2 leisure batteries

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hi wildcampers,we bought a brand new leisure battery a while back and dave took the old one off & topped it up with water and charged it finding out that there was nothing wrong with it (he should have done 1st) well seeing as the old one is in perfect working condition he now says he would like to have it put back on the vehicle so we have double the battery popwer..he was thinking of fitting it under the bed (the other is under the drivers seat) he seems to think that if he wires it to the other one negative to negatine and positive to positive that this should work fine (i really have no idea about this) he says if its wired the other way around negative to positive it'll turn the battery into a 24V which obviously we dont want...any advice greatly appreciated on the method dave may use and also any advice on the location,could it possibly cause a problem under the bed...please help a confused gal...cheers guys 'n' gals sammx
 
Hi there. Wiring up the battery Pos to Pos and Neg to Neg is the correct way to wire batteries together. However. You should use wire of sufficient thickness (same as the wire the other battery uses for instance). There should be a fuse in the Positive wire from one battery to the other. Ideally? Batteries wired and used together, SHOULD normally be of the same age and Amp Hour. The older/less AH battery will drag down the new one to it's own level.
 
Hi Samm my two batteries are under both front seats, is this not possible on your van? best place for em if they will fit.
Regards Tony
 
One thing I FORGOT to mention? If you are putting a Lead Acid battery under the bed (or any other enclosed space)? You must have a vent to the outside to stop the build up of gases.
 
thanx....

thanks jsw...good advice i will pass it on to the man who knows...im thinking its best to put it under the passenger seat as boppintine says but dave says the charger is there...but prob easier moving that than putting a battery under the bed...thanks people i will pass on the info to the man in charge...:D
 
2nd. leisure battery

Hi Samm,
I've just fitted a 2nd. leisure battery in my Hymer. They are both under the 2 front seats. As JSW says, you must have like for like. Also, on my van, the original leisure battery was a 75ah gel, but it turned out cheaper to do away with the gel battery, and buy 2 new lead acid batteries, plus they were 95ah each, so I gained all round. Just one other thing, if you have a built in charger like on the Hymer, you must make sure to switch it over to the correct type. The charging rates are different and if it is set wrong it will cook the battery and the charger. When I bought my van from a "reputable dealer" the PDI hadn't been done correctly and it did just that to mine, and guess what, the warranty had run out the day before this happened, but that, as they say, is another story. Good luck.
PS Love all your posts and piccys.
Boatman:) :) :) :)
 
boatman

hiya boatman,glad you like my piccies & posts...very nice of you to say so..;)
with regards to the batteries and the charger well that is invaluable advice,will now make sure this is all done correctly & we dont end up in the same boat (s'cuse the pun) as you :eek:
both of our batteries are 110ah,although one is new the other is not,although in great condition..with all the advice we get on here im sure all will be ok,plus i have persuaded dave to put the battery under the passenger seat now and he is moving the charger elsewhere..so thanks people...big help..sammx
 
Glad to see you've got Dave fitting it under the seat, I didn't like the sound of a parallel battery being fitted over 20ft away! What with all that live cable floating about etc. Keep them as close as possible and cables as thick and short as possible - but like others have said watch out for one battery draining/feeding the other, as they are not a 'matched pair'.

Your system will therefore only be as good as the weakest battery, but hopefully there won't be a problem.
 
ideally use 6mm2 cable and keep both cables the same length to minimise voltage drop

bertie
 
Leisure Battery

sammclouis said:
hiya boatman,glad you like my piccies & posts...very nice of you to say so..;)
with regards to the batteries and the charger well that is invaluable advice,will now make sure this is all done correctly & we dont end up in the same boat (s'cuse the pun) as you :eek:
both of our batteries are 110ah,although one is new the other is not,although in great condition..with all the advice we get on here im sure all will be ok,plus i have persuaded dave to put the battery under the passenger seat now and he is moving the charger elsewhere..so thanks people...big help..sammx
Click to expand...
I aso read sometime way back, itis best to have both batteries wired up together as close as possible to each other.l
 
thumbs up.....

ok great advice,after this i shouild be a proffesional battery fitter..hhee hhee.
you have all provided great info and we are taking all onboard...big hugs to you all...sammx
 
JohnSandyWhite said:
One thing I FORGOT to mention? If you are putting a Lead Acid battery under the bed (or any other enclosed space)? You must have a vent to the outside to stop the build up of gases.
Click to expand...
This is sound advice from JohnSandyWhite as they have been know to explode please take care.
 
hi trev...had some great advice & im taking all on board mate...safety comes 1st...sammx
 
Trevor said:
This is sound advice from JohnSandyWhite as they have been know to explode please take care.
Click to expand...

hi samm.
glad daves putting under the seat.
while working on breakdown recovery i got called to a BMW who's driver said there was a very loud bang and no electrics!! :confused:
i lifted the bonnet and NO BATTERY just bits of plastic and a strong smell of acid and one hell of a dent in the bonnet from inside.
all he did was try to start the engine.


john.
 
yes i dont want anything going bang under my bed in the motorhome,especially in the middle of the night...i would think dave had bad wind!!!hhee hhee :D :D :D
best to put it under the passenger seat....we still not done it yet.time is not on our side at the moment...maybe next week..sammx
 
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