#12V BATTERY PARALLEL SERIES#

Can I connect my parallel battery setup using different wire gauges for the positive and negative connections? If your configuration changes or you need future expansions, it offers an additional safety margin and can handle higher current flows. In most cases, it is safe to use a bigger gauge of wire than what is advised. Can I use wire that is thicker than the suggested size? Inappropriate wire gauge usage can result in voltage drop, overheating, power loss, and other risks. The wire’s gauge is very important since it impacts the wire’s resistance, ability to carry the current without overheating, and current-carrying capability.

Frequently Asked Questions When connecting batteries in parallel, why is the wire gauge crucial?

Consulting a wire gauge chart showing how much current certain wire gauges can carry over the designated length, you can get the accurate size of the wire gauge for these assumptions, 6 gauge. That way, if one battery goes bad, far fewer batteries need to be replaced.Let’s assume, the maximum current flowing through a conductor is 40 amps. For some marine and RV applications that use a lot of batteries, it may make sense to isolate a larger bank of nine batteries into three smaller banks of three batteries, instead of connecting them all together. That doesn't mean the other functioning batteries should be discarded entirely, but they should not be used in an application that has batteries that differ in age, size or type. Unfortunately, that means when one battery in a bank of two or more batteries needs to be replaced, they should all be replaced at the same time. That means you shouldn't connect batteries together that aren't the same age or haven't been used in the same application since they were new, even if they are the exact same make and model. As such, they essentially charge and discharge at a different rate a year later, than they did when they were brand-new. As batteries age (or get used), their charge/discharge profile changes. The same is also true of batteries that are identical in every way, except that one battery is older than the other. Neither is a scenario you want to have happen to your batteries, as it will probably shorten the lifespan of both and could create a potentially create a dangerous situation, if one battery gets severely overcharged. When you connect two or more batteries that don't charge and discharge at the same rate, one battery will probably end up overcharged and/or one battery will end up undercharged. Different types of batteries (flooded or AGM) also can have different charge/discharge characteristics.

That can be true even if the batteries are the same size. Different brands of batteries can have different charging and discharging characteristics, with some accepting a charge or delivering current faster than others. It sounds like your batteries are different in each of those ways.

#12V BATTERY PARALLEL SERIES#

We would strongly discourage anyone from connecting batteries in series or parallel applications, if the batteries are not identical in age, size and type. Today's question comes from Ryan H, who asks:Ĭan I connect my new BLUETOP D31M in parallel with my one-year old (Other brand) Marine 29 series? We print our 800 number (888-8-OPTIMA) and e-mail address on every battery we sell.

12v battery parallel