Thanks for the video, Sir may I ask something about batteries,I have a Gel type Battery and Planning to use it soon for a small solar setup but for now I only have a Smart Gel charger and don't have a panel yet, Can I store the Valve Regulated Battery and just use it maybe weekly or when the power is out ? Would that be ok for the battery not to cycle charge it on a daily basis? Thanks
As long as there is no load on the battery, it should be fine to store and no need to cycle daily. Perhaps do a check on the battery every now and again to test the voltage, until such time you get your solar kit up and running.
Hi - apologies if its a dumb question but why is it important to connect the solar output to separate batteries +ve and -ve when the batteries are wired in parallel? Cheers.
@@HandymanSavage Hello do you have to change the amps on the battery type of the controller? I have 2 12v 225amps battery banks (2(2 6v 225amps batteries connected in series)). My type of battery is set to: flooded 225Ah on the controller lcd pannel. The amps can be modified on the pannel. Do I have to put flooded 450Ah or 225 is good?
For more efficient charging connect the solar charge controller wires to the Center of these black and red wire, so equal distance to both battery and equal charge, both batteries will remain same in health
Would this work if the positive terminals are not connected? Only the negatives? (In case of a boat, there's a switch that can connect mass to battery 1, battery 2 or both. In the case of "both" it would be like this video. In the case of "Off" it would be like this but without the positive terminals connected.) I feel like it would still charge one battery and only the mass would be wired through the other battery.
Battery management system is needed. Internal resistance of each battery is different. A battery with lower internal resistance will draw more current. This higher current may destroy one battery while the other battery is undercharged and sulphated. While not charging, the battery with higher voltage will supply the one with lower voltage, disharging. 2 batteries are the same
I just bought a 100 W suitcase style and I’m about to go camping in my travel trailer , it has two batteries out on the tongue when I hook up the solar panel do I go to just one battery or do I clip one red to one battery and the black one to the other battery?
As long as the batteries are connected in parallel, then yes just clip red to one battery and clip black to the other battery to ensure an equal charge across both batteries.
Hi I have the same battery controller as you, do you get a drop in battery percentage after sunset? My batteries drop to 65% when load is applied. Is this because the controller can't tell that I have connected the batteries in parallel or is it something else? they are both new batteries and new controller. Any help would be massively appreciated
Hello. That also seems to be the case with mine, most days after sunset my setup is lurking around the 62-68% mark. This doesn't affect overnight performance when a load is on + drain of the controller itself. During the Summer I am running loads 24/7, with the batteries in parallel, they show 100% during the day and around 60% mark at sunset. I haven't investigated further, as am I getting the output I need to run 24/7 Ioads. You could start by disconnecting the load completely and noting how much the controller itself impacts the battery at sunset and overnight generally, then put the load on and note the % at sunset and sunrise to see how much drain you are getting overnight. Do let me know how you get on, i'm always looking for ways to get the most out of solar/battery setups.
@@HandymanSavage I also have the same issue,the % drops very fast after sunset. And I also have the same Epever-regulator as you have. So if we are 3 people getting the same drop maybe it is the way it works. I also have an Inverter connected so I dont use the load. but I'm getting nervous each time the sun sets. I have 4 batteries ( led ) each 95Ah.
@@thesims8586 I've recently switched to a Victron solar controller, the problem seems to have gone away. It's still early days, but if it goes well I may switch over to Victron kit for my others.
@@HandymanSavage Thx for answer! But I know my problem now, my new batteries is TIN ( Tenn ) batteries and the Regulator cannot handle it. My TIN batteries has a maximum charging at 16V, so I must connect my computer via the RS485 on the Regulator and then use the USER instead of GEL FLOODED and so on. I have to do the parametres all by myself so the Regulator can identify my batteries. I'm from Sweden so I hope You understand my English. =) So what happened to my batteries is that they are not fully loaded. because the Regulator stop charging when it hits the 14.8V, coz it's thinking my batteries is Lead-battery.
