hey all, im a bit of a novice here, but im trying so... ive bought a people carrier for touring new zealand, and have installed two subs and a sony 1000 watt amp.
i also have two solar panels stuck to the top of my van, that feed and extra car battetry i fitted. the idea was to use an inverter to power my laptop, but im so freaked out about the efficiency of the cheapo inverter i bought, i just havnt used it, and the battery just generally sits there, unused.
so what im thinking is, can i wire the two car batterys in paralell, that way the amp (currently drawing on the main car battery) can feed off the two batterys, and the solar panels can top them up.
as stated im a novice so any notions, ideas etc. greatly appreciated.
oh and i was thinkingf of using car jump lead cable to link the batterys
i also have two solar panels stuck to the top of my van, that feed and extra car battetry i fitted. the idea was to use an inverter to power my laptop, but im so freaked out about the efficiency of the cheapo inverter i bought, i just havnt used it, and the battery just generally sits there, unused.
so what im thinking is, can i wire the two car batterys in paralell, that way the amp (currently drawing on the main car battery) can feed off the two batterys, and the solar panels can top them up.
as stated im a novice so any notions, ideas etc. greatly appreciated.
oh and i was thinkingf of using car jump lead cable to link the batterys
the panels wont do much if you have the radio and laptop on at the same time, they will draw much more current than the panels can provide.
but if your van is parked with nothing on then they will help to top up, but will take literally all day.
two batteries in parrallel shouldnt be a problem, if you have a healthy alternator, but just keep in mind that the power has to come from somewhere and that place is the alternator.
since your touring nz, it may be a good idea to install a breaker bar to the second battery, when using the laptop...this way if it goes dead the other battey will still be charged and you can start your car...id get a volt meter to keep an eye on voltage so you know when youre pushing the batteries to the limit.
starter cables arent usually very thick....may want to check out welding cable instead to save money, just make sure the strands are fine and not thick....the thick stranded wire picks up alot of EMF noise.
but if your van is parked with nothing on then they will help to top up, but will take literally all day.
two batteries in parrallel shouldnt be a problem, if you have a healthy alternator, but just keep in mind that the power has to come from somewhere and that place is the alternator.
since your touring nz, it may be a good idea to install a breaker bar to the second battery, when using the laptop...this way if it goes dead the other battey will still be charged and you can start your car...id get a volt meter to keep an eye on voltage so you know when youre pushing the batteries to the limit.
starter cables arent usually very thick....may want to check out welding cable instead to save money, just make sure the strands are fine and not thick....the thick stranded wire picks up alot of EMF noise.
Using batteries in parallel has the big drawback that they discharge each other, if they are not exactly matched. If you can, use one battery at a time.
Without knowing the size and efficency of those panels, and how you actually use that amp, it is difficult to assume anything valuable. At full throttle you would probably need several square meters of solar panels to maintain the batteries charged. At civilized listening levels it could work better than you would expect.
Without knowing the size and efficency of those panels, and how you actually use that amp, it is difficult to assume anything valuable. At full throttle you would probably need several square meters of solar panels to maintain the batteries charged. At civilized listening levels it could work better than you would expect.
My experience
The only time you can run 2 car batteries in parallel, is if they are identicle and the same age. 2 odd batteries and you will smell rotten eggs. For what its worth, look up split charging. Used in camping. An auxilary battery can be drained without worry of draining the vehicles main battery for cranking the engine.
http://www.marcleleisure.co.uk/Sund001/SplitCharge01.htm
http://www.kampenwagen.co.uk/Split Charge.htm
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f38/wiring-split-charge-relay-system-61268.html
Also, look into a possible Alternater upgrade too.
Merry xmas and happy new zealand
Mike
The only time you can run 2 car batteries in parallel, is if they are identicle and the same age. 2 odd batteries and you will smell rotten eggs. For what its worth, look up split charging. Used in camping. An auxilary battery can be drained without worry of draining the vehicles main battery for cranking the engine.
http://www.marcleleisure.co.uk/Sund001/SplitCharge01.htm
http://www.kampenwagen.co.uk/Split Charge.htm
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f38/wiring-split-charge-relay-system-61268.html
Also, look into a possible Alternater upgrade too.
Merry xmas and happy new zealand
Mike
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