I have a 2007 Cedar Creek 5th wheel that has a household amana refrigerator in it. The camper has 4 6 volt batteries to power everything when not plugged in. I believe it has an invertor and a convertor to be able to run the refirigerator from batteries when not plugged in. Anyway, the batteries were all cabled together...when I removed them this year to check water levels my son moved the wires around and now I do not know the correct way to hook up the wires on the batteries.....Anyone have the same set up that can tell me how to hook up the batteries??
That would be series/parallel. Connecting this way doubles the voltage (6v to 12v) and doubles the capacity.
Here are two illustrations that could help depending how your batteries are laid out. Also, I refer you to the 12volt side of Life and US Battery for reference (these are where I took the illustrations).
Good luck and be careful.
__________________
Scott
DW, 3 Kids and our Goldens
2012 Shamrock 233S
2008 Toyota Sequoia 5.7L 4WD
That would be series/parallel. Connecting this way doubles the voltage (6v to 12v) and doubles the capacity.
Here are two illustrations that could help depending how your batteries are laid out. Also, I refer you to the 12volt side of Life and US Battery for reference (these are where I took the illustrations).
Good luck and be careful.
Triguy, I think the bottom picture would be more correct to
be sure that the batteries will equalize. The top picture
shows the load - both pos & neg - connected to the same
bank. The resistance in the connections to the second bank
will impede equalization...........
cheers,
johnd
__________________
2001 Cherokee CKT27X - 2005 Chev 3500
Sara, John & Crafty Canines - Coco and Cole
---
Medical research shows that men have a "biological clock" too. The older we get, the greater the NEED to drive a TRUCK!
Triguy, I think the bottom picture would be more correct to
be sure that the batteries will equalize. The top picture
shows the load - both pos & neg - connected to the same
bank. The resistance in the connections to the second bank
will impede equalization...........
cheers,
johnd
John, I have to tell you I looked at that so many times my head hurt.
Other than the battery layout they seem identical to me.
Maybe if I had another bottle of homemade wine...
__________________
Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
Triguy, I think the bottom picture would be more correct to
be sure that the batteries will equalize. The top picture
shows the load - both pos & neg - connected to the same
bank. The resistance in the connections to the second bank
will impede equalization...........
cheers,
johnd
Hi John,
Sorry I didn't get back quicker. Had my daughter's science fair this afternoon and then took the family out to dinner.
Yea - I looked at these two for quite awhile. I numbered the individual 6-volt batteries to compare in the two pictures below.
I'm not sure how the resistance in the second bank of the top picture (batteries 3 & 4) would be different from the bottom.
But maybe I'm missing something.
The bottom picture in blue comes from the US Battery Company so I agree, if there is a difference, that would be the one to use.
__________________
Scott
DW, 3 Kids and our Goldens
2012 Shamrock 233S
2008 Toyota Sequoia 5.7L 4WD
John, I have to tell you I looked at that so many times my head hurt.
Other than the battery layout they seem identical to me.
Maybe if I had another bottle of homemade wine...
The top one has the load (and charge current) going DIRECTLY
into the top bank ie to the + and - of the top bank. Then connected
to the bottom bank via jumper leads with resistance - dropping
voltage......
The bottom pix has the + of the load going to the + of the
one bank (left bank) and the - of the load going to the - of
the OTHER bank (right bank). Voltage at both banks will be
approx the same if the jumper leads have about the same
resistance.
I recall that you have advised exactly this (bottom pix)
connection in the past.......for good reason......
[And I also admit that EEs can be rather anal.....D'oh!]
cheers,
johnd
Save me some wine!
__________________
2001 Cherokee CKT27X - 2005 Chev 3500
Sara, John & Crafty Canines - Coco and Cole
---
Medical research shows that men have a "biological clock" too. The older we get, the greater the NEED to drive a TRUCK!
I found my original multi-battery hookup graphic and it is very different than the one that Triguy used. That extra ground terminal connection threw me. Teach ME to drink wine at lunch and interpret circuits!
There should be no load ground connection on battery two; just the jumper.
__________________
Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
I found my original multi-battery hookup graphic and it is very different than the one that Triguy used. That extra ground terminal connection threw me. Teach ME to drink wine at lunch and interpret circuits!
Well Lou, you are right too!
After a glass of ---- (drink), it became even
more obvious that the upper picture is actually
a schematic and the bottom a PHYSICAL layout.
I can think of three ways the upper schematic
can be implemented physically:
1) As you and Triguy said, the bottom pix *could*
be the physical implementation of the top pix.
2) It *could* be implemented as I suggested.
3) If you want to be really, really anal, you can
take the top pix as a PHYSICAL layout that has
the load connected to a pair of JUNCTIONS. Each
junction having two leads to the plus of both
banks (same for negative junction).
That top pix is really misleading rather than
informative like the bottom pix - and the one
you posted with three banks.
Now *MY* brain hurts.........
cheers,
johnd
__________________
2001 Cherokee CKT27X - 2005 Chev 3500
Sara, John & Crafty Canines - Coco and Cole
---
Medical research shows that men have a "biological clock" too. The older we get, the greater the NEED to drive a TRUCK!
The idea is that the current "path" from the camper's postive to the camper's negative should be as equal in length and resistance as possible THROUGH EACH CELL of the batteries in the bank.
Picture EACH of these 12 volt batteries as 2 stacked 6 volt batteries and you will see what we are getting at.
__________________
Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
The idea is that the current "path" from the camper's postive to the camper's negative should be as equal in length and resistance as possible THROUGH EACH CELL of the batteries in the bank.
Eggs-Actly!!!!!!!!!
[When I get my TT road worthy, I plan on two
6 volters, so I get to use the trivial case.]
cheers,
johnd
__________________
2001 Cherokee CKT27X - 2005 Chev 3500
Sara, John & Crafty Canines - Coco and Cole
---
Medical research shows that men have a "biological clock" too. The older we get, the greater the NEED to drive a TRUCK!
I understand the advantage of using two 6 volt batteries in series but I don't understand how the converter can recharge/maintain the batteries. Does the series wiring also halve the input voltage of the converter to charge the 6 volt batteries?
Does anyone have a picture showing 4 6 vold golf cart batteries actually installed in a Cedar Creek 36CKTS? CC suggested I do this but two dealerships have told me there is not enough room.
.]
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