@@thesims8586 Interesting, glad you got to the bottom of it, TIN batteries will keep a note of that for any future issues. Good thing is you didn't have to buy another Solar Controller and you were able to fix it using the parameters. Well done and yes you're English was actually better than most I come across on here lol
I had one 12V battery w/ 75Ah that came with my RV and already had another 12V battery w/ 128Ah. Is it okay to connect them they way mentioned in the video?
It's not advisable because both batteries have a different amp rating, the charge across them will not be equal and you could potentially damage them or reduce their life.
You'll need to use a VSR (voltage sensitive relay) to charge two different your batteries from the one source. The VSR will charge one battery at a time, regardless of size difference. It will detect which one need the charge and charges it.
I want to do this, but have two banks of 24vdc batteries (each with its own charge controller) that i want to connect in series to create 48 volts. Is this possible?
Connect one positive to the negative on the other battery then connect charge controller to the other two free terminals that will create a series connection from 24v to 48v
If i already have a setup with 1 battery, and want to add another battery. Do i need to take everything out of the charge controller first? Or can i just add it?
Assuming you have a solar setup. When adding anything to a charge controller, always best to follow the rule: Load, Battery, Solar. If adding a new battery, disconnect the solar and battery, add the additional battery, connect the battery input to the controller and lastly connect solar.
Just been looking at our van charger and batteries. They have connected from the solar charger the positive and negative to only one battery yet the battery's are connected as yours is. Have they connected it wrong.
Than for the video! Would you then need to change the fuse of the charge controller to a larger one? If so, how would you calculate that? EDIT: technically, I don;t think you would have to change the fuse, as the current going into the batteries is still the same.
I wouldn't advise changing the fuse in the charge controller as they are rated at the specification of the controller itself. Putting a higher rated fuse than is rated could damage the controller internals
@@HandymanSavage so the fuse that is visible in your video is the fuse that protects the charge controller from recieving too much accidental current from the batteries?
Remove your bracelet and any rings when doing this. If you happen to short the batteries with it, your hand will burn like coal before you have the chance to pull it off.
@@lars8614 No, we are talking about potentially 1000+ amps going through your ring. Your finger will be rolling on the table in a few milliseconds. Then, the fussing metal can expell white hot droplets in any direction, including your eyes and your chest. And no, your clothes are not going to stop the droplets from entering your body.
I believe so, just make sure that the batteries have exactly the same chemistry and identical in every way and also ensuring that no other charger (i.e. Solar) is connected, otherwise you could damage it.
I would advise against this, as one battery is a different ampere than the other, you will not get an even charge across them. Always advised to have the same battery+model if you want optimum charging in parallel
300w/18 Equals 16.6 amps, spread across 2 large capacity batteries. Not enough for two I would suggest using a VSR in the circuit so only one battery is charge at any one time.
You have to be careful, bear in mind if you have a 12V controller and two 12V batteries in series (24V in total), you won't have enough voltage from the controller to charge the batteries. See here for more info: www.impactbattery.com/blog/post/how-to-connect-charge-batteries-in-series-parallel
If you have two 12V batteries connected in Series, then charge controller + lead connects to the + on Battery1 and the charge controller - lead connects to the - on Battery2. The - from battery1 is connected to the + of battery2. Bear in mind that the Charge Controller will need to rated at 24V as you are charging two batteries in series.
@HandymanSavage thank you ,yes it's rated at 24v charge. One more question. My controller is rates at 20A charge rate, and max 50vsolar input, I have 2 solar panels rated at 100w Voc is 22.2v Max power current at 5.5a. Should I connect the 2 panels parallel, Or series
Didn't work for some reason when I try to charge it with AC charger..I swapped the negative and wire to 2nd battery and positive wire to 1st battery then it started charging..
@@HandymanSavage is it possible that my solar charge controller is fighting the AC charger?i relocated my solar charge controller "wire to battery" to locations where the ac charger worked yesterday and when I tried charging through ac charging today it didn't work this time...
@@andyandrinadioso4443 Hold up.... you are using an AC Charger while the solar charge controller is still connected? That's a big no no. If you're using an AC Charger, then completely remove the Solar Charger from the battery, that is asking for trouble.
@@HandymanSavage its not really connected to the solar panel yet..and also the ac charger won't start charging if the wires are connected to the same terminals where the charge controller is located
same applies to 3 batteries, just add to the sequence, ensuring the + end of the charger cable is on battery 1 and the - end of the charger cable is on battery 3.
