135Amp hours each. If you know anything about Autotrail it is supplied with two harnesses in the battery compartment one for the first battery and another so you can connect a second battery which I have done.

The other two batteries are in the next locker to the rear of the vehicle, all batteries are connected in parallel with as mentioned the first two batteries connected to the vehicle charging system. Yes I know this is not ideal but it is how it is at the moment.

Last year I had two larger solar panels fitted with a Victron mttp charge controller these span all 4 batteries, also connected is a dc3kit to allow the air conditioner to run when travelling and also to give me 240 volts to power some items.

What I want to do is remove each battery in turn and bench charge them.
What precautions do I have to observe if any when disconnecting a Victron mttp controller and which end is it best to disconnect it, battery or mttp controller itself.
I have no problems disconnecting batteries on cars etc but with solar panels it might be a bit different.
Any advice is more than welcomed.
Many Thanks Tony.

 

[andy63]

Pull the fuse between the charge solar controller and the batteries.. that effectively disconnecrs the panels.
Then disconnect the leads from the batteries to the powermanagment panel.. remove the - strap between the batteries and chassi and remove the batteries in turn to charge them....
I would have thought the on board charger would do the job if left on for a few days..
Andy..

 

[daveandsan]

Pull the fuse between the charge solar controller and the batteries.. that effectively disconnecrs the panels.
Then disconnect the leads from the batteries to the powermanagment panel.. remove the - strap between the batteries and chassi and remove the batteries in turn to charge them....
I would have thought the on board charger would do the job if left on for a few days..
Andy..

You can always cover the solar panels as well if you want belt & braces.

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[tacr2man]

Solar panels should always be disconnected first, from controller , then disconnect battery side. The re connection sequence is in reverse.

 

[andy63]

Solar panels should always be disconnected first, from controller , then disconnect battery side. The re connection sequence is in reverse.

Most probably sound advice... certainly the reconnection sequence...
But pulling the fuse on the connection to the batteries should harm nothing even if the panels are still connected... no different to the fuse failing... it shouldnt damage the system...
Andy

 

[chaser]

I might be talking rubbish but i cant see how removing one battery at a time is going to make any difference to anything

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[daveandsan]

I might be talking rubbish but i cant see how removing one battery at a time is going to make any difference to anything

Depends if he wants to check the state of each battery.

 

[chaser]

Depends if he wants to check the state of each battery.

Yeah but he can check each one desperate when he gets one off, the other 3 will keep his van ticking over

 

[Brakers]

I might be talking rubbish but i cant see how removing one battery at a time is going to make any difference to anything

Hi Chaser it’s not to achieve anything in particular it’s just easier for me I don’t want all batteries off at once.
There is nothing wrong in removing them all at once if that’s what you would do.
Best Wishes Tony

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[Brakers]

I would have thought the on board charger would do the job if left on for a few days..

Hi andy63
Your correct in that assumption,
I was informed by a knowledgeable person in these matters that in a bank situation it is advisable to bench charge each battery individually every so often as this will prolong the battery life.
He also said a lot more which went over my head, if one battery starts to fail it will be detrimental to the rest of the bank and in the bank situation it would not be noticed until probable damage to the other batteries had been caused.
Best Wishes Tony

 

[chaser]

Hi Chaser it’s not to achieve anything in particular it’s just easier for me I don’t want all batteries off at once.
There is nothing wrong in removing them all at once if that’s what you would do.
Best Wishes Tony

No I meant just remove one at a time

 

[andy63]

Hi andy63
Your correct in that assumption,
I was informed by a knowledgeable person in these matters that in a bank situation it is advisable to bench charge each battery individually every so often as this will prolong the battery life.
He also said a lot more which went over my head, if one battery starts to fail it will be detrimental to the rest of the bank and in the bank situation it would not be noticed until probable damage to the other batteries had been caused.
Best Wishes Tony

can't disagree... sound advice , but unless I had reason to think that a battery may be failing I most probably wouldn't go to the bother... you would have to run a discharge test on each battery to try and gauge the capacity , as it may appear to take a charge.. but have little capacity..
Andy

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[Brakers]

sound advice , but unless I had reason to think that a battery may be failing I most probably wouldn't go to the bother... you would have to run a discharge test on each battery to try and gauge the capacity , as it may appear to take a charge.. but have little capacity..

I understand that, I don’t want to get into anything to technical as I am not well versed in this field, suffice to say that my info friend has a sun vat battery tester, whatever that is, so he is going to check each battery in turn. I’ll let him do whatever he has to do.
Best Wishes Tony