Cheers Simon, this is the 2 batteries and you can see that the fused take off is attached to just one of the batteries, when I change them I can do the same or take pos from one and neg from the other, but which is correct?, regards, rogIt would be better if you showed a picture of 2 batteries and how they are connected and not just the one.
That’s what I thought too, probably for the wrong reason though, I just thought it would deplete 1 battery before the other ,thanks for input.I don’t know enough to say if it’s right or wrong. However if it had been me doing it I would have taken the red +ve pair of wires to the other battery so that the circuit was the longest way round (now’s where I get told I would be wrong to do that ).
The reason it might deplete one battery before the other would be if the resistance to the second battery is higher, so it's always 'good practice' to connect -ve to one battery, and +ve to the other. In reality if the connections are in good order, and there are substantial wires between the two batteries, it will make little differance.That’s what I thought too, probably for the wrong reason though, I just thought it would deplete 1 battery before the other ,thanks for input.
Given what is showing in the picture, that looks to be the easiest option to get the batteries setup right and I'd do the same.I don’t know enough to say if it’s right or wrong. However if it had been me doing it I would have taken the red +ve pair of wires to the other battery so that the circuit was the longest way round (now’s where I get told I would be wrong to do that ).
Thankyou, is that a reason the fuse holder gets pretty hot ?Given what is showing in the picture, that looks to be the easiest option to get the batteries setup right and I'd do the same.
Now on another note, the battery interconnects look nice and chunky and very decent. the connections going from the battery bank to the general motorhome habitation system - and all the chargers - look very insubstantial and I would be rather concerned about those far more than having the batteries balanced.
Just as an FYI, the connector colours have a meaning ... Yellow is used for cables of 4mm2 to 6mm2; Blue is used for cables between 1.5mm2 and 2.5mm2.
I think you have the Sargent EC328? That is not a very high powered charger but even bearing that in mind those cables are inadequate
Fuse holders getting hot? At least it wasn't like this one (I hope!) that I took out of a van this morningThankyou, is that a reason the fuse holder gets pretty hot ?
Yes particularly when it is on hook up, especially the red ones before the fusesFuse holders getting hot? At least it wasn't like this one (I hope!) that I took out of a van this morning
IMG_20240420_183433_130 by David, on Flickr
When you say the fuse holders are getting hot, are the cables also getting pretty warm? With that wiring, the ampacity (current carrying capability) is very borderline with your EC328 and the amount of voltage drop will be high. This could well be a reason why you are having issues with the current batteries and the new ones will fare badly as well IMO
To put it bluntly, you need that cabling looked at, and I would say it should be a priority. The cables on the other (non-battery) side of the fuses are just as bad.Yes particularly when it is on hook up, especially the red ones before the fuses
Ok, ‘probably’ my last question, would the “Noco genius 25” charger be adequate to keep the 2 new 150ah batteries charged if the Sargent unit is disconnected for charging.To put it bluntly, you need that cabling looked at, and I would say it should be a priority. The cables on the other (non-battery) side of the fuses are just as bad.
The Sargent Wiring (that is part of the kit Sargent make for the Motorhome Manufacturers) are notably heavier - they are either a pair of 6mm2 or 10mm2 cables for both -ve and +ve and different colours to yours so somewhere someone has added this cabling for some reason. (maybe if the original battery location was somewhere else and they added extra from that location to the current battery position?)
Two things to look at .... (you know my answers will never be "yes" or "no" )Ok, ‘probably’ my last question, would the “Noco genius 25” charger be adequate to keep the 2 new 150ah batteries charged if the Sargent unit is disconnected for charging.
Perfick , again many thanksTwo things to look at .... (you know my answers will never be "yes" or "no" )
1) If sitting on a Driveway and plugged in after a weekend or whatever away, a 25A charger will recharge the two batteries fine - it will take longer than a bigger charger, but does it matter if the charging is finished at 5AM or 8AM? not really.
2) When away camping, you are using 12V power for the waterpump, the lighting, the heating fan, the TV, the USB chargers on the phone, etc, etc. Now that is NOT coming from the EHU directly even if you are plugged in, but the battery.
The relevance of this is that the Mains Chargers job is essentially not only to recharge the battery but make up for the 12V draw you have when using (and typically, when people are plugged into EHU, they are less careful about turning off lights, etc ("hey, we are plugged in so we don't need to worry about the battery")).
If you have a 25A charger but you are using maybe 10A of 12V DC Power, you are only charging the batteries with 15 Amps worth of current, and not the 25 Amps worth you automatically imagine (the other 10A from the Charger is to make up the draw usage)
Again, overnight there will be much less use of 12V, so the charger will give a lot more to the actual battery charging and chances are you have a full bank by the morning. But ... if the batteries are low when you arrive on site and you are leaving first thing in the morning, don't neccessarily/automatically expect to have a full bank when you leave.
But the TL: DR version of the answer ..... Yes