If one of those batteries are at a different charge level, they will pull current to the lesser battery to equalize. that is not good for battery health!
It depends on what you are powering and how much power you have running through them. From the two solar panels used, these cables are more than fine trickle-charging the batteries. Where you need the bigger cables is from the batteries to any powerful load
Straightforward and helpful, that k you!
Perfect. Just what I wanted to know
Simple good and understood thank you
Would you connect an inverter to the batteries the same way? As in + to one battery - to the other?
Perfect video. Answered my exact question. New subscriber here.
Thanks
Thanks for the video, Sir may I ask something about batteries,I have a Gel type Battery and Planning to use it soon for a small solar setup but for now I only have a Smart Gel charger and don't have a panel yet, Can I store the Valve Regulated Battery and just use it maybe weekly or when the power is out ? Would that be ok for the battery not to cycle charge it on a daily basis? Thanks
As long as there is no load on the battery, it should be fine to store and no need to cycle daily. Perhaps do a check on the battery every now and again to test the voltage, until such time you get your solar kit up and running.
Hi - apologies if its a dumb question but why is it important to connect the solar output to separate batteries +ve and -ve when the batteries are wired in parallel? Cheers.
It ensures an even charge across both batteries.
Thanks for the video, when you connect the load which terminals do you connect to? The opposite to the charge terminals?
To be clear - your charge controller in this case would still only need to be 12v or would it need to be 24v?
Correct, 12v - voltage stays the same in Parallel, it's just the overall Amperes available that are boosted
@@HandymanSavage Hello do you have to change the amps on the battery type of the controller? I have 2 12v 225amps battery banks (2(2 6v 225amps batteries connected in series)). My type of battery is set to: flooded 225Ah on the controller lcd pannel. The amps can be modified on the pannel. Do I have to put flooded 450Ah or 225 is good?
Thankyou
Does this work the same for lithium iron phosphate batteries?
Informative
For more efficient charging connect the solar charge controller wires to the Center of these black and red wire, so equal distance to both battery and equal charge, both batteries will remain same in health
Would this work if the positive terminals are not connected?
Only the negatives?
(In case of a boat, there's a switch that can connect mass to battery 1, battery 2 or both. In the case of "both" it would be like this video. In the case of "Off" it would be like this but without the positive terminals connected.)
I feel like it would still charge one battery and only the mass would be wired through the other battery.
Mantap
I know that this is a dumb question but do I need to remove the caps on my batteries when they are charging.
If you do it won't do any harm I would do it
Thanks for the video. Would it be drastically bad if i connect a 70 amp and a 90 amp like this?
I would say It's not advisable and could damage the batteries.
Battery management system is needed. Internal resistance of each battery is different. A battery with lower internal resistance will draw more current. This higher current may destroy one battery while the other battery is undercharged and sulphated. While not charging, the battery with higher voltage will supply the one with lower voltage, disharging. 2 batteries are the same
Would you need a battery management system between the 2 6v batteries, or do you mean you need one between the set of batteries and the inverter?
I just bought a 100 W suitcase style and I’m about to go camping in my travel trailer , it has two batteries out on the tongue when I hook up the solar panel do I go to just one battery or do I clip one red to one battery and the black one to the other battery?
As long as the batteries are connected in parallel, then yes just clip red to one battery and clip black to the other battery to ensure an equal charge across both batteries.
Hi I have the same battery controller as you, do you get a drop in battery percentage after sunset? My batteries drop to 65% when load is applied. Is this because the controller can't tell that I have connected the batteries in parallel or is it something else? they are both new batteries and new controller. Any help would be massively appreciated
Hello. That also seems to be the case with mine, most days after sunset my setup is lurking around the 62-68% mark. This doesn't affect overnight performance when a load is on + drain of the controller itself. During the Summer I am running loads 24/7, with the batteries in parallel, they show 100% during the day and around 60% mark at sunset. I haven't investigated further, as am I getting the output I need to run 24/7 Ioads. You could start by disconnecting the load completely and noting how much the controller itself impacts the battery at sunset and overnight generally, then put the load on and note the % at sunset and sunrise to see how much drain you are getting overnight. Do let me know how you get on, i'm always looking for ways to get the most out of solar/battery setups.
