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Converting to 2 batteries

hammeresq

Member
"I'm upgrading the stereo

"I'm upgrading the stereo and adding some other electronic goodies to my boat, and I am worried about getting stuck out in the water with a dead battery when listening to music at Anchor, etc.

What I would have to do to convert from 1 to 2 batteries?

Thanks,
Eric"
 
Add another battery and select

Add another battery and selector switch w/isolator and install per instructions. Consider using a deep cycle marine battery so you can jam all day--please keep the volume down for us fishermen--ha ha.
 
"If you don't need to sepe

"If you don't need to seperate the batteries you could run the two batteries wired in parallel. Connect the positive terminal on one battery to the negative on the other and the negative terminal to the positive on the other. Then use one battery's terminals just as you have. This will combine your amp hours (use time) from both batteries but not double the volts. No isolator is needed if seperating the batteries is not an issue and they will both charge from the boats present charging system. Do not connect positive to positive and negative to negative, this will produce a 24 volt system and no doubt fry your electronics. Other must do's. Use the same size batteries, 24, 27, 31. Same style, deep cycle, dual purpose or starting and also make-up style ,gel cell, wet cell etc. Make sure they are both in relatively the same condition and strength. Basically everything must match. I have this set up and run an inverter for the entire boat as well as the 12 volt system from them."
 
"Don't attempt that unless

"Don't attempt that unless you want to fry your entire electrical system!! Positive to negative attatchment is not parralell it is series and will give you 24 Volts DC which will cook everything you have it hooked to. Let alone hooking positive to negative and negative to positive! Do that only if you want to witness a nice explosion! However, positive to positive and negative to negative will give you a parallel circuit which will give you the effect described above. The only downfall to this setup, is when the batteries are dead, they are still dead. With a switch and isolator, you can run on one battery till it is dead, and still switch to the other to start your boat! Best bet is to spend the 50 bucks and use the switch with the isolator so that both batteries get charged whenever the motor is running and you never have to worry about getting stranded by a dead battery.....unless of course you leave the switch on ALL or BOTH.... been there done that!! Good luck! Electrician for 12 years so i know a little about batteries and parallel circuits!

Jack"
 
OOPS. My bad on the wiring. I

OOPS. My bad on the wiring. I had the parallel and series reversed. Hope you planned on researching before you did it. It's been great on my boat for years. Also I have two additional batteries for the engines so all I needed was more amp hours which I thought was your case. I assume you had a starting battery on a seperate curcut. If there is only one starting/house battery do it as the others advised to keep them isolated one fresh. Sorry for the mix-up.
 
"Eric:

Please send all of u


"Eric:

Please send all of us a report on the Optima batteries' performance and staying power in the fall. Thanks, Guy"
 
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