Batteries connected correctly?

[babock]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

-- Chuck

The cables leaving the battery bank going to the frame and to the trailer loads do NOT have to be equal length. Besides being almost impossible to do, it does nothing.


Although putting the disconnect on the negative is functionally the same as putting it on the positive, the convention is on the positive side.

[Chuck_S]

If wired according to the diagram it will work fine, but it isn't wired according to the diagram or it would work.

The batteries will perform better if wired together like the diagram I posted. Subtle difference but will equalize battery draw/charge slightly better. Not worth a major rewiring but looks simple enough to change from your photos.

Still not sure why they're disconnecting the Positive but it will work, of course. If the disconnect is on the Positive side you need to connect elevenity-seven wires to the switch so they're all switched. If the Negative is disconnected you only need one (1) wire to the switch and the other end to the trailer frame. If needed the Inverter negative can also be connected there for a grand total of two (2) wires there, not the mass of Pos wiring which is easily connected directly tothe battery. When working on any DC system the first step is to disconnect the Negative pole at the battery and a disconnect there does this with a switch.

(As pointed out just above the cables leaving the battery need not be equal length. Diagram of convenience, nothing more.)

-- Chuck

[babock]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

If wired according to the diagram it will work fine, but it isn't wired according to the diagram or it would work.

The batteries will perform better if wired together like the diagram I posted. Subtle difference but will equalize battery draw/charge slightly better. Not worth a major rewiring but looks simple enough to change from your photos.

Still not sure why they're disconnecting the Positive but it will work, of course. If the disconnect is on the Positive side you need to connect elevenity-seven wires to the switch so they're all switched. If the Negative is disconnected you only need one (1) wire to the switch and the other end to the trailer frame. If needed the Inverter negative can also be connected there for a grand total of two (2) wires there, not the mass of Pos wiring which is easily connected directly tothe battery. When working on any DC system the first step is to disconnect the Negative pole at the battery and a disconnect there does this with a switch.

(As pointed out just above the cables leaving the battery need not be equal length. Diagram of convenience, nothing more.)

-- Chuck

The best way is to have all those positive wires go to a bus bar and then a bus bar cable goes to the disconnect switch. That way when you ever need to change out the battery, you only have a couple wires.


The battery cable to the loads and the frame do NOTHING for battery equilization. Only the one ones between the batteries accomplish that.


On a car without a disconnect switch, you disconnect the negative first so your wrench hitting the frame of the car doesn't cause a short. That is the only reason. However, when you have a switch, that isn't necessary. In every industry, disconnects are put on the positive. That's the convention. Every motorhome and trailer that comes from the factory with a disconnect switch has it on the positive.

[ejohnson1144]

Originally Posted by fickerdm

Update. So I figured it out today. In the attached picture there are 3 smaller gauge wires on the positive posts on the left battery One is the power tongue jack. One of the smaller red is from the solar charge controller. The other red wire is where I needed to put the switch. Not sure where that wire goes. The second picture shows the rewired batteries. I connected them in proper parallel and moved all positive wires to the left battery and all the negative wires to the right battery.Attachment 196491Attachment 196492

Red wire on right side battery is not switched

[ejohnson1144]

This is wrong