@@HandymanSavage I also have the same issue,the % drops very fast after sunset. And I also have the same Epever-regulator as you have. So if we are 3 people getting the same drop maybe it is the way it works. I also have an Inverter connected so I dont use the load. but I'm getting nervous each time the sun sets. I have 4 batteries ( led ) each 95Ah.
@@thesims8586 I've recently switched to a Victron solar controller, the problem seems to have gone away. It's still early days, but if it goes well I may switch over to Victron kit for my others.
@@HandymanSavage Thx for answer! But I know my problem now, my new batteries is TIN ( Tenn ) batteries and the Regulator cannot handle it. My TIN batteries has a maximum charging at 16V, so I must connect my computer via the RS485 on the Regulator and then use the USER instead of GEL FLOODED and so on. I have to do the parametres all by myself so the Regulator can identify my batteries. I'm from Sweden so I hope You understand my English. =) So what happened to my batteries is that they are not fully loaded. because the Regulator stop charging when it hits the 14.8V, coz it's thinking my batteries is Lead-battery.
@@thesims8586 Interesting, glad you got to the bottom of it, TIN batteries will keep a note of that for any future issues. Good thing is you didn't have to buy another Solar Controller and you were able to fix it using the parameters. Well done and yes you're English was actually better than most I come across on here lol
If the batteries are left does the charge auto stop? Ie no danger of overhead or fire?
That's the job of the Charge controller, it controls when and how to charge the batteries and when to stop (therefore preventing overcharging)
I had one 12V battery w/ 75Ah that came with my RV and already had another 12V battery w/ 128Ah. Is it okay to connect them they way mentioned in the video?
It's not advisable because both batteries have a different amp rating, the charge across them will not be equal and you could potentially damage them or reduce their life.
You'll need to use a VSR (voltage sensitive relay) to charge two different your batteries from the one source.
The VSR will charge one battery at a time, regardless of size difference.
It will detect which one need the charge and charges it.
I want to do this, but have two banks of 24vdc batteries (each with its own charge controller) that i want to connect in series to create 48 volts. Is this possible?
Connect one positive to the negative on the other battery then connect charge controller to the other two free terminals that will create a series connection from 24v to 48v
How do you now connect the invertor ? To 1 battery or across the 2 ?
Check this link for Inverter configs based on Parallel battery setup: benignblog.com/connect-batteries-in-parallel-with-power-inverter-ups
If i already have a setup with 1 battery, and want to add another battery. Do i need to take everything out of the charge controller first? Or can i just add it?
Assuming you have a solar setup. When adding anything to a charge controller, always best to follow the rule: Load, Battery, Solar. If adding a new battery, disconnect the solar and battery, add the additional battery, connect the battery input to the controller and lastly connect solar.
Is this a single or dual controller?
Single
Just been looking at our van charger and batteries. They have connected from the solar charger the positive and negative to only one battery yet the battery's are connected as yours is.
Have they connected it wrong.
From what you say, that appears to be configured wrong, the batteries won't be getting an equal charge.
Maybe that's why one battery is dead and the other has been cooking, getting hot and stinking the van like rotten eggs then.
Lucky you caught the eggs before they caught fire and "toasted" your van
Than for the video! Would you then need to change the fuse of the charge controller to a larger one? If so, how would you calculate that?
EDIT: technically, I don;t think you would have to change the fuse, as the current going into the batteries is still the same.
I wouldn't advise changing the fuse in the charge controller as they are rated at the specification of the controller itself. Putting a higher rated fuse than is rated could damage the controller internals
@@HandymanSavage so the fuse that is visible in your video is the fuse that protects the charge controller from recieving too much accidental current from the batteries?
👍👍👍
Remove your bracelet and any rings when doing this. If you happen to short the batteries with it, your hand will burn like coal before you have the chance to pull it off.
we are talking about 12 volts here.
@@lars8614
No, we are talking about potentially 1000+ amps going through your ring. Your finger will be rolling on the table in a few milliseconds. Then, the fussing metal can expell white hot droplets in any direction, including your eyes and your chest. And no, your clothes are not going to stop the droplets from entering your body.
H8er with a point
Can this be done with a mains charger
I believe so, just make sure that the batteries have exactly the same chemistry and identical in every way and also ensuring that no other charger (i.e. Solar) is connected, otherwise you could damage it.
I have tow batteries one is 70ah and 2nd 75ah so can i connect in controller or not?
I would advise against this, as one battery is a different ampere than the other, you will not get an even charge across them. Always advised to have the same battery+model if you want optimum charging in parallel
Can i charge 4 batteries(12 v 1.8 amps each) to 12 v 10amps charge controller.(given they are connected in parallel)
The total amps of the batteries is below your Charge controller so it should be ok
Hi i have a 300W /30 A solar controller 12/24V , can i charge two 12V 200Ah Lithium LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery if in Parallel Thank you David
Try here: marcinmazurek.com.pl/how-calculate-charge-time-car-battery
A 40 Amp charge controller is recommended
300w/18
Equals 16.6 amps, spread across 2 large capacity batteries. Not enough for two
I would suggest using a VSR in the circuit so only one battery is charge at any one time.
Can we charge 2 batteries in series with one charge controller???
You have to be careful, bear in mind if you have a 12V controller and two 12V batteries in series (24V in total), you won't have enough voltage from the controller to charge the batteries. See here for more info: www.impactbattery.com/blog/post/how-to-connect-charge-batteries-in-series-parallel
Howqw would wire my charge controller to two batteries in series
If you have two 12V batteries connected in Series, then charge controller + lead connects to the + on Battery1 and the charge controller - lead connects to the - on Battery2. The - from battery1 is connected to the + of battery2. Bear in mind that the Charge Controller will need to rated at 24V as you are charging two batteries in series.
@HandymanSavage thank you ,yes it's rated at 24v charge.
One more question.
My controller is rates at 20A charge rate, and max 50vsolar input, I have 2 solar panels rated at 100w
Voc is 22.2v
Max power current at 5.5a.
Should I connect the 2 panels parallel,
Or series
Didn't work for some reason when I try to charge it with AC charger..I swapped the negative and wire to 2nd battery and positive wire to 1st battery then it started charging..
Maybe your AC Charger has some smart features which don't let it charge in Parallel?
@@HandymanSavage is it possible that my solar charge controller is fighting the AC charger?i relocated my solar charge controller "wire to battery" to locations where the ac charger worked yesterday and when I tried charging through ac charging today it didn't work this time...
@@andyandrinadioso4443 Hold up.... you are using an AC Charger while the solar charge controller is still connected? That's a big no no. If you're using an AC Charger, then completely remove the Solar Charger from the battery, that is asking for trouble.
@@HandymanSavage its not really connected to the solar panel yet..and also the ac charger won't start charging if the wires are connected to the same terminals where the charge controller is located
Can I charge 3 batteries.?
Yes you can, same rule applies, the batteries should be the same and follow the cable sequence
This is so scarrry you doing the one handed shuffle with those beefy lookin industrial batteries
This is a walk in the park for me, things get dicey when I play with the 180Ah batteries which are double the size of the ones in the video...
What about 4 batteries
Have a look here for a 4 battery example: www.batteryx.co.za/blog/on-the-other-hand-we-denounce-with-righteous/
What if there is 3 batteries, how you charge them?
same applies to 3 batteries, just add to the sequence, ensuring the + end of the charger cable is on battery 1 and the - end of the charger cable is on battery 3.
@@HandymanSavage what about the wire connected to the inverter, would it be the same a the charger controller?
@@ingridortiz_ we have the Same question. I'm waiting for the answer too.
If one of those batteries are at a different charge level, they will pull current to the lesser battery to equalize. that is not good for battery health!
that is why it is important to have the same batteries to keep this scenario at bay
ohh man change your battery cables gage. Your one are defynetly to small.
It depends on what you are powering and how much power you have running through them. From the two solar panels used, these cables are more than fine trickle-charging the batteries. Where you need the bigger cables is from the batteries to any powerful load
